Decomposed Body Found in Compartment of Retired Coast Guard Boat

CHATHAM — Authorities have found a decomposed body inside a closed compartment on board a retired Coast Guard boat in Massachusetts.

The Cape and Islands district attorney's office says Coast Guard personnel called Chatham police just before 9 p.m. Sunday to report the body.

The preliminary investigation has not revealed any evidence of foul play.

The remains have been sent to the medical examiner in an effort to determine the body's identity.

The 44-foot motor lifeboat was not in the water but was on display on the lawn at Coast Guard Station Chatham.

A Coast Guard spokesman says the boat was retired in 2009 after 46 years of service.

The boat is associated with the CG36500, the wooden boat used in the famous rescue of 32 men from the tanker Pendleton, the basis of the book and the movie The Finest Hours.