# Bourbon Rhode sinking **URL:** \ **Category:** Marine Incidents\ **Created:** [April 22, 2021, 10:27am UTC](https://forum.gcaptain.com/t/bourbon-rhode-sinking/59198 "2021-04-22T10:27:49Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 5\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![ombugge](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/forum.gcaptain.com/ombugge/32/11217_2.png) [@ombugge](https://forum.gcaptain.com/u/ombugge)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2021, 10:27am UTC](https://forum.gcaptain.com/t/bourbon-rhode-sinking/59198/1 "2021-04-22T10:27:49Z")
> **[Report: Bourbon Rhode Had Leaking Hatch Prior to Her Sinking](https://www.maritime-executive.com/article/report-bourbon-rhode-had-leaking-hatches-prior-to-her-sinking#:)** > > Survivors and former crewmembers of the lost tug Bourbon Rhode have told investigators that the vess... ---
**Author:** ![Dutchie](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/forum.gcaptain.com/dutchie/32/170_2.png) [@Dutchie](https://forum.gcaptain.com/u/Dutchie)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2021, 12:57pm UTC](https://forum.gcaptain.com/t/bourbon-rhode-sinking/59198/2 "2021-04-22T12:57:10Z")
![image](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/uploads/gcaptain_maritime_forum/original/3X/5/4/54fcb45d68886bcb23ba871f03d744eb3bf89b5e.jpeg) The (unanswered) question remains why the captain didn’t alter the vessel’s course to avoid the hurricane. As it was he unerringly drew a beeline to the hurricane’s eye. The only reason I can think of is that he didn’t listen to or read weather bulletins. ---
**Author:** ![Klaveness](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/forum.gcaptain.com/klaveness/32/7001_2.png) [@Klaveness](https://forum.gcaptain.com/u/Klaveness)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2021, 11:33am UTC](https://forum.gcaptain.com/t/bourbon-rhode-sinking/59198/3 "2021-04-25T11:33:42Z")
The Luxembourgian government have put out a pretty good interim report. For a landlocked country, they do seem to take their flag state responsibility seriously: > **[AET-Marine-Safety-investigation-BourbonRhode-interim-final-15042021.pdf](https://aet.gouvernement.lu/dam-assets/l-administration/transports-maritimes/bourbonrhode/AET-Marine-Safety-investigation-BourbonRhode-interim-final-15042021.pdf)** > > 13.53 MB It seems that a lot hinged on the fact that a relatively minor leak in the Z-drive compartment would leave the ship dead in the water, where a minor leak was known to exist. > [@Interim Report](#): > > In the investigated case, priority was given to maintaining the propulsion and steering operational by trying to control the water level in the Z-Drive compartment. Isolating the Z-Drive compartment in case of flooding would entail the loss of steering and propulsion, thereby exposing an uncontollable vessel to inclement weather and sea conditions. Gotta wonder if this weakness was identified prior to sailing as part of some contingency plan? Maybe not, if this is anything to go by: > [@Interim Report](#): > > Upon departure, the vessel was considered to be in fair condition and generally ready to sail. Not everyone seemed to agree, though: > [@Interim Report](#): > > The initially mustered Chief Officer left the shipyard due to the bad condition of the vessel. The replacement Chief Officer also complained about the overall state of the vessel Either way, a sheet of 3mm neoprene, a couple of hours’ work and a bag of helicoils could have prevented this tragedy. However, > [@Interim Report](#): > > Work that was intended to be done at the shipyard was not performed or completed due to missing materials or tools. Also, the weakness was doubtlessly identified, as per entries in the maintenance task scheduler along with this picture: ![Leakycover](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/uploads/gcaptain_maritime_forum/original/3X/b/6/b6903155a6ec8e5683b783f430c895a470d73e80.jpeg) Given these facts, and the Master’s extensive experience on the vessel, he must have been at least partially aware that the ship was in a vulnerable condition. Especially what with this: > [@Interim Report](#): > > The vessel’s ballast and bilge system were not in order and some alarm failures were noticed. As per survivors recollection this had been a constant problem for years according to crew members having sailed on the Bourbon Rhode before. The Master also had access to at least 4 weather warnings on Inmarsat-C, spanning several days ahead of the accident. Are we to believe that an experienced Master with no prior passage experience would just head out into the void without reading the weather reports? Doesn’t seem plausible to me, and he was certainly aware of the hurricane: > [@Interim Report](#): > > The Master and 2nd Officer were witnessed discussing the latest weather report which confirmed that the storm had developed into a hurricane and evaluating alternative options (i.e. stopping the vessel or sheltering in Cape Verde). The master stated that they could not reverse course due to the weather and assessed that they would pass ahead of the hurricane. The vessel continued to sail on the selected course of 244°. Still, he drove the weakened ship right into the eye wall of a hurricane. At this stage, was he factoring in the fact that having the work deck awash would relatively quickly leave the ship dead in the water? His assessments appear increasingly optimistic as the gap between the ship and the hurricane keeps closing: > [@Interim Report](#): > > With the sea state worsening and wind increasing, crew members were reported seasick. According to survivor statements, the Master further monitored the weather reports received via Inmarsat-C. During the day, the Master conducted a further briefing on the situation, stating that they would pass ahead of the hurricane’s predicted track and that the expected conditions would not be a problem for the vessel. From there on out, the sequence of events are pretty much what you’d expect, a harrowing tale of a losing fight against an increasing number of flooding points, with portable pumps and frickin’ buckets. There is chaos, pandemonium, and moments of personal heroism, culminating in a disorderly evacuation and SAR ops. Say, have we ever heard of this happening before? I kinda hate how everything circles back to El Faro, but it’s _such_ a relevant example, and this just keeps happening over and over again. So sad ☹ ---
**Author:** ![Kennebec\_Captain](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/forum.gcaptain.com/kennebec_captain/32/13_2.png) [@Kennebec\_Captain](https://forum.gcaptain.com/u/Kennebec_Captain)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2021, 9:59pm UTC](https://forum.gcaptain.com/t/bourbon-rhode-sinking/59198/4 "2021-04-25T21:59:18Z")
Split this topic on April 25, 2021, 9:59pm UTC 9 posts were split to a new topic: [Shark jaws are used to secure a rope or anchor chain, buoy chain](https://forum.gcaptain.com/t/shark-jaws-are-used-to-secure-a-rope-or-anchor-chain-buoy-chain/59231) ---
**Author:** ![Kennebec\_Captain](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/forum.gcaptain.com/kennebec_captain/32/13_2.png) [@Kennebec\_Captain](https://forum.gcaptain.com/u/Kennebec_Captain)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2021, 11:10am UTC](https://forum.gcaptain.com/t/bourbon-rhode-sinking/59198/5 "2021-04-26T11:10:17Z")
> When the chaos arrives, it serves as “an abrupt and brutal audit: at a moment’s notice, everything that was left unprepared becomes a complex problem and every weakness comes rushing to the forefront” (Pat Lagadec). Shoreside inspectors or the crew do not audit a vessel in the same way that an encounter with a tropical cyclone does. Just as TC Zeta found the weak spot of the Deepwater Asgard so did TC Lorenzo find issues with the _Bourbon Rhode_ that the clipboard auditors evidently missed of felt were not serious.