Fire on dive boat Conception in CA
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Wingy
Contributor
Just agreeing with @cerich @Akimbo @Bob DBF amongst others re "anchor" watch. Preface - I've never been on any US boat or have any familiarity of US marine laws...but...
Some catastrophic events are simply unsurvivable. The conflagration on this boat seems to have been so rapid and boat design layout a contributing factor on potential egress for divers. Personally the thought of 30+ people in a dorm with one companionway and one escape hatch (many questions about that too but by nature are not designed for 30 plus people) makes me shudder.
I've never been on a boat on fire before but have done hundreds of fire drills and they don't take seconds, minutes at best from the time of fire being noticed. I have been on boats that have gone down and do know the human factor adds valuable seconds. People don't wake up on a smoke filled boat hearing flames above and no doubt shouting and panicked voices at their sprightly best ready to leap out of bed with a plan in action - they wake up going..wtf..oh no..even if they tried to get up that ladder they would have had to fight to get near it assuming any were able to make it. And they would've fought anyone further up that ladder - survival instinct kicks in its not a maybe. No one would've woken up, made their way in an orderly fashion and waited politely for their turn. There seems to be quite some discussion on this "anchor" watch person and an inference that it was there job to keep an entire boat full of sleeping people safe.
Sorry...that's not how it works. Every mariner is on duty 24/7 looking for everything. Not just checking the galley or tanks..everything ON and NEAR the boat. Obviously not relevant here but I've jumped out of my cabin and ran upstairs when I've heard an engine change sounds because the captain and his watch spotted a massive school of jellyfish near intake valves ..and I was paying to be on that LOB not crewing. I know of an entire crew that were wide awake but drunk and no one was looking to notice the sea container rapidly drifting towards them lost.
I guess my point is, this had to have happened so rapidly that the shock and disbelief would have rendered any crew basically useless given the time frame so expecting this "anchor watch" person to have spotted or smelt anything amiss and responded in time is unfair. Even the (for me) standard person on dedicated night watch plus bosun or captain if we're under sail or steaming is just the bare minimum - In an ideal world watch means for every crew member.
So very sorry but that's just my take on the watch issue.,I have not read all post but deepest sympathies to all involved.
Every surviving crew member is going to need a lot of years because every time they close their eyes all they will see is flames, if ever.
Is it really a place we should go - "they'll have trouble finding work" - Seriously? Would you want to revisit that mental scar daily?
Some catastrophic events are simply unsurvivable. The conflagration on this boat seems to have been so rapid and boat design layout a contributing factor on potential egress for divers. Personally the thought of 30+ people in a dorm with one companionway and one escape hatch (many questions about that too but by nature are not designed for 30 plus people) makes me shudder.
I've never been on a boat on fire before but have done hundreds of fire drills and they don't take seconds, minutes at best from the time of fire being noticed. I have been on boats that have gone down and do know the human factor adds valuable seconds. People don't wake up on a smoke filled boat hearing flames above and no doubt shouting and panicked voices at their sprightly best ready to leap out of bed with a plan in action - they wake up going..wtf..oh no..even if they tried to get up that ladder they would have had to fight to get near it assuming any were able to make it. And they would've fought anyone further up that ladder - survival instinct kicks in its not a maybe. No one would've woken up, made their way in an orderly fashion and waited politely for their turn. There seems to be quite some discussion on this "anchor" watch person and an inference that it was there job to keep an entire boat full of sleeping people safe.
Sorry...that's not how it works. Every mariner is on duty 24/7 looking for everything. Not just checking the galley or tanks..everything ON and NEAR the boat. Obviously not relevant here but I've jumped out of my cabin and ran upstairs when I've heard an engine change sounds because the captain and his watch spotted a massive school of jellyfish near intake valves ..and I was paying to be on that LOB not crewing. I know of an entire crew that were wide awake but drunk and no one was looking to notice the sea container rapidly drifting towards them lost.
I guess my point is, this had to have happened so rapidly that the shock and disbelief would have rendered any crew basically useless given the time frame so expecting this "anchor watch" person to have spotted or smelt anything amiss and responded in time is unfair. Even the (for me) standard person on dedicated night watch plus bosun or captain if we're under sail or steaming is just the bare minimum - In an ideal world watch means for every crew member.
So very sorry but that's just my take on the watch issue.,I have not read all post but deepest sympathies to all involved.
Every surviving crew member is going to need a lot of years because every time they close their eyes all they will see is flames, if ever.
Is it really a place we should go - "they'll have trouble finding work" - Seriously? Would you want to revisit that mental scar daily?
Scuba-74
Contributor
KevinNM
Contributor
catzndogz22
Registered
Victims in the tragic dive boat fire likely died of smoke inhalation, not burns, Santa Barbara County Sheriff Bill Brown said Friday.
California boat fire: Authorities say victims likely died of smoke inhalation, not burns
California boat fire: Authorities say victims likely died of smoke inhalation, not burns
Scuba-74
Contributor
Which goes all the way back to construction. Its not like the boat just magically appeared at the slip. The design was approved ahead of time and the construction/layup was also approved. There was ton of institutional knowledge and inertia going back 30+ years all concluding that the quarters were "fit" for their intended purpose. One night out of thousands it wasn't.
Scared Silly
Contributor
No they are not relatively fixed. One might be surprised at how much some vessels can be reconfigured. As I posted previously, (Fire on dive boat Conception in CA) the hatch could be reconfigured with very little re-engineering being required.
KevinNM
Contributor
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