Casualties

Accidents reported around the region

By Fred McCauge

August

August 3 – The 90-foot dive vessel Vision lost a rudder and began taking on water seven miles north of San Nicolas Island, Calif. The crew applied a temporary patch to slow the flooding. As a precaution, the 26 passengers were evacuated by the Coast Guard cutter Blackfin, and the Vision limped home to Oxnard.

August 7 - The Seattle-based 110-foot F/V Northern Mariner hit a rock and began taking on water, then was intentionally grounded on the north side of Fleming Island in Alaska’s Prince William Sound to keep her from sinking. The four-man crew then abandoned in a life raft. The Northern Mariner was later seen with two 15 inch x 1 inch tears in the port side, and the engine room was partially submerged. The vessel was refloated on August 14 and after temporary repairs, towed to Seward.

August 13 - The 279-foot St. Vincent freighter, Island Intrepid ran aground at the entrance of Government Cut inbound to the Port of Miami, reportedly due to a steering failure. She was successfully refloated the next day.

August 14 – The Filipino master of the 738-foot Panamanian MV Torm Charlotte suffered a stroke while the ship was 300 miles north of Puerto Rico en route from Columbia to Europe. The ship diverted to rendezvous with a Coast Guard HH-65 Dolphin helicopter 75 miles north of Saint Thomas, and the man was airlifted to Centro Medico Hospital, Rio Piedras, Puerto Rico.

August 15 – A fire, later traced to mattresses, was discovered in a Budget rental van on board the 525-foot Canadian ferry Coastal Inspiration carrying 562 passengers and crew and 201 vehicles, about 20 minutes after sailing from Tsawwassen B.C. The car deck sprinkler system was activated, and the ferry returned to the terminal.

August 18 - A crewman on the Norwegian open hatch bulk carrier Star Java was fatally crushed while swinging in the arms of one of the ship’s gantry cranes at Squamish Terminals, Squamish, B.C.

August 19 - The 52-foot landing craft Saltery Provider, at anchor with an oil tank truck on board carrying 2,500 gallons of diesel on deck, took on water and capsized in Saltery Cove, Alaska. The vessel also had about 3,500 gallons of diesel fuel in her tanks.

August 29 – 23 of the 35 crew members chose barracuda for dinner aboard the 580-foot Liberian chemical tanker Stolt Sapphire. The next morning, with the tanker 57 miles south of Ponce, the captain and four other crewmen who were suffering from food poisoning were transported ashore by Coast Guard helicopter, and the ship diverted to Ponce where the 18 other fish lovers were also transported to the hospital.

September

September 4 – Coast Guard HH-65 helicopter 6505 crashed at sea during a routine SAR training exercise five miles south of Honolulu International Airport. The bodies of co-pilot Lt. Cmdr. Andrew Wischmeier, rescue swimmer PO 1st Class David Skimin, and flight mechanic PO 2nd Class Joshua Nichols were recovered. The pilot, Cmdr. Thomas Nelson, is missing. The investigation into the crash continues.

Setpember 13 – Hurricane Ike smashed into Texas. In the storm, 90 percent of the aids to navigation in the Houston Ship Channel and other nearby waterways were lost or destroyed. The jack–up drill rig Rowan-Anchorage was missing, 49 small offshore oil production platforms were destroyed, and numerous boats and marinas were damaged or destroyed. In addition, cars parked at the Galveston cruise terminal were flooded in four to six feet of water while their owners were enjoying life at sea.