Just saw this posted to the Alaska Dispatch. It looks like the full length documentary will be broadcast this Sunday night, 7/28, at 19:00 Alaska time. If you can get online then you can watch Tragedy and Courage on the Bering Sea via a Alaska 360’s Live Stream.
[video=youtube_share;qS37dC4_IYE]http://youtu.be/qS37dC4_IYE[/video]
Being that the GALAXY was one of my first commands way back in 1989, I certainly will watch this one. That accident was a true textbook case of an entire world suddenly falling down on a master’s and crew’s heads and there was both foolish stoopid errors made but also great heroism displayed. It is a miracle that the loss of life was as low as it was. I still make the USCG report required reading for the officers and fireteam members of vessels I command today.
Every condition that existed on GALAXY that afternoon in October 2002 existed in 1989 thru 1994 when I was on the vessel so there but for the Grace of God would have gone I and the 64 other souls that we often had aboard. I still see scenarios where such a fire happening in some the horrible winter weather we would operate in occurring at 0200 could easily have resulted in all hands being lost. We never ever were ready for such a catastrophic incident and what I took away with what happened to Captain Shoemaker and those aboard that day is that you cannot prepare enough and you must look at every possible scenario and think how would you be able to save your people in the worst case? I also came away with a great sense of how lucky I have been all these years to have never faced that ultimate test.
After the Galaxy presentation there’s a 30 minute presentation on helicopter rescues and dewatering pumps.
Damn that was a good watch. That captain was a gnarly cat.
I’m sorry to have missed it. I guess I’ll have to spend some time reviewing the Alaska broadcast schedules. I’ll post if I find that it is being rebroadcast or available for streaming.
Rshrew, I’ll bet many of the NPFVOA training program is applicable to tug crews.
Most certainly!
Anyone know where I can find the full documentary for embedding?
[QUOTE=Mikey;115876]Anyone know where I can find the full documentary for embedding?[/QUOTE]
Maybe you should email the Alaska 360 North Network and ask them if they’ll sent it to you? I missed it on the live stream unfortunately and really want to see it. I was hoping it would be available on their website but nada there…DAMN!
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Yeah I can’t find it. I’ve contacted them so I’ll let you know shortly. Anyone know the publisher, https://www.johnsabella.com/?
[QUOTE=Mikey;115892]Anyone know the publisher, https://www.johnsabella.com/?[/QUOTE]
Of course, John is a well established and respected producer of maritime safety training films in Seattle. Been around since at least the early 80’s and I believe often teams with the NPFVOA Safety Training Program.
He says he’s going to send me an embeddable copy.
We just reviewed this tragedy in our Advanced Marine Firefighting course. What went wrong, what went right… I look forward to gaining a better perspective.
Dog the doors, flip the flaps and yank the ripcord… NOT… 32 gals vaporized diesel… Woof…98’s, steel fuel line between lift pump and rack, 60 psi? Thinking’ 5/8ths, 32 gallons three minutes never miss a beat…
[QUOTE=DredgeBoyThrottleJocky;115943]Dog the doors, flip the flaps and yank the ripcord… NOT… 32 gals vaporized diesel… Woof…98’s, steel fuel line between lift pump and rack, 60 psi? Thinking’ 5/8ths, 32 gallons three minutes never miss a beat…[/QUOTE]
Would you mind translating that for those of us who read English?
Sorry, I gotta put a breathalyzer on the interweb… I think what I meant was that after reading the first 80 pages or so of the report the crew never pulled the manual Co2 actuator, (14 bottles), never closed the ventilator flaps, and opened an engine room hatch allowing o2 to cause a backdraft explosion. Cat D398’s have a 5/8" fuel line running from the lift pump around the Stb bank and into the valley. I’ve seen them fail twice. 32 gallons of vaporized diesel was the estimated fuel needed to cause the overpressure needed to eject the three crew out the hatch… At least that’s what I Think I remember trying to say…