Proceedings magazine is a communication tool for the Coast Guard's Marine Safety & Security Council. Each quarterly magazine focuses on a specific theme of interest to the marine industry.
Issue link: https://uscgproceedings.epubxp.com/i/284910
59 Spring 2014 Proceedings www.uscg.mil/proceedings aboard the vessel who had swapped shifts with the previous senior deckhand. The captain told the new senior deckhand that he would not be back to the vessel until the following morning and asked that the crew member let the steersman know of his itinerary change. 3 The steersman did not speak with the captain personally, because he had gone to sleep earlier that day. However, the senior deckhand said under testimony that he did not know the captain was absent from the vessel — even though evi- dence produced at the hearing verifed the telephone call took place. Meanwhile, On the Tank Ship On July 22, the tank ship (the other vessel involved in the incident) got underway just before midnight with 26 crew members aboard. During the transit the pilot remained on the bridge and gave navigational instructions to the bridge crew, as they proceeded down-bound on the lower Missis- sippi River. The pilot radioed the vessel traffc service (VTS), as required, to check in near mile marker 103. At 1:27 a.m., the tanker ship radioed VTS New Orleans to complete a second required check in. The vessel was the sec- ond of three deep-draft vessels proceeding southbound on the lower Mississippi River — maintaining a 1 to 1.5 nautical mile distance between it and the vessel in front. Moments Before Impact The following morning around 12:41 a.m., the steersman awoke and pulled the towing vessel away from the Stone Pre-Collision Events On July 15, 2008, the towing vessel changed crew. 1 The cap- tain assigned to the new shift called the port earlier that morning to say he would be arriving late. However, when the new steersman showed up for his shift, he relieved the captain from the previous shift, received the operation order from the towing vessel dispatcher, and then left the dock with the vessel, before the new captain had arrived. It is important to note that the steersman held a Coast Guard merchant marine license, which authorized him to serve as an apprentice mate (steersman) of towing vessels upon the Great Lakes, inland waters, and western rivers. However, under this license an apprentice mate cannot operate a ves- sel without the direct supervision of a licensed master. While waiting to enter the Harvey Locks, one of the towing company's co-owners called the steersman and asked him if the captain had arrived yet and then asked where the vessel was heading. The steersman informed the co-owner that the captain had not arrived yet, and he was taking the vessel to pick up the barge. The co-owner told the steersman "just be careful" and did not correct the improper staffng. Later on, the captain caught up with his crew and boarded the vessel at the Harahan dock. However, several days later, he told the steersman that he needed to go home for a couple of days to handle some personal business. The steersman agreed to take over in his absence, so the captain called his friend — another captain from the same towing com- pany — and arranged for his friend to pick him up from the Reserve Ferry Landing. The towing vessel, now pushing a loaded red-fag barge, 2 came to the Reserve Ferry Landing. The steersman relieved the captain from the wheelhouse and did not pull the vessel into dock. Instead, the steersman slowed the vessel down, and the captain left the boat by skiff with the senior deck- hand. The senior deckhand dropped the captain off at shore and then returned to the towing vessel. The captain headed to Illinois — knowing that the vessel was not only inadequately manned, but also that the apprentice aboard did not have the proper license to be left alone and would be the sole operator of the vessel until his return. Additionally, at no time following the captain's departure did the crew notify the towing company about the captain's whereabouts. The captain himself made phone calls, but only to his crew to check in on them and on the vessel. Originally, the captain told his steersman that he would be back by July 22. However, at 10 p.m. on that evening the cap- tain called the vessel, while it was moored temporarily at the Stone Oil Dock, La. He spoke with the new senior deckhand A Coast Guard crew member aboard a 41-foot smallboat from Coast Guard Station New Orleans overlooks the partially sunken barge on the Missis- sippi River. U.S. Coast Guard photo by Petty Offcer Thomas M. Blue. Spring2014_FINAL.indd 59 3/21/14 11:14 AM