Posted on 10/05/2015 8:11:56 AM PDT by Kaslin
So tragic. I know many folks who had their whole gun collections on there ;^)
The main problem was not so much the storm, but losing engine power
Stupid, this didn’t have to happen, what were they thinking!
Thanks for posting that again. .do you have a link?
I’m not advocating for the captain, just reporting what I’ve read. My interest is based on growing up in a fishing town on the Atlantic and sailing most of my life.
Bermuda Triangle ...
Bermuda Triangle ...
probably ‘cause the damn company owner said”...you will make this delivery on time, or lose your job...”
It would not surprise me if they had cargo that was destined for Wal Mart in Puerto Rico and the pressure came from Wal Mart for the in-time delivery to show up in-time.
Someone with knowledge on that particular ship and crew was on talk radio and said it was all up to the captain whether to proceed or not and the decision was left solely up to him.
Personally I would like to know whether that POS ship was insured and for how much myself. Hate to go all conspiracy but I find if you follow the money you are almost never wrong.
That happens in most cases of ships that disappear.
Life saving equipment doesn’t mean much if a ship is literally overwhelmed by a storm. What I would like to know is how well-equipped the ship was with navigational equipment. GPS equipment can immediately mark a location where a vessel goes down and continually send out signals. On top of that, there are EPIRB devices that a sailor can wear, and many lifeboats and PFDs are equipped with them that give out information as to their location.
Aside from the overall condition of the ship, and the antique life boats mounted where they could not be used in a storm, look into the shipping line’s contract and any penalties for late arrivals.
Then look into the bonus schedule for the captain, given for never being late.
That’s where this will go:
1. Overall ship condition.
2. Antique, unusable liferafts “grandfathered in” but useless
3. Penalties for late arrival, related to bonuses to the captain to keep the schedule no matter what.
Here in Jax FL, the HQ of TOTE shipping lines, the company reps are clamming up and hiding from reporters. It’s a big local story.
Study the pics at reply 11. Safety gear can make ALL the difference. The antique life boats far up the sides of the ship were useless in a storm. Might as well not have been there. Modern free-fall life boats could have saved the crew.
There are many youtube videos on them, such as this one, a record test from 200’ up. Fifty to 100 feet is routine and in practice worldwide.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JgkvLSRQPOc
“Captain Phillips” life boat launching scene.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u9ib-4LivF8
This will work in a hurricane. The antique side-launched boats in davits high up on the sides of the El Faro had zero chance of successful deployment.
I can’t see how anyone would look at those lifeboats and think they’d work.
Seriously.
My dad was taught ‘survival at sea’ in a class for oil rig workers. And this was 40 years ago. One thing they taught him was in the North Sea he’s got about 2-5 minutes to get in a boat or otherwise out of the water...My mom did a lot of praying when he worked in the North Sea.
‘those lifeboats’ from my previous post meaning the ones on the El Faro.
Those side-launched are good for..nothing. Oh, maybe ballast :)
I imagine Jax is abuzz over this.
With so many vested interests it seems unlikely we’ll ever know what happened. I wonder how many other family members received emails..
AND the global warming “disciple” gurus think they can control it, LOL!!!
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