[Halcyon1]

A scary scene as this ship enters Anglet/Bayonne port (nr France/Spain Atlantic border).

All the crew were rescued, although they must have had their doubts for a while...

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=10201415774868278&set=vb.1591965829&type=2&theater

Pete

 

[PCP]

Very impressive. I had seen pictures and followed the story on the news but had not seen any movie.

They had taken in a pilot from the Port but the ship had several malfunction among them almost all the Electric system. Bad call to try to enter on such a difficult Port as Bayonne with a boat with problems.

 

[HighTyde]

I've bookmarked that page with the video. Holy cow!
But what was the guy doing dangling from the helicopter? Was he a rescue person, and did he later go onto the ship???
Everything on the page is in French, so I can't figure that out.

 

[paulk]

They hold the European surfing championships in that corner of the Bay of Biscay because the waves get funnelled by the coasts of France and Spain into huge monsters that can obviously pick up a ship and drop it somewhere it doesn't want to be. The account I read on a French website mentioned that the vessel was about 100 meters long, had had engine problems, was broken in two, and was spilling diesel fuel (gasoil).

 

[capta]

A scary scene as this ship enters Anglet/Bayonne port (nr France/Spain Atlantic border).

All the crew were rescued, although they must have had their doubts for a while...
Pete

Actually, quite the opposite, and a good lesson for everyone on here; stick with the ship! The bow would have been a safe place to be, unlike jumping in the water, where you'd most likely have been dashed to pieces on the rocks.
More often than not, the boat survives to be pushed ashore, providing her crew with a safe way ashore.

 

[L124C]

A scary scene as this ship enters Anglet/Bayonne port (nr France/Spain Atlantic border).
All the crew were rescued, although they must have had their doubts for a while...
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=10201415774868278&set=vb.1591965829&type=2&theater
Pete

This happens MUCH more often than you would probably expect. Read "The Wave" by Susan Clark. Three companies in South Africa alone do nothing but ship salvage.
She writes about wave science (much of which, we still don't understand), the impact (literally) it has on the shipping industry, and big wave surfers, all in the same book. A good read.

 

[HighTyde]

I've bookmarked that page with the video. Holy cow!
But what was the guy doing dangling from the helicopter? Was he a rescue person, and did he later go onto the ship???
Everything on the page is in French, so I can't figure that out.

So does anyone know what the guy hanging from the helicopter was doing (you'll see him if you watch the video)? Was everyone off the ship when it broke in two, or where they still trying to get people off the ship?

 

[L124C]

So does anyone know what the guy hanging from the helicopter was doing (you'll see him if you watch the video)? Was everyone off the ship when it broke in two, or where they still trying to get people off the ship?

Could have been a salvage guy boarding to secure a tow line. According to the book I mentioned above, they do it all the time. The goal is to float the ship before it breaks up, as salvage is obviously easier and less catastrophic environmentally. Gutsy stuff!

I was surprised to learn bulk carriers are often built on the cheap, have single screws and structural weakness. They often can't stand up to the larger seas they are experiencing (80-100 foot seas are becoming fairly common, for reasons not fully understood). Obviously if they lose the motor in heavy weather, they are in serious trouble. Clark states the ships are often staffed with crews from third world countries, so if lost, little fuss is raised. Quite a eye opener!

 

[JonEisberg]

Actually, quite the opposite, and a good lesson for everyone on here; stick with the ship! The bow would have been a safe place to be, unlike jumping in the water, where you'd most likely have been dashed to pieces on the rocks.
More often than not, the boat survives to be pushed ashore, providing her crew with a safe way ashore.

So, at what point in that video, would you have made your move up to the bow?

 

[capta]

Clark states the ships are often staffed with crews from third world countries, so if lost, little fuss is raised. Quite a eye opener!

Staffing ships w/ 3rd world crew is strictly economic; when I was running freighters, US crew were well over $100.00 a day each, and 3rd world crew were $300.00 a month.
JonEisberg
So, at what point in that video, would you have made your move up to the bow?
I actually thought of that watching, but of course if safe rescue is available, that is different.
But in at least the case of the boat that went ashore on the Farallon Is some years back, if I remember correctly, the boat was indeed seriously aground, but basically sound. Not being there I hate to second guess things, but if they'd all gone below, perhaps there would have been no loss of life? It's always best to stick with the boat and try to save it, especially if rescue is not available, right?

 

[nolatom]

"the front fell off"

as did the "back".

Which is very unusual, I just want to make that clear:

 

[JonEisberg]

JonEisberg
So, at what point in that video, would you have made your move up to the bow?
I actually thought of that watching, but of course if safe rescue is available, that is different.
But in at least the case of the boat that went ashore on the Farallon Is some years back, if I remember correctly, the boat was indeed seriously aground, but basically sound. Not being there I hate to second guess things, but if they'd all gone below, perhaps there would have been no loss of life? It's always best to stick with the boat and try to save it, especially if rescue is not available, right?

Sure, I agree completely... probably in 99 out of 100 instances, staying with the boat as long as possible is gonna be the best option...

The example of LOW SPEED CHASE may not be the best, however - as I believe most of the crew went overboard when she was rolled, and had not left the boat by choice...

On the other hand, the crew of RULE 62 all would have likely survived, if they'd simply stayed with the boat...

 

[PCP]

I found some more movies that shows the boat before hitting the rocks and the second helicopter, the one that rescued the crew:

The accident happened due to a total electric failure on the boat. The helicopter is a rescue one and is trying to put a rescuer on the boat. They did not succeed (too much wind: 50K) and they were only rescued later by another type of helicopter, an heavier one.

 

[L124C]

[

QUOTE=capta;1401706]Staffing ships w/ 3rd world crew is strictly economic; when I was running freighters, US crew were well over $100.00 a day each, and 3rd world crew were $300.00 a month.
JonEisberg

Of course it's primarily economically driven, as is making the ship on the cheap and apparently calculating how many ships, and how much cargo you can lose and still come out ahead. Makes me think of Ford and the exploding Pinto!

Clark's point was that so many ships are lost, that if the crews were from developed countries, families & unions would want accountability. As it is, I can't understand why the insurance industry would tolerate it. The premiums must be unreal!

Clark, and a shipping industry executive she interviewed indicate that Bulk Carriers are lost on a monthly, if not weekly basis. This shocked me, so I tried to find her source for the statistic, and couldn't. On the other hand, Clark is a respected journalist, and I find it had to believe she, or the executive would make it up. In addition, I doubt there are three large ship salvage companies in South Africa for no reason.

As someone who was in the industry, I'm interested in your opinion, and wonder if you have access to current statistics?

 

[L124C]

But in at least the case of the boat that went ashore on the Farallon Is some years back, if I remember correctly, the boat was indeed seriously aground, but basically sound. Not being there I hate to second guess things, but if they'd all gone below, perhaps there would have been no loss of life? It's always best to stick with the boat and try to save it, especially if rescue is not available, right?

We are going off topic here, but Low Speed Chase (Farallon incident) had Jack Lines rigged (appropriate for off shore work), but tragically, no one was using them (fairly common practice for racers). The one guy who wasn't washed overboard, rode the boat onto the rocks and walked off.
BTW, It would be tough to "go below" when the bow is forty feet above the stern on a wave, and it's certainly not where I'd want to be anyway!

A couple was washed overboard (going over or through the "lifelines") a few years ago. Their bodies washed up on SF beach, while their boat sailed on, eventually washing up on another beach, fully intact. No jack lines rigged.

All would have probably been alive today had they simply used jack lines and harnesses, thereby staying with the boat.

 

[capta]

"the front fell off"

as did the "back".

Which is very unusual, I just want to make that clear:

Front Fell Off - YouTube

Thank you for that one; we really enjoyed it.
I sincerely hope this is a parody, but I've certainly heard many politicians make equally foolish comments before?

 

[capta]

[
Of course it's primarily economically driven, as is making the ship on the cheap and apparently calculating how many ships, and how much cargo you can lose and still come out ahead. Makes me think of Ford and the exploding Pinto!

Clark's point was that so many ships are lost, that if the crews were from developed countries, families & unions would want accountability. As it is, I can't understand why the insurance industry would tolerate it. The premiums must be unreal!

Clark, and a shipping industry executive she interviewed indicate that Bulk Carriers are lost on a monthly, if not weekly basis. This shocked me, so I tried to find her source for the statistic, and couldn't. On the other hand, Clark is a respected journalist, and I find it had to believe she, or the executive would make it up. In addition, I doubt there are three large ship salvage companies in South Africa for no reason.

As someone who was in the industry, I'm interested in your opinion, and wonder if you have access to current statistics?

Sorry, I'm far retired from commercial vessels and I haven't kept up with the trades. I never sailed a "disposable" ship, though I did operate a considerable number of "disposable" rig support vessels. As you said, it's all about the bottom line. "As is the bareboat industry", he says as he watches another bareboat plowing the bottom in Portsmouth, Dominica; engine full astern with 1X scope out. Some days it's so entertaining we don't even go ashore!