Fire on dive boat Conception in CA

[Wookie]

Why would the hatch to the engine compartment be raised above deck level?

Prevent downflooding if the deck is awash.

 

[ChrisM]

A similar point can be made about the both egress points being at the ends of the galley. I.e why was one not outside of the galley? Even in a different location the fire as massive as it was may have prevented egress.

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Federal regs require that the point of egress be on opposite ends of the occupied space (if possible), not that they daylight to different areas. Couldn't have made them any further apart without busting down engine room wall. And as difficult as it might be to negotiate, someone pointed out above that the hatch exit essentially spits you out away from the salon and onto the dive deck (it's a couple feet from the photo)

I agree that as I am imagining it assuming people were trying to get out, from descriptions of the fire by the neighboring boat I doubt two stairways would have made a difference.

 

[outofofficebrb]

Agreed. So far I've read:

1. That Truth Aquatics had a 100% fatality rate among paying customers
2. That The Conception was poorly maintained based on a short video (of the wrong boat nonetheless)
3. That the operator compromised safety for revenue by stuffing as many people into a dive boat when there is ZERO evidence that the number of people was a factor

EDIT: Agreed that the thread has taken an unfortunate turn, not that it should be shut down.

I suspect there are different interpretations of something that is "well maintained". Some think of that as being shiny, renovated, freshly painted, and clean (spotless) and for others, it means that it is clean in that items are organized, there is no trash on the floor, and that it is mechanically maintained. I am sure I am missing some other aspects here, or there could be a better way of explaining this, but do you kind of see what I mean? It's like staying at a brand new JW Marriott and saying that is well maintained and then staying at an unrenovated Courtyard Marriott and noticing that maybe there's a little soap scum on the bathtub tile and that the bedspreads are from the 90's and that might affect perception of comfort and maintenance, but essentially, the areas that you sleep/eat and spend time in are both acceptably clean and free of bed bugs (hopefully), dirt, etc. Both are running as a business that are up to code. Both are essentially "maintained", but there might be a lot of subjectivity. So what does it mean to be "well maintained"?

As mentioned before, I've been on the Truth before. It did feel crowded. It never dawned on me that it would be a safety issue then, but after this, it brings a different kind of awareness to emergency exits. In hindsight, I probably didn't give it any thought because it's a USCG inspected vessel. I am not going to beat around the bush or try to say otherwise here but based on the photos shared, that escape hatch in the bunk is by no means acceptable to me, even though it may be within regulations for a USCG inspection. I really hope with all of my heart that whatever standard or requirement it is now will genuinely be looked at and reassessed carefully considering how many lives were lost. Assuming there is no blockage whatsoever and the emergency hatch led to a completely different area of the boat that is not being consumed by flames, that is still a difficult exit to make even without an emergency as 1 person, let alone with 30 something people behind you, frantic, and in the dark, with smoke and water. To be honest, I would be skeptical of anyone telling me otherwise.

 

[KevinNM]

I work in aerospace, not marine engineering so this may sound dumb. As has been mentioned for a new plane you have run cert tests with actual people to validate that exits work as designed.

Is any sort of testing like that required for ships? Is there a break point (displacement, capacity, length?) where it goes from requiring a real world test to certification based on following the regs and other substantiation work?

There are different regulations if you are a SOLAS vessel. However I think Wookie had a SOLAS vessel and it had a similar (but not as nasty) escape hatch that passed review.

 

[KevinNM]

I may pay heed to any one of these posts if any one of these posts
rallied 100% support for the surviving crew, who will suffer forever

I’d like to get a better idea what happened before supporting or criticizing the crew. I can think of ways there was nothing they could do and i can think of ways they could have prevented it. All depends on what the root cause was.

 

[Cowtown44]

Generically, or statistically, dryer vents are the #1 source of ignition on boats. I wouldn't think this boat had a below deck dryer.

When I was on it about 2 years ago, the dryer was under the dive deck at the stern. That room is directly behind the bunk room. The dryer was right next to the clothes rack and various boat mechanical equipment.

The thing was in constant use. And, I distinctly recall it not drying well. Leading cause of dryers not drying well is vent partial or complete obstruction.

If the clothes weren’t dry, I don’t think the dryer would shut off due to the moisture sensing system. Could have been started at midnight and easily run 3-4 hours.

 

[cerich]

For those calling the bunk quarters a death trap. Given the fire, even if there had been two exits that were easily egressed people might not have survived. It is pretty clear that no one made it out of the bunk quarters, not even the two people who were sleeping in the bunks under the hatch*. For those two not make it out indicates the fire in galley/salon was pretty massive. The point being, while access to the hatch is justly of concern it may be moot given the other circumstances.

A similar point can be made about the both egress points being at the ends of the galley. I.e why was one not outside of the galley/salon? Even in a different location the fire as massive as it was may have prevented egress.

These points will surely be something the NTSB will be looking at.

*An assumption on my part given the the boat was "full" with 34 divers.

Edit - Roak nice to have you chime. We were writing at the same time.

4 souls were recovered that had drowned. it is possible they escaped the fire and succumbed in the water.

 

[Wookie]

There are different regulations if you are a SOLAS vessel. However I think Wookie had a SOLAS vessel and it had a similar (but not as nasty) escape hatch that passed review.

We did not have a SOLAS vessel, it would have been way too expensive, so we kept our passenger count below 12 to operate as an uninspected vessel on international voyages. The radios alone for SOLAS vessels are in the $75,000 range.

 

[KevinNM]

Why would the hatch to the engine compartment be raised above deck level?

Hatches on the weather deck are supposed to have a raised combing around them to minimize water leakage in bad weather. Like at least 18 inches. Not sure that applies to this kind of vessel as licensed.

 

[Scared Silly]

4 souls were recovered that had drowned. it is possible they escaped the fire and succumbed in the water.

Thanks I fixed my post to being survived. Then the question becomes were they in those bunks and what was the cause of their death?