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

[katydid23]

 

[imstilla.grandma]

Flashbacks of the Titanic keep visiting my mind. I try and keep them away.

 

[zecats]

Very sad. Passengers include 3 groups onboard celebrating birthdays.

ABC New Tonight.

 

[SoCalDavidS]

I admit that I did not expect there would be women and children onboard this boat, but now I understand why there were some. Not possible that this could be even more tragic, but once the victims become known, I'm sure it will be.

 

[happyday]

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

Thank you for the pictures! I’m so claustrophobic I would never even want to go diving, and seeing the pics of the bunk room makes me feel so panicky. So terrible! They really had no chance to get out. Such a tragedy.

 

[imstilla.grandma]

"Thirty foot flames, at least -- a 75-foot boat and it was on fire from one end to the other. It looked like it had port holes down below deck and you could see fire through the holes."

"You can only imagine the horror," he added.
...
A 16 member go-team from the National Transportation Safety Board will be traveling to the site, along with board member Jennifer Homendy.

Some investigators will leave Washington, D.C., late Monday, arriving in California sometime around 1 a.m. local time at the latest. The rest will leave early Tuesday morning.
'You can only imagine the horror': 4 bodies found, 29 people missing after boat fire

 

[imstilla.grandma]

Dispatcher: “You have 29 persons on board and you can’t breathe? What is your current GPS position?”

(Another man calls in who heard the distress call and is over by Anacapa Island.)

There’s some garbled space and back-and-forth for a few minutes as dispatchers try to reach anyone from the boat.

A frantic man can be heard:

“Vessel Conception! Vessel Conception! Vessel Conception!” …

Dispatch: “Your vessel is on fire? Is that correct? … Are you on board the Conception?”

Man: “Roger, there’s 33 people that’s on board the vessel that’s on fire. They can’t get off.”

Dispatch: “Roger, are they locked inside the boat? Roger, can you get back on board and unlock the boat, unlock the door so they can get off? Roger, you don’t have any firefighting gear, no fire extinguishers or anything?”

Dispatch: “Roger, is this the captain of the Conception?”

Man: “Roger”

Dispatch: “Was that all the crew that jumped off?”

Man: “Roger”

Dispatch: “Is the vessel fully engulfed now?”

Man: “Roger, and there’s no escape hatch for any of the people on board.”

‘I can’t breathe … . there’s no escape hatch’: Dramatic mayday call from California boat on fire

 

[katydid23]

why wasn't there an escape hatch for the people onboard?

 

[Inthedetails]

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 !

I am concerned about survivor remorse/guilt they might suffer.

jmo

 

[oceanblueeyes]

why wasn't there an escape hatch for the people onboard?

Something is very wrong here. It's against the law for anyone to be locked in below where they cant escape.

Imo, there is much more to this story to come.

They had to be locked in from the outside. Who locked them in knowing they couldnt get out in case of an emergency?

Imoo

 

[Kubirai]

Man: “Roger, there’s 33 people that’s on board the vessel that’s on fire. They can’t get off.”

Dispatch: “Roger, are they locked inside the boat? Roger, can you get back on board and unlock the boat, unlock the door so they can get off? Roger, you don’t have any firefighting gear, no fire extinguishers or anything?”

Dispatch: “Is the vessel fully engulfed now?”

Man: “Roger, and there’s no escape hatch for any of the people on board.”

‘I can’t breathe … . there’s no escape hatch’: Dramatic mayday call from California boat on fire

So the dispatch assumed the people were locked inside, but they were not. They simply couldn't come up the stairs into the galley, and there was no other escape route.

The video of the bunk room shows the stairs.

 

[Inthedetails]

Something is very wrong here. It's against the law for anyone to be locked in below where they cant escape.

Imo, there is much more to this story to come.

They had to be locked in from the outside. Who locked them in knowing they couldnt get out in case of an emergency?

Imoo

I don't think they were locked in, but that there was only one way out to the deck, and that way out was on fire.

It's a serious, serious flaw not to have a second exit. That needs to be explained. Is that not a regulation on a boat carrying passengers?


jmo

 

[oceanblueeyes]

Although I suppose the divers could have locked themselves in so the crew couldnt come in during the middle of the night.

So I guess I need to wait for further information, but at this time it doesn't make sense why they felt the need to lock themselves in or someone on the crew to lock the divers only way out.

Jmhoo

 

[Inthedetails]

Although I suppose the divers could have locked themselves in so the crew couldnt come in during the middle of the night.

So I guess I need to wait for further information, but at this time it doesn't make sense why they felt the need to lock themselves in or someone on the crew to lock the divers only way out.

Jmhoo

Where is the info they they were locked in? Can you please share, OBE, because I haven't seen that info and it's very disturbing. Thanks.

jmo

 

[oceanblueeyes]

I don't think they were locked in, but that there was only one way out to the deck, and that way out was on fire.

It's a serious, serious flaw not to have a second exit. That needs to be explained. Is that not a regulation on a boat carrying passengers?


jmo

Maybe, but earlier today I heard the divers were locked in when the horrific explosion happened.

They are going to have an update soon I think.

Imo

 

[squareandrabbet]

I don't think they were locked in, but that there was only one way out to the deck, and that way out was on fire.

It's a serious, serious flaw not to have a second exit. That needs to be explained. Is that not a regulation on a boat carrying passengers?

Maybe not:

The provisions of this section of Part 6 in the 2002 BSS Standards are mandatory for non-private boats where applicable.

If there's only one escape route from your boat and this becomes blocked by fire, you and other occupants on the boat could suffer personal injuries, burns or suffocation.

This is why it's a very good idea for all boats to have two means of escape from accommodation areas. To give sufficient space for people to fit through, and escape from the fire, it's recommended that all escape routes on your boat have a minimum clear opening of 0.2m2 (310in2) and a minimum width of 380mm (15ins). [6.7]

BBM; not too strict, it seems. Adding link:

two means of escape | Boat Safety Scheme | Go Boating - Stay Safe

 

[oceanblueeyes]

Where is the info they they were locked in? Can you please share, OBE, because I haven't seen that info and it's very disturbing. Thanks.

jmo

I'm watching Fox now. Martha said she will have a new update soon.

Imo

 

[imstilla.grandma]

Where is the info they they were locked in? Can you please share, OBE, because I haven't seen that info and it's very disturbing. Thanks.

jmo

See my post #107

 

[Inthedetails]

I'm watching Fox now. Martha said she will have a new update soon.

Imo

Great. Please update us with a summary if you can.

jmo

 

[oceanblueeyes]

It's coming up after the break. Her lead in said the drivers below may have been locked in while the Captain, and crew survived.

Imo