Fire on dive boat Conception in CA

[Wookie]

Holy moley. 2.5 minutes from smoking to fully involved.

 

[markmud]

Yes, that would make sense. The rule is that there be an escape hatch from “normally occupied spaces”. The forepeak is not a normally occupied space, but every other space on the boat would have been, unless there was a lazarette I haven’t seen.

Hi Wookie,

The lazerette was where the NuVair, the fridge and/or freezer were located. The clothes dryer was also located there. The remaining lazarette space was for wetsuit hanging/drying. I don't recall any escape hatch in the lazerette. It was not a normally occupied space.

markm

 

[rjack321]

for some Li-ion battery fire 101 please head to this thread: How to extinguish a Li-ion battery fire

Despite their name, lithium-ion batteries used in consumer products do not contain any actual lithium metal.

Lithium is still used in some non-rechargeable consumer batteries, like the "energizer lithiums" tested in the videos here.
Fire on dive boat Conception in CA

We don't know all the different types of batteries and chargers which might have been aboard. We do know there were no large O2 tanks to make nitrox, there was no propane either. The galley was electrically powered. Also the doors and hatches either didn't exist or were not closed, and they definitely were not locked.

 

[Wookie]

Hi Wookie,

The lazerette was where the NuVair, the fridge and/or freezer were located. The clothes dryer was also located there. The remaining lazarette space was for wetsuit hanging/drying. I don't recall any escape hatch in the lazerette. It was not a normally occupied space.

markm

What was the access to the lazarette, a deck hatch or a transom watertight door?

Engineering spaces have slightly different rules than normally occupied spaces. Depends if there are fuel tanks, the volume of the space, if there are engines, etc.

 

[Scared Silly]

Holy moley. 2.5 minutes from smoking to fully involved.

That was my thought too. I was also noticing the breeze. A good steady breeze can push (spread) a fire very quickly. As such, this may be why the boat was engulfed so quickly. The same could well have been an issue for the Conception.

 

[The Chairman]

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A ScubaBoard Staff Message...

A reminder... Please be kind.

This is an especially sensitive thread for many of us. These were our diving brothers and sisters and many of us knew them, dove with them and considered them friends as well as coworkers. Obviously, we want answers just as bad as anyone.

Be kind to each other. There's no need to call each other out for grievances, real or imagined. Disagree with each other, but don't fight. If you feel someone is being unkind: Report and don't escalate it. Plenty of mods are staying out of the discussion so we can maintain our objectivity.

Be kind to the deceased as well as the incident survivors. There is no need to accuse or speak poorly of them.

Be kind to the Mods. We're doing our best through all sorts of emotions. We are dedicated to keeping this thread civil, on topic and relevant. No, we don't moderate for truth or accuracy. We expect y'all to sort that out within the the thread. However, please, please, please read the entire thread before you make an assertion about what might have happened. Odds are it's been covered and debunked already. You're only going to annoy those who have read the whole thread.

See a new face? No need to accuse them of anything but being interested in this thread. This was a horrible tragedy and many people are looking for answers. We all mourn a bit differently, so give them some latitude.

Related Threads:

Fire On Dive Boat Conception in Ca

Dive Boat Conception Missing Divers Relief Fund

Legal considerations for the Fire on dive boat Conception in CA​

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[benha]

What was the access to the lazarette, a deck hatch or a transom watertight door?

Engineering spaces have slightly different rules than normally occupied spaces. Depends if there are fuel tanks, the volume of the space, if there are engines, etc.

Lazarette is down a ladder-type stair from the dive deck. Ladder enters the lazarette from aft - right in front of the compressor control panel which is in the middle section of the transom. You climb down with your back facing dead forward.It's steep enough that you generally throw your wetsuit down and then climb down the ladder and pick it up to hang it.

The laz can, I think, be closed up but in practice it would never be during a trip. The ladder is always accessible. Warm air from the engine room is ventilated through the laz to help dry out wetsuits overnight.

I'm not aware of a secondary exit from the laz, but it's really an engineering space, not a normally occupied one, in spite of the fact passengers access it daily to store wetsuits. The deep freezer is also down there where you can store game.

 

[markmud]

What was the access to the lazarette, a deck hatch or a transom watertight door?

Engineering spaces have slightly different rules than normally occupied spaces. Depends if there are fuel tanks, the volume of the space, if there are engines, etc.

Hi Wookie,

Port side aft on the "make-up" platform. That is a picture of Conception while on the "backside" of Santa Cruz. You can see the hatch comings. The hatch slides for-and-aft.

markm

 

[Fat Daddy]

This is such a heartbreaking tragedy and the main discussion on this thread involves a lot of speculation as to what happened. Google Conception gofundme, there are several of them gathering funds to take care of 3, 4 or 5 family members lost in this accident. Can we all find it in our hearts to help these people out in their time of need? I'm sure a lot of you are donating. Right now folks have funerals to deal with, which often result in unexpected expenses during a terrible time in their lives. Maybe we could do a sticky which has links to all the gofundme pages that have popped up in the last 2 days.

Prayers to the families.

Jason

 

[KathyV]

I am sure that there were stories like this written after every other major maritime disaster like Titanic, Lusitania, and Andrea Doria, but here is an article about a lucky California diver who had to cancel his Labor Day trip on the Conception due to surgery:


Longtime diver canceled trip aboard Conception just weeks before boat fire

Longtime diver canceled trip aboard Conception just weeks before boat fire

Dale Sheckler, 62, had planned to join the Labor Day weekend excursion aboard the Conception. The longtime diver was drawn to marine life and was preparing to take photos for an upcoming article in California Diving News.

The trip had been on his calendar until eight weeks ago, when hip surgery derailed his plans.

Then, on Labor Day, a massive fire erupted aboard the Conception as the 75-foot vessel was anchored off Santa Cruz Island, killing 34. One victim is still missing, but presumed dead, authorities said Wednesday.

For decades, Sheckler oversaw California Diving News, which he launched with his wife in 1984 — just three years after the Conception first launched. In the more than 30 years since then, the Torrance resident estimates that he has made 100 dives from the boat. He last boarded it in July 2018.

When his brother-in-law sent him a text Monday morning about what is now being described as the worst maritime disaster in modern California history, Sheckler said he was horrified. He knows Jerry Boylan, the captain who was able to escape the fire, and knew Kristy Finstad, the marine biologist who helped lead the Labor Day excursion, who did not escape.

“She was very cheerful and leader-oriented,” Sheckler said of the 34-year-old. “She cared about the people who were on her trips. She cared about their enjoyment.”

Sheckler, who still writes for the magazine he sold a few years ago, described the Conception as an “excellently maintained vessel” with a quality crew. Glen Fritzler, the owner of Truth Aquatics, the company that ran the Conception, won a California Scuba Service Award last year.

In Sheckler’s experience, he said, almost immediately after boarding the boat — and often before leaving the dock — the crew always gave an extensive safety briefing. He said he never feared the threat of fire while aboard the Conception or any other dive boat in California.