Conception wreckage arrives at Port of Hueneme

For the first time since leaving Santa Barbara for a Labor Day weekend trip to the Channel Islands, the dive boat Conception has returned to the mainland.

The wreckage was pulled back to the Port of Hueneme by tug boat, arriving at 1:55 a.m. The burned out hull of the doomed vessel was visible on the deck of a barge.

Conception was salvaged from the bottom of the sea on Thursday. Work to bring the dive boat to the surface had been delayed for several days due to poor weather conditions near Santa Cruz Island.

Santa Barbara County Sheriff Bill Brown had said that the wreckage would be taken to an undisclosed location. It is unclear if it will be staying at the Port of Hueneme for the extent of the investigation or moved to another location.

Conception caught fire on Monday, September 2 killing 34 passengers. All the victims have been recovered.