GUILTY CA - Boat fire near Santa Cruz Island; 34 missing, Sept 2019 *captain charged*

[Penelope]

I found the answer to question #2 or my previous post. [2. Report states it is based on interviews with 3 crew members. Do all 3 definitively know that no one was on watch? Why weren't the other 2 crew members interviewed? Did they lawyer up?]

Excerpts from an article on the KTLA 5 News website:

"The NTSB report provided few additional details and noted that investigators have only interviewed three of the five surviving crew members, who said no mechanical or electrical issues had been reported before the fire.

NTSB spokesman Eric Weiss said the Coast Guard asked their investigators to postpone the remaining crew interviews pending an investigation.

Attorney Michael Lipman, who represents boat captain Jerry Boylan, said he does not believe his client spoke with the NTSB. Lipman refused to discuss any facts in the case, whether he had spoken with any federal agencies or whether he advised his client not to speak with authorities.

An attorney who represented a Maine lobster boat captain charged in the deaths of two crew members who fell overboard when his boat flipped in high seas said he suspects prosecutors reviewing the information will ask if there was a watchman and, if not, what the captain had said or done. "No watch? A boat that far offshore?" Michael Turndorf asked. "I think that fits the statute. I would be surprised if those are the real circumstances that somebody doesn't get charged."​

 

[imstilla.grandma]

The report indicates that there was no night watchman roaming the three-deck vessel when it caught fire, which U.S. Coast Guard officials said is a maritime requirement.

"At the time of the fire, five crewmembers were asleep in berths behind the wheelhouse, and one crewmember was asleep in the bunkroom, which was accessed from the salon down a ladder well in the forward, starboard corner of the compartment," the report states.

The owner of Truth Aquatics, the Santa Barbara company that operated the doomed boat called the "Conception," had no immediate comment.

"For the integrity of this investigation, the operator of Truth Aquatics, Glen Fritzler, is not able to speak to the media at this point in time. I can personally confirm that Glen, his family and his team are reeling from this tragedy and doing everything in their power to support the investigation into the cause and origin of this horrendous fire and find answers for the victims and survivors," the company's lawyer, Douglas Schwartz, said in a statement on Thursday to ABC News.

Schwartz disputed the preliminary report's finding that all crew members were asleep at the time of the fire.

"We do have witness testimony that seems to contradict the notion that the entire crew was asleep," Schwartz said. "We do know that one crewmember checked on and around the galley area at around 2:30 a.m., approximately 30 minutes before the fire broke out.”
Entire crew was asleep when boat fire ignited killing 34: NTSB preliminary report

 

[Penelope]

Schwartz disputed the preliminary report's finding that all crew members were asleep at the time of the fire.

"We do have witness testimony that seems to contradict the notion that the entire crew was asleep," Schwartz said. "We do know that one crewmember checked on and around the galley area at around 2:30 a.m., approximately 30 minutes before the fire broke out.”
Entire crew was asleep when boat fire ignited killing 34: NTSB preliminary report

Right now it's one of those he said/he said moments. However, I believe the crewmember who checked "on and around the galley area" also told investigators that he/she went back to the bunk and fell asleep. It is unclear if it was that same crewmember or another who heard the bump that led him/her to check the galley area and spot the flames. It will be interesting to see where the investigation and lawsuits lead...

 

[wary]

The LA Times is a desperate dumpster fire, imo. From the link upthread:

according to the National Transportation Safety Board's preliminary report and NTSB Chairman Robert Sumwalt. *** "Part of the certificate for this vessel required that there be constantly a roving watch person to keep an eye on the safety of the vessel," Sumwalt said. "The interviews, to this point, have indicated that the five surviving crew members were in fact asleep at the time that the fire broke out."
He said investigators have no way of knowing whether an additional crew member and any of the passengers, who were all below deck and died, were awake.

From the preliminary report itself: “At the time of the fire, five crewmembers were asleep in berths behind the wheelhouse, and one crewmember was asleep in the bunk room....”

https://www.ntsb.gov/investigations...F04XUatRo9NggbKuQVqvgViV2t6BqmeI5ANOAHViuyGs8

It seems clear from what has already been said that the sixth crew member was not in the bunk room as part of any assigned roving watch duties—she was there to sleep. Of course, there's no way to know if she was actually asleep, but that hardly matters.

MOO

 

[IQuestion]

Update: photos & names of all the victims just posted....tragic.
https://nypost.com/2019/09/13/authorities-name-all-victims-of-fatal-california-diving-boat-fire/

 

[Kubirai]

Northern Lights MP55C, 55 KW, 220/110 Volts
Conception - Truth Aquatics

That is a much bigger generator than I imagined for this boat design.

NTSB would be checking the sister ship Vision for cable layout and short circuit protection.

The crew members may recall how much stuff was plugged into a single AC outlet.

If Lithium battery was the root cause, there would be traces on the salvaged vessel.

 

[BeachSky]

A safety video produced for Truth Aquatics, the Santa Barbara charter company that owned and operated the doomed Conception diving boat, reveals the close quarters of the vessel’s bunkroom and the awkward, narrow position of its escape hatch.

‘Conception’ Safety Video Shows Tight Quarters of Bunk Room, Escape Hatch

 

[BeachSky]

All Six ‘Conception’ Crew Members Were Asleep When Fire Started
The final report, which will contain causation, NTSB spokesperson Jennifer Homendy has said, is due in 12 to 18 months.

12-18 months ?
Goodness...poor families.


MOO

 

[BeachSky]

Boat Fire Wreckage Taken to Navy Base for Investigation

Wreckage from Fatal Boat Fire Taken to Naval Base Ventura County

 

[BeachSky]

Beyond sad if this is Allie Kurtz ( 6th crew member) in the video trying on the life jacket.So if this article is true & accurate then TA was creating multiple safety briefings for the passengers. Just didn’t implement it yet.
Wow ...IMO.
‘Conception’ Safety Video Shows Tight Quarters of Bunk Room, Escape Hatch

“This video is designed to run as a loop on the large TV in the dining area during the passenger boarding time before the boat leaves the harbor,”

Santa Barbara photographer Ralph Clevenger created the safety video for all three Truth Aquatics boats.
He said he finished it —>the day before the Conception disaster but after it had already embarked on its Channel Islands diving trip<—

 

[Penelope]

Beyond sad if this is Allie Kurtz ( 6th crew member) in the video trying on the life jacket.So if this article is true & accurate then TA was creating multiple safety briefings for the passengers. Just didn’t implement it yet.
Wow ...IMO.
‘Conception’ Safety Video Shows Tight Quarters of Bunk Room, Escape Hatch

“This video is designed to run as a loop on the large TV in the dining area during the passenger boarding time before the boat leaves the harbor,”

Santa Barbara photographer Ralph Clevenger created the safety video for all three Truth Aquatics boats.
He said he finished it —>the day before the Conception disaster but after it had already embarked on its Channel Islands diving trip<—

I just watched the safety video and have these observations:

1. Is this the finished video? It would be better if there was a voice-over. For example: "The safety hatch is at the ___ end of the bunkroom directly above ____"
2. Not sure if this is the speed the video is intended to play at, but I thought that it was too fast-paced. When they showed the life preserver, I did not really get a sense of where it was on the boat (guess you have to be there).
3. If the boat was listing/sinking at night, would one really have time to get from the bunkroom up to the sun deck to get a life jacket? I don't think so. Guess someone could be throwing them down to people.
4. End of the video has the following notation: "Captain will make a full briefing in the morning." I take this to mean that this is essentially the safety briefing for the first night on the ship with a more complete briefing in the morning. No mention of the location of fire extinguishers, fire alarms or other important things.

Good first try, but IMHO one should hire professional Safety Experts to help produce a video that is much more informative and can be shown more frequently throughout the voyage.

 

[BeachSky]

I just watched the safety video and have these observations:

1. Is this the finished video? It would be better if there was a voice-over. For example: "The safety hatch is at the ___ end of the bunkroom directly above ____"
2. Not sure if this is the speed the video is intended to play at, but I thought that it was too fast-paced. When they showed the life preserver, I did not really get a sense of where it was on the boat (guess you have to be there).
3. If the boat was listing/sinking at night, would one really have time to get from the bunkroom up to the sun deck to get a life jacket? I don't think so. Guess someone could be throwing them down to people.
4. End of the video has the following notation: "Captain will make a full briefing in the morning." I take this to mean that this is essentially the safety briefing for the first night on the ship with a more completed briefing in the morning. No mention of the location of fire extinguishers, fire alarms or other important things.

Good first try, but IMHO one should hire professional Safety Experts to help produce a video that is much more informative and can be shown more frequently throughout the voyage.

To be fair, maybe the photographer just released part of the video
possibly out of respect or ...maybe the news source shortened it.
I have no idea.
Just ironic , the entire.


JMO

 

[MimosaMornings]

A video showing an actual person using the escape hatch would have provided a better visual aid in my opinion. I’m a tall person and it looks very tight and small to me.

 

[Penelope]

A video showing an actual person using the escape hatch would have provided a better visual aid in my opinion. I’m a tall person and it looks very tight and small to me.

I agree with you. Like you, I believe the more you show, the better. Many of us learn visually - and it helps to see how it works. Of course, showing that may actually illustrate how tight a squeeze it is and how long it actually takes to climb out of that hatch.

 

[Cryptic]

Good first try, but IMHO one should hire professional Safety Experts to help produce a video that is much more informative and can be shown more frequently throughout the voyage.

I agree, even with the possibility an edited copy, the safety video could have been done better.

This deficiency can be seen as a continuation of the concept of personal risk / choice that another poster mentioned. This concept is centered on people making choices to participate in hazardous activities under less than ideal conditions and support.

In short, the deficiencies can be divided into two broad groups:

A. Personal choice/ risk component: Less than fully informative safety video, boat with old wiring, less than ideal alternative escape route, less than commercial grade smoke alarms. Though these deficiencies are notable, the arrangements were to code.

B. Negligence imposed risk: Lack of a roving watch. This is heightened by the possibility that no watch at all was maintained.

The 'A' type aspect can been seen as being inherent to small companies operating older boats and people making personal decisions regarding risks. New regulations may well reduce these risks, but they probably can't be eliminated due to cost efficiency.

The B aspect, however, is not inherent to a risky activity under less than ideal support. Rather, that risk aspect was artificially imposed on the divers through negligence. The severity of the negligence would seem to depend on whether a watch was posted, but fell asleep or did not roam or whether watches simply were not kept.

 

[danzn16]

Crews Raise Wreckage of Dive Boat 10 Days After Fatal Fire Off Santa Cruz Island

Raised wreckage of Conception

This article states the last victim was found in a cove west of the wreckage, hence the reason it took so long to find them.

 

[BeachSky]

Going on any boat is a risk.
They cannot guarantee 100% safety.
BUT let’s hope now they
- really brief, prepare & oversee the patrons
- double, triple, check the common areas
- ENFORCE restrictions, things not permitted onboard
- install backup in case of human error
- MAN the entire store
- PROTECT the herd


JMO

 

[gitana1]

Beyond sad if this is Allie Kurtz ( 6th crew member) in the video trying on the life jacket.So if this article is true & accurate then TA was creating multiple safety briefings for the passengers. Just didn’t implement it yet.
Wow ...IMO.
‘Conception’ Safety Video Shows Tight Quarters of Bunk Room, Escape Hatch

“This video is designed to run as a loop on the large TV in the dining area during the passenger boarding time before the boat leaves the harbor,”

Santa Barbara photographer Ralph Clevenger created the safety video for all three Truth Aquatics boats.
He said he finished it —>the day before the Conception disaster but after it had already embarked on its Channel Islands diving trip<—

You know I don't know that any of that would've saved these people. The safety hatch led to the galley area where the fire started.

That thing was a death trap. No way would I stay in one.

 

[danzn16]

Mom of 3 Sisters Who Died in Boat Fire Writes Heartbreaking Post: 'The Pacific Ocean Has Called Them'

Oh this is so heartbreaking.

3 of the female victims are part of a Facebook group I am in “Girls that Scuba”. So very sad! What amazing adventurous souls

 

[Eloise]

You know I don't know that any of that would've saved these people. The safety hatch led to the galley area where the fire started.

That thing was a death trap. No way would I stay in one.

It certainly puts me off! Not that I'm much of a boat person anyway.

I do wonder if the nightwatch had been awake (assuming that's an issue) if he might have been able to access firefighting equipment early and extinguish the fire. They couldn't access it by the time they were all aware of the fire because it was engulfed/inaccessible. If he'd been actively walking the boat as the nightwatch is apparently meant to do he might have seen/heard/smelt the fire when it was still in its early and quite extinguishable phases. Maybe. Of course, that's one of the things that will be determined in the investigation.