If they had a Fire Watch, ingrained in maritime culture (and regulations!)for several thousand years, there likely would have been 33 survivors instead of 5.
All 5 of the surviving crew members are guilty of manslaughter.
I’ve been on this boat.
It was well run and one of the best operations on the West Coast.
The first thing that would have caught fire would have been the bunk privacy curtains.
I am not sure if I would have been brave enough to push a burning curtain out of the way and fight my way to the stairs thru screaming friends and family.
It was tight down below decks.
Many divers who have been on Conception have been debating this.
They don’t blame the crew as their was probably little they could have done.
I disagree ... crew is allowed to sleep except for the designated watch stander(s) at a given time. Who is in charge of setting watches and rotations on a maritime ship this size? I realize it is the Captain's ultimate responsibility, but I doubt he sets the watches personally.
I can't remember who set the watch schedule in my Navy days nor how many there were on which of my ships depending on size and special watches by division, but they were scheduled early morn and posted for all to know who had what watch and when. For this size vessel, what would such a watch be called? Roaming Watch, Fire Watch, Security Watch?
Still isn't clear what caused it.