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

[Kubirai]

The website says the vessel, launched in 1981, has rafts and life jackets for up to 110 passengers and exits on the port, starboard and bow that provide "easy water entry."
4 die, 29 missing in California dive boat fire; crew jumped

The fire must have been sudden and violent. Otherwise, some of these exits could have been used for escape.

 

[imstilla.grandma]

Coast Guard Lt. Cmdr. Matthew Kroll says the four bodies had injuries consistent with drowning.
4 die, 29 missing in California dive boat fire; crew jumped

 

[TTF14]

That boat does not look big enough to sleep that many below deck.

 

[Lilibet]

That boat does not look big enough to sleep that many below deck.

There is a diagram in an earlier post showing the sleeping arrangements—mostly three levels of bunk beds in one “room.” Some are double beds.

 

[imstilla.grandma]

Fisherman Andrew Volaski estimated it takes about two hours to get from the mainland to where the fire was.

The National Transportation Safety Board has dispatched a "go-team" to investigate the incident, the agency reported. The team is designed to "begin the investigation of a major accident at the accident scene, as quickly as possible," according to the NTSB website.

The advertised capacity of the Conception's bunk room was 46 people, including both double and single bunks, some in stacks of three, and a shower room. Expedition quarters like these are typically known for being tight.

The galley included "all appliances necessary for food preparation and is waterproof for divers in wetsuits. Onboard built-in Bar-B-Que."

The boat specifications also say it was equipped with rafts and life jackets for 110 passengers and a fire suppression system.
29 Missing, 4 Bodies Recovered After Boat Catches Fire And Sinks Off Ventura County Coast

 

[imstilla.grandma]

The crew eventually made their way to a nearby 60-foot fisherman boat, The Grape Escape, owned by Bob and Shirley Hansen, who were asleep when they began to hear pounding on the side of the vessel around 3:30 a.m, Mr. Hansen said in an interview. He soon threw on a pair of shorts and opened a cabin door to find five frightened men in their underwear.

The men, said Mr. Hansen, told him they were crew on the nearby diving vessel, Conception, which they had jumped from after a fire onboard grew out of control. They used an inflatable tender boat to reach Mr. and Mrs. Hansen, the only other boat anchored in the area, in Platts Harbor, north of Santa Cruz Island, he said.

The fire was too big, there was absolutely nothing we could do. You never anticipate something like this. We just felt so helpless,” he added.

Mr. and Mrs. Hansen gave clothes to the crew members, and helped dry them off. One he believed had broken his leg, evidently during the escape, and was in pain, he said. Two of the crew went back out toward the Conception to look for passengers who may have made it off the boat; they found no one, he said.
Boat ‘Engulfed in Flames’ Leaves Over 30 Missing Off Santa Cruz Island

 

[MsFacetious]

So the bottom isn't watertight, correct? There's zero chance that there are actually people alive down there awaiting rescue? You know, like a submarine?

I'm just thinking if the initial explosion had blown a hole in the hull, wouldn't it have sunk immediately? The fact that it didn't sink for a while makes me wonder if below deck did not fill up with water.

I'm sure it's impossible but man wouldn't that be amazing...

 

[katydid23]

They probably all died from smoke inhalation, if nothing else.

 

[Inthedetails]

The crew eventually made their way to a nearby 60-foot fisherman boat, The Grape Escape, owned by Bob and Shirley Hansen, who were asleep when they began to hear pounding on the side of the vessel around 3:30 a.m, Mr. Hansen said in an interview. He soon threw on a pair of shorts and opened a cabin door to find five frightened men in their underwear.

The men, said Mr. Hansen, told him they were crew on the nearby diving vessel, Conception, which they had jumped from after a fire onboard grew out of control. They used an inflatable tender boat to reach Mr. and Mrs. Hansen, the only other boat anchored in the area, in Platts Harbor, north of Santa Cruz Island, he said.

The fire was too big, there was absolutely nothing we could do. You never anticipate something like this. We just felt so helpless,” he added.

Mr. and Mrs. Hansen gave clothes to the crew members, and helped dry them off. One he believed had broken his leg, evidently during the escape, and was in pain, he said. Two of the crew went back out toward the Conception to look for passengers who may have made it off the boat; they found no one, he said.
Boat ‘Engulfed in Flames’ Leaves Over 30 Missing Off Santa Cruz Island

So, this is different than the version upthread that an explosion blew the crew on deck off the boat. This sounds like they had time to get into a safety boat. (Not that I blame the crew for leaving - sounds like there was absolutely choice.)

jmo

 

[imstilla.grandma]

Concerned family members can call the info hotline @ 833-688-5551. This is for family members ONLY. Media Inquiries can be made by calling the JIC @ 805-696-1188. No new info available at this time but will be presented at 4:00 p.m. press conference. #sbsheriff

Couple from Madera rescues 5 crew members from deadly dive-boat fire

 

[TTF14]

There is a diagram in an earlier post showing the sleeping arrangements—mostly three levels of bunk beds in one “room.” Some are double beds.

I found that AFTER I posted . Must read the thread before posting...must read the thread before posting...

 

[PommyMommy]

San Francisco Chronicle on Twitter
Four bodies were recovered and about 30 people were missing and feared dead off Santa Cruz Island in Southern California after a dive boat caught fire in the pre-dawn hours Monday. https://trib.al/CsMLVga

2:33 PM - 2 Sep 2019

 

[Kubirai]

The advertised capacity of the Conception's bunk room was 46 people, including both double and single bunks, some in stacks of three, and a shower room. Expedition quarters like these are typically known for being tight.
View attachment 201889
The galley included "all appliances necessary for food preparation and is waterproof for divers in wetsuits. Onboard built-in Bar-B-Que."

The diagram is very helpful, but also points out that only escape route from the bunk room was the stairs up to the galley, where the fire may have started.

 

[neesaki]

That boat does not look big enough to sleep that many below deck.

I thought the same, then looked at the photo of the bunk area and just shook my head. Being quite claustrophobic I would feel like a sardine in a can.
I can’t imagine getting trapped down there with only one way out. Those poor people.

 

[imstilla.grandma]

Slideshow:
Conception Santa Cruz Island boat fire disaster

Audio of the initial mayday call recorded a man saying, “I can’t breathe,” according to the L.A. Times.

“Can you get back onboard and unlock the boat?” the dispatcher asked at one point, CNN reported.

“You don’t have any firefighting gear at all? No fire extinguishers or anything?” the dispatcher asked, but the man’s responses are not audible.
Dozens Are Dead or Missing After Boat on Scuba Trip Is Engulfed in Flames: 'It Was Horrendous'

Final hours on the Conception: Diving, birthday parties, then horrific fire

 

[eucalyptuz]

Such a tragedy. It really is so hard to think about those that were trapped below.
I have only briefly been on board a similar boat, and once I saw the sleeping quarters, I knew that I would only ever be a day-trip diver... The diagrams make it seem way more spacious than reality and with sleep trouble at the best of times, impossible for me.
From what I know, the dive boat company was well-respected and the below-deck sleeping arrangements totally normal and expected by dive communities.
For those who have never seen the sleeping quarters, there are good dive reports showing the interior spaces of Conception and others in this dive forum thread:
Truth Aquatics Aug. 2016 Trip Report - California
Northern Channel Islands - Spring Break Trip W/ Truth Aquatics

 

[Cryptic]

The diagram is very helpful, but also points out that only escape route from the bunk room was the stairs up to the galley, where the fire may have started.

Very good observation. Wow, only one exit through the galley.

I wonder if the boat originated as a passenger / charter vessel, or was originally used for other commercial purposes with the only occupants being professional crew?

Maybe a boat originally manned by a small professional crew might be exempt some safety features required for larger number of passengers? This may explain only one exit. Then again, such an arrangement is permissible regardless of the boats original purpose.

 

[imstilla.grandma]

*This isn’t the Conception. But another boat fire near California area.


Fire and medical crews responded to a recreational boat that caught on fire near 1790 Water Street on San Diego Bay Monday afternoon.

Just before 2 p.m., an 18-foot Bayliner motor boat caught fire while out on the bay on Labor Day.

San Diego Fire Department confirmed five people were transported to hospitals with unknown injuries.

The Coast Guard and San Diego Harbor Police were able to tow the boat to the docks at 10th Ave Marine Terminal where San Diego Fire could investigate the fire.

The cause of the fire is still unknown.
Motor Boat Fire in San Diego Bay: SDFD

 

[BeachSky]

Slideshow:
Conception Santa Cruz Island boat fire disaster

Audio of the initial mayday call recorded a man saying, “I can’t breathe,” according to the L.A. Times.

“Can you get back onboard and unlock the boat?” the dispatcher asked at one point, CNN reported.

“You don’t have any firefighting gear at all? No fire extinguishers or anything?” the dispatcher asked, but the man’s responses are not audible.
Dozens Are Dead or Missing After Boat on Scuba Trip Is Engulfed in Flames: 'It Was Horrendous'

Final hours on the Conception: Diving, birthday parties, then horrific fire

Shirley Hansen said she and her husband gave the crew members blankets and clothes. Some of the men were crying, one telling them that his girlfriend was still below deck on the Conception
Another man described how the crew had celebrated three passengers’ birthdays hours earlier, including that of a 17-year-old girl who was on the diving trip with her parents.


Just horrible !

 

[imstilla.grandma]

In audio from a mayday call from the Conception, a Coast Guard dispatcher from Los Angeles questioned a Conception crew member about whether passengers were locked onboard the vessel.

"Can you get back onboard and unlock the boat?" the dispatcher asked.

In another question, the Coast Guard asked if there was an "escape hatch for any of the people onboard."
Live updates: Boat fire near Santa Cruz Island, California - CNN

****anyone know what “unlock the boat” means?