The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the Navy have salvaged a sailboat that ran aground in the Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument three years ago.

Managers of the monument in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands asked a Navy diving and salvage unit to help remove the wreck from a reef off Kure Atoll to prevent environmental damage.

They arrived in Honolulu this morning with the vessel, which is to be recycled.

The SV Grendel was last seen with its solo captain in Fiji in October 2006. The wreckage of the boat was discovered at Kure in about 10 feet of water in June 2007.

Marine debris poses serious danger to marine life and the ecosystem.