Check out the YouTube video titled Epic Survivor. I hope the master was relived of his duties. That is some shitty seamanship. That is what you would expect from a rust bucket dive operation.
long story short but this is taken aboard the dsv EPIC DIVER back around 2008 time period off of Dos Bocas, MX when a very strong cold front swept through the Bay of Campeche.
The damage to the deck was quite extensive but the ship rode through it alright in the end yet huge mistakes were make to be sure. I came to the vessel as master not long after so this incident was fresh in the minds of many aboard. Obviously, the master and crew were completely unprepared for what they encountered and got very lucky! As we see very plainly here, web straps and poly lines are not worth a shit for lashings when the weather gets extreme.
All that said, the ship was removed from service around early 2010 and I believe has been scrapped now. As a DP saturation DSV she was manifestly unsafe and it is a miracle that no diver was ever lost although there were incidents.
I don’t see how they could have unprepared for that type of weather. We now have satellite weather routing services that would give you enough time properly prepare. I question the decision to not have the equipment properly secured at all times. On my vessel I have the deck crew secure all cargo all the time no matter what the weather is. That is just good seamanship. I would bet if you would have been on there CCaptain that would not have happened.
[QUOTE=Dawn patrol;137613]I would bet if you would have been on there CCaptain that would not have happened.[/QUOTE]
Indeed sir…very true indeed
It reflects the state of play for US DSV’s the contracts are low paying and the vessels are wrecks which is obvious as they are un sell able so are scrapped.
http://www.subseasa.com/apps/blog/show/16700693-caldive-eclipse-sinking ( not that the sinking was related to it being old)
Caldive has to sell it as nobody will hire it outside of the US - oh I guess thats where it is now?
anyone know?
Ive strapped down stuff (probably should have been chained )better on my flat bed when i used to drive truck. And that was on long flat hot top…We tie up shit better then that just to go to Philly from NY.
Only guessing but…when the whole crew have never been out on a rough day and hence have never seen proper lashing, what hope have they got?
[QUOTE=c.captain;137612]long story short but this is taken aboard the dsv EPIC DIVER back around 2008 time period off of Dos Bocas, MX when a very strong cold front swept through the Bay of Campeche.
The damage to the deck was quite extensive but the ship rode through it alright in the end yet huge mistakes were make to be sure. I came to the vessel as master not long after so this incident was fresh in the minds of many aboard. Obviously, the master and crew were completely unprepared for what they encountered and got very lucky! As we see very plainly here, web straps and poly lines are not worth a shit for lashings when the weather gets extreme.
All that said, the ship was removed from service around early 2010 and I believe has been scrapped now. As a DP saturation DSV she was manifestly unsafe and it is a miracle that no diver was ever lost although there were incidents.[/QUOTE]
I remember that cold front. I was down in Carmen for a few days to deal with lots of offshore surveys afterwards. EPIC DIVER? Were you onboard in Veracruz during the engine repairs?
[QUOTE=CETOOT70;137646]Ive strapped down stuff (probably should have been chained )better on my flat bed when i used to drive truck. And that was on long flat hot top…We tie up shit better then that just to go to Philly from NY.[/QUOTE]
I agree that all those things should have been better secured, but sometimes it doesn’t matter how secure the deck is. I have had items that were welded down and chained, still come loose. The key is especially in an operation like that to make way for safe harbor ahead of time. The cold fronts in Mexico are no joke. The Master has to make the decision in time to make it in, regardless of what the divers have to say or the company.
It looks like nothing was secured at all, inside or out. They are lucky the boat did not sustain any damage and start taking on water. They could have lost their lives.
Right Capt. Lee … Mother nature is the boss for sure…And yes good that all the crew is here to talk about it… But I would even be embarrassed to even film that If i was on that vessel, I wonder how the ER looks. I know I sometimes forget a thing or two. Like forgetting to secure the tool box draws. (happens once,you learn right away not to forget again)
[QUOTE=cmakin;137657]EPIC DIVER? Were you onboard in Veracruz during the engine repairs?[/QUOTE]
No, I joined the vessel in the GoM and ran her for a year or so going jobs in mainly Eugene Island blocks. She was way too old for saturation work but my closest calls were always in Fourchon. Her CPP and thruster controls were absolute shit and I had a one incident in Halliburton Slip which only God alone prevented turning into a major fender bender!
Last I heard, she was tied up in Morgan City about to be cut up. Did that ever happen?
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[QUOTE=Capt. Lee;137670]I agree that all those things should have been better secured, but sometimes it doesn’t matter how secure the deck is. I have had items that were welded down and chained, still come loose. The key is especially in an operation like that to make way for safe harbor ahead of time. The cold fronts in Mexico are no joke. The Master has to make the decision in time to make it in, regardless of what the divers have to say or the company.
It looks like nothing was secured at all, inside or out. They are lucky the boat did not sustain any damage and start taking on water. They could have lost their lives.[/QUOTE]
I don’t remember what the story was why she did not get into Dos Bocas in time but as seen in the video, the seas outside were hell on earth and they were very lucky that the vessel did not suffer major flooding. She was pretty much open from one end to the other so any downflooding would likely have meant the end of the ship. Does anyone remember the KENDA sinking down there about the same time? I think a similar set of circumstances.
As usual, the uninformed are making comments.
I was the master at that time and the cargo was rigged correctly. with chains, binders and welded pad eyes. Which by the way, were ripped completely from the deck, not the welds but metal torn in half.
This event happened in 2007 off of Dos Bocas. 28 people died offshore and over a million were left homeless. None of the 62 personnel onboard the Epic Diver was injured.
We arrived 12 hours before the storm hit the area and were ready to go into port. Before the storm arrived a piece of dredge pipeline broke loose across the channel closing it and forcing us to wait offshore. Video does not do the sea state justice, 40-45 footers as well as taking 45° rolls.
After some hours, the vessel lost steering due to a broken pin on the Becker rudders causing them to become immoveable, locked in place.
The vessel had four tunnel thrusters, two forward and two aft, we lost one of each during this time, as well as a main engine down to 50%.
I earned Employee Of The Year because of this incident. Thanks to the great skill and seamanship shown by the entire crew.
When you have all the facts, and if you were there, you can comment knowledgeably. If not, piss off. And by the way, c.captain, you might want to be careful as litigation is a B*$%h.
Best Regards, Capt. Mike Baker
Sorry Mike…never did know the exact circumstances which led up to the incident. You do agree though that was a vessel of dubious seaworthiness and which could easily have suffered even more that she did in the conditions encountered. There was an element of good fortune out there that day as was every day that vessel made it without suffering something bad happening. She was too old and too tired to have been still doing the job she was back then.
I offer my apologies about making assumptions before all the facts were know. I am glad you and your crew made it out without any injuries or worse.
[QUOTE=Captmike90;137785]As usual, the uninformed are making comments.
I was the master at that time and the cargo was rigged correctly. with chains, binders and welded pad eyes. Which by the way, were ripped completely from the deck, not the welds but metal torn in half.
This event happened in 2007 off of Dos Bocas. 28 people died offshore and over a million were left homeless. None of the 62 personnel onboard the Epic Diver was injured.
We arrived 12 hours before the storm hit the area and were ready to go into port. Before the storm arrived a piece of dredge pipeline broke loose across the channel closing it and forcing us to wait offshore. Video does not do the sea state justice, 40-45 footers as well as taking 45° rolls.
After some hours, the vessel lost steering due to a broken pin on the Becker rudders causing them to become immoveable, locked in place.
The vessel had four tunnel thrusters, two forward and two aft, we lost one of each during this time, as well as a main engine down to 50%.
I earned Employee Of The Year because of this incident. Thanks to the great skill and seamanship shown by the entire crew.
When you have all the facts, and if you were there, you can comment knowledgeably. If not, piss off. And by the way, c.captain, you might want to be careful as litigation is a B*$%h.
Best Regards, Capt. Mike Baker[/QUOTE]
Thanks for the clarification, but I do stand by my comments.
A great thread, despite a few ruffled feathers.
I had never heard of sea conditions becoming so severe that welded steel eyes will tear the steel substrate. Need to remember that.
…and hopefully never see it…
Are we taking about the right video of the right incident? In the video, I do not see much indication of any of that gear on deck being chained down. I don’t see it fetching up on the chains as it slides along the deck. I do not see chains parting or padeyes flying. I do not see holes ripped in the deck or the wear deck planking coming off. That video must be a damn poor representation of what really happened (very possible) or else its the wrong video entirely. Often appearances are not what they seem.
Practice makes perfect
Clearly they are not used to bad weather.
[QUOTE=Kraken;137829]Practice makes perfect
Clearly they are not used to bad weather.[/QUOTE]
You are right about that Kraken, it should only take one time to learn these kinds of lessons. I remember when I first got my 100 ton Master, I wanted to ride out a hurricane offshore. I heard all the old timers talking about hurricanes and large fronts coming through. Thankfully the first hurricane on a vessel for me was spent at the dock with 80 knots winds. I was crapping my pants. Unfortunately I have been in several hurricanes offshore and I can tell you that it is not a good situation. The bad part now is it takes so long to get my vessel ready to get underway. When you have a 1 week trigger time the decision needs to be made a week before it even makes it to the Gulf. You can imagine the resistance from clients, but thankfully with each hurricane season their confidence in our decisions is improving and we are receiving full support from our operator. Hurricane season is upon us and if this summer is anything like the unusual weather we had this winter, we may be in for one heck of a ride.
Jetryder,
You would not think that welds would break and chains would part but believe me when I say, that it happens. The water is very powerful, and the bigger the object the easier it is to break free. I have seen 15 ton anchors sliding around on my back deck destroying everything in its path. Get it tight and use all the equipment you have at your disposal, tuggers, chains, cables, ropes, everything. The best practice is to make way to safe harbor, but the situation does not always allow this. Preparation and having a set plan is mandatory. Checklists always help. It leaves very little to chance or crossed fingers.
Having done around 30 trips across the Southern Ocean and around Cape Horn on research vessels under 250’ without having lost a single item of deck cargo overboard, I would say that the cargo securing strategies were (obviously) inadequate for the conditions. That said, DSV’s and their associated deckloads of crap are pretty much a nightmare in that respect, as are most R/V’s.
Operators in the GOM as a whole in my experience do a pretty poor job in securing deck cargo, laughably so in some cases. I have had more than one A/B go whining to the office that I make them work harder than any other A/B’s in the fleet, especially regarding cargo securing. How can I know what I am talking about, they ask, I don’t even have a valid company riggers card?
I’m no super sailor or anything, I had to learn all this shit the hard way, back in the 80’s and 90’s.