"Best" Marine Casualty?

[yeehawherb]

I always thought the casualty of the Marine Electric was pretty interesting... tragic loss. But turning point for marine safety...

[jdcavo]

Collision of Exxon Chester and Regal Sword circa 1980. It's the reason you're taking an ARPA course and also has some elements of BRM.

[Capt. Fran]

While researching the accident mentioned by Mr. Cavo, I stumbled upon this pretty cool site:
http://openlibrary.org/works/OL10922...ccident_report

[richard8000milesaway]

here's a link to the NTSB online free publication site for all accident investigations going back at least until 1997:
http://www.ntsb.gov/Publictn/publictn.htm
for older ones you have to request.

[captfish]

Just go peruse the NTSB website for one. All of the reports are public info, and you can look at some and see if the case is interesting.

Maybe look into the case of the cruise ship in Alaska where the Cal Maritime kid ran it aground on his first watch? Good example of a fresh out of school Mate and what the Captain should have done.

I think you are referring to the vessel Empress of the North, which grounded on Rocky Island while making a turn from Chatham Strait to Icy Strait. My good friend was the AB at the helm when that happened. gCaptain has a little ditty about that one here, and the NTSB report is here. Tons of great information. The same vessel had three other incidents on the Columbia River.

The Empress was bad luck since the day it was launched. Built at Nichols Bros. in Washington State, the vessel was the largest they had built, and they had to figure out how to get the thing in the water. On launch day, before the thing ever floated, it came off the ways and went aground! They had to drag her back up to the yard for repairs and try the launch again. Since then, she has been in an incident almost every year of operation. Currently laid-up, I would never sail on that doomed ship.

Check it out.

[New3M]

I think you are referring to the vessel Empress of the North, which grounded on Rocky Island while making a turn from Chatham Strait to Icy Strait. My good friend was the AB at the helm when that happened. gCaptain has a little ditty about that one here, and the NTSB report is here. Tons of great information. The same vessel had three other incidents on the Columbia River.

The Empress was bad luck since the day it was launched. Built at Nichols Bros. in Washington State, the vessel was the largest they had built, and they had to figure out how to get the thing in the water. On launch day, before the thing ever floated, it came off the ways and went aground! They had to drag her back up to the yard for repairs and try the launch again. Since then, she has been in an incident almost every year of operation. Currently laid-up, I would never sail on that doomed ship.

Check it out.

That's the one! So your friend was the AB that the Mate thought was in charge of the watch? Or is that story a bunch of bullshit?

[Siberfire]

I've pretty much narrowed it down to three cases

1. Tug Valour - has lots of good info and for the amount of experience onboard it shouldnt have happened.

2. Exxon Chester vs. M/V Regal Star - The collision is relatively interesting but the outcomes are what makes the case most interesting. Have to figure out where to get the NTSB report from though...

3. Emperess of the North - Pretty relevant for upcoming potential third mates.

Might look into the tug that hit the Bligh Reef a little bit ago... seeing as how there was a GLMA grad onboard.

Thanks for all the great posts, I've never realized how interesting and informative reading about different casualties can be. Keep 'em coming!

[seadog6608]

How about the 1973 NY harbor accident involving Sea Witch and an Esso tanker. Check out the Boatnerd website for Great Lakes casualties also. Pewabic on Lake Huron is a great story. Also there was a ferry in Chicago with a massive loss of life. It rolled over at the dock.

[steelbeach]

Andria Doria - Stockholm it's a good read when you have to generate some interest in a radar refresher or ARPA course. Can't remember the books name but an author wrote an entire book about the incident from the perspective of radar plotting or in this case the lack of it.

[captfish]

That's the one! So your friend was the AB that the Mate thought was in charge of the watch? Or is that story a bunch of bullshit?

Yes and no. Any mate who thinks that the AB/helmsman is in charge of the watch has no business being at the con. That being said, the AB did have three-years experience in SE Alaska, and had sailed on that vessel for more than a year. The mate was green. While the AB/helmsman had experience at the helm, he was no navigator. At the time, the AB did not have a license, and although he was very gung-ho about learning as much as he could about navigation, he did not know how to use the RADAR (as evidenced by his post-accident interview where he repeatedly calls the VRM a BRM, or how he refers to Rocky Island as Rock Island). See the report.

Perhaps there are many reasons the vessel ran aground, including: a green mate who was unfamiliar with the route and the vessel; a captain who should not have turned the mate loose without additional supervision; a helmsman who was over-confident and too suggestive to the green mate.

Here is an interesting fact that may not be in the report: The third mate on watch when the incident occured was most likely navigating using Nobeltec on a laptop left on the bridge, NOT the ECDIS. One of the Chief Mates on that boat was also a good friend and former shipmate of mine. He was not on board at the time of the incident, but he tells me that his laptop was. On his laptop was Nobeltec, which he says the watch officers commonly used to navigate. The problem is that the routes in his Nobeltec were created years back when we ran small, high-speed, highly-manuverable passenger catamarans. On those smaller vessels, we always made a course between Rocky Island and Point Couverden- larger vessels such as the Empress would not normally use that route. Instead, they would normally make a larger turn leaving Rocky Island to STBD. [See the area in question by clicking here] While it is possible for a vessel like the Empress of the North to make that turn and leave Rocky Island to PORT, only watch standers whom are familiar with those waters should attempt it. In fact, there would be no point in doing so at night, as no one would be able to enjoy the view anyway!

Maybe the AB/Helmsman had made that turn with the other officers before, I don't know. Maybe he suggested to the Mate that what they were doing was 'normal'. Regardless, the Mate was not being the prudent mariner when he decided to make that turn. The lesson for new mates out there is: WHEN IN DOUBT, CALL 'EM OUT! (the captain that is). I would much rather be woken up regularly with dumb questions from the mate then woken up with the sound of the vessel hitting a rock. Needless to say, the Mate lost his job, and the Captain ended up resigning over the incident.

Oh, the humanity!

[captfish]

Here is another great one: Spirit of Glacier Bay hard aground in Glacier Bay! Although I have never been on this vessel, nor have I worked for Cruise West, I have been up close and personal to the Grand Pacific Glacier many times on a similar vessel. These guys...a little too close, poor bastards.

[Kennebec Captain]

One thing that bugs me is the "they should have known better" remarks. I think that it is a case of underestimating the power of hindsight. There is a reason that now, prior to the Superbowl the remarks about each team and the game are general remarks but the criticism of the Colts after they lose will be very specific. The difference is of course is before the event compared to after.

Imagine your getting ready to take a tug coastwise as captain. A trip that will sink your tug but.......Your no good brother-in law wants to borrow your pick-up while your gone, your kid is in trouble for fighting at school etc.

You come down to the tug, your need to sail in an hour and a half
- AB reports there are bugs in the corn flakes.
- C/E reports there is dirt in the #4 fuel tanks and he is low on filters
- Mate reports the face wire is bad and the spare on board is the wrong size
- Mate reports that one of the charts you need has gone missing
- Your wife calls, she can't find the checkbook, it's in your back pocket
- Your cell phone battery goes dead.

What would you do? Well if you could travel in time and learn that a thru-hull valve is going to go bad and flood the engine room you would ignore everything else and have it fixed. Or if you brother in law rolls your truck.... The point is we only have this power after the event. Don't underestimate the power of hindsight.

[george44]

What about the one where the giant deep sea monster thing comes up and ate everbody but Treat Williams and Famke Jansen?

[george44]

nevermind... thinking about Deep Rising... not a marine casualty.

[Kingrobby]

There is also the car carrier Tricolor that hit a container ship and then sank in the English Channel in 2002. Or the car carrier Cougar Ace which rolled onto its side after pumping ballast water around in 2006.

[jdcavo]

Andria Doria - Stockholm it's a good read when you have to generate some interest in a radar refresher or ARPA course. Can't remember the books name but an author wrote an entire book about the incident from the perspective of radar plotting or in this case the lack of it.

I can't believe anyone hasn't suggested collision of the USCGC Blackthorn and SS Capricorn. It's why all Coast Guard cutter personnel have to take the same rules of the road exam you do.

[Tom_Tugboat]

Wow, old memories! I got my first Captain's job due to a similar style incident on a boat named the same as that one!