Edhat Staff
Conception boat on fire in the early morning hours of September 2 (Photo: Mike Eliason / SBCFD)
By edhat staff
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) released its preliminary report on the Conception dive boat fire that killed 34 people on Labor Day, September 2.
The boat was chartered by Worldwide Diving Adventures for a three-day scuba diving excursion off the coast of Santa Cruz Island. It caught fire in the early morning hours and killed 33 passengers and 1 crew member sleeping below the boat. Five other crew members on another part of the boat survived.
NTSB arrived on scene the day of the incident and announced they would be the leading the safety investigation. During a press conference outside the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office, NTSB Board Member Jennifer Homendy stated their mission is to determine how this happened, why it happened, and to implement safety improvements to prevent this from happening again.
At 11:00 a.m. Thursday, NTSB released its preliminary report stating its subject to change and may contain errors and could be supplemented or corrected during the course of the investigation.
It’s NTSB standard protocol for a preliminary report to be released 10 days after the incident. However, the final report which will contain the cause of the fire, will take 12-18 months to be completed and released.
The report states the US Coast Guard received a distress call from the 75-foot commercial diving vessel Conception at 3:14 a.m., September 2 and crew members stated no mechanical or electrical issues were reported.
“At the time of the fire, five crewmembers were asleep in berths behind the wheelhouse, and one crewmember was asleep in the bunkroom, which was accessed from the salon down a ladderwell in the forward, starboard corner of the compartment. The bunkroom had an emergency escape hatch located on the aft end, which also exited to the salon. There were two, locally-sounding smoke detectors in the overhead of the bunkroom,” the report states.
The report does not address a roving night watch, a crew member who is required by the US Coast Guard to stay awake throughout the night in case of emergencies. However, the report does confirm that all 6 crew members were asleep at the time of the fire.
“A crewmember sleeping in the wheelhouse berths was awakened by a noise and got up to investigate. He saw a fire at the aft end of the sun deck, rising up from the salon compartment below. The crewmember alerted the crew behind the wheelhouse. As crewmembers awoke, the captain radioed a distress message to the Coast Guard.”
The report clarifies the wood and fiberglass vessel built in 1981 had three levels: the uppermost sun deck containing the wheelhouse and crew rooms, the main deck including the salon and galley, and the lower deck within the hull containing the passenger berthing or bunkrooms as well as a shower room, engine room, and tanks.
“The crewmembers attempted to access the salon and passengers below. Unable to use the aft ladder, which was on fire, the crewmembers jumped down to the main deck (one crewmember broke his leg in the process) and tried to access the salon and galley compartment, which was fully engulfed by fire at the aft end and by thick smoke in the forward end, through a forward window. Unable to open the window and overwhelmed by smoke, the crew jumped overboard,” the report states.
Two crewmembers and the captain then swam to the stern, reboarded the vessel, opened the hatch of the engine room, and reportedly saw no fire. Crewmembers state access to the salon through the aft doors was blocked by fire, so they launched a small skiff and picked up the remaining two crewmembers in the water.
They then steered to an anchored nearby vessel, Grape Escape, where the captain continued to radio for help, while two crewmembers returned to the Conception to search for survivors around the burning hull.
Local Coast Guard and fire departments arrived on scene to extinguish the fire and conduct search and rescue. The vessel burned to the waterline by morning and subsequently sank in about 60 feet of water, according to the report.
NTSB and FBI investigators have collected documents from recent Coast Guard inspections and visited another Truth Aquatics vessel, Vision, a vessel similar to the Conception. Salvage operations to bring the wreckage to the surface for examination and documentation resumed on Tuesday.
“Investigators plan to examine current regulations regarding vessels of this type, year of build, and operation; early-warning and smoke-detection and alarm systems; evacuation routes; training; and current company policies and procedures. Efforts continue to determine the source of the fire,” the report states.
Boat plan shows the way a fire in the bunk room could block access from above (see link below), as indicated in today’s report. There was some prior mention of future regulations to reduce risks of a lithium battery malfunction. On a dive excursion there would be many such batteries charging overnight. The question that haunts me is what the noise was, that woke a crew member two levels up in the wheelhouse berths.
https://www.latimes.com/projects/california-boat-fire-conception-escape-routes/
I want to know what the noise was, too – as well as the cause of the fire. So many questions remain.
GIFTEDINSB – seriously? What do you think the “noise” was? My lord people….. you all know what it was, why do you need to see it printed?
@1:52, no, we DON’T know what it was. We can only hope it was the sound of batteries exploding, at this point.
For those still wondering if an explosion took place… none of the crew members reported an explosion. If there was one, they would have stated hearing that and all would have likely woke up or been jolted awake. The crew member who woke up only reported hearing a noise and investigated to see everything full engulfed, suggesting this was a small fire that spread.
The good Samaritans on the nearby boat reported hearing multiple explosions as the fire grew. https://www.nytimes.com/2019/09/02/us/santa-cruz-island-boat-fire.html
Nobody awake on anchor watch? Yikes.
Terrible this awful tragedy is sounding like it was avoidable had one of crew been awake as required on such a vessel.
let play the game…… “JUMP TO CONCLUSIONS”
ATTN EDHAT EDITOR… Please don’t publish the burnt hull of the Conception like Noozhawk. Thank you.
why not?
Maybe it’s me, but it (hull) is the tomb 34 people died in and there is no value in sharing the pic to idiots like those posting on this site as it’s insensitive.
COASTWATCH: You’re being ridiculous.
IF it’s confirmed that all crew was asleep during this tragedy, are all lawsuits off due to the owner of the boat filing his legal papers in court over a week ago? It would seem that it could be grim times in court & for the insurance carrier in the future after the final report is released.
The best way to let history repeat itself is to stifle its severity. Let people see the raw, horrible, sickening aftermath – it’s an important part of the transparent process to effect real change.
Not sure, maritime law is very different than the laws we are used to. If the recent interpretations are correct in that the owner’s liability is limited to the worth of the vessel (nil), then yes.
But there is still the question of whether the captain and crew are personally liable…
The crew knew that charging lithium ion batteries posed a hazard, yet failed to maintain a watch to keep an eye on the batteries, as well as other hazards, as required by federal law.
100 blind detectives (aka conjecturing commenters) are very unlikely to reveal any facts. Let the actual investigation play out and stop trying to control the uncontrollable.
ALL 6 crew members were asleep at the time the fire broke out. Federal law required that at least one crew member to be on patrolling night watch, awake and alert. It is all over for the captain of that boat and the boat owner.
Not only did the crew know the dangers of charging lithium ion batteries, they allowed the charging to take place inside the galley/salon and assisted in setting up customers with extension cords and power strips, making the situation more dangerous. The crew then violates federal law by not setting the required watch and going to bed. Total negligence that resulted in death.
Well that’s not good for the crew. The Coast Guard previously confirmed a roving night watch was required for this vessel and the NTSB confirms they were all asleep. Very sad that this might have been preventable.
MRTRUMP – just because it may be negligence per se (violation of statute), there must be causation as 11:40 mentions. Don’t get too excited yet, let the legal professionals determine the fate of the captain and owner.
I think “traditionally” is a key word of that sentence. I don’t think anyone can say for sure at this point that a crew member was legally require to have been awake. Anyone have the actual federal law handy?
To comment @ 11;43 AM-The investigating agency determined that a required federal safety statute was not obeyed. Good luck trying to spin your way out of that fact.
To comment @ 11:50 AM-Coast Guard Captain Monica Rochester, at a press conference, confirmed that a patrolling night watch was required for the boat. She should know.
US Coast Guard requirements for a small passenger vessel like Conception………. “If the vessel operates more than 12 hours in a 24 hour period of work an alternate crew shall be provided and the number of passengers reduced accordingly. Work includes any activity that is performed on behalf of the vessel, its crew or passengers, or for the owner or operator. This includes standing watches, performing maintenance on the vessel or its appliances, loading stores, or performing administrative tasks, whether underway or at the dock.” ………………………………. “If the vessel will be used for more than 12 hrs in a 24 hour period and an alternate crew is required, they must be provided with berthing to adequately rest when not on watch.” ………………. https://homeport.uscg.mil/Lists/Content/Attachments/1926/Small%20Passenger%20Vessel%20Guide%20NY%20published.pdf
To comment @ 12:24PM- Nothing the crew could do!? How about posting a watch? Did you not read the article?
A roving watch likely would have made a difference. If the fire was spotted in the galley it might have been kept in check long enough with a fire extinguisher to wake up the passengers and get them out before their escape route was impassible. The rest of the crew could have been woken up to assist. There’s nothing changing what happened. All crew will carry this horrible event with them the rest of their lives.
ASLEEP AT THE WHEEL. NOW WE KNOW.
Sleeping. Put that together with drug testing on crew. Hoping it’s negative.
Feds are already chomping at the bit to file criminal charges.
No, I don’t think that. If you do you have difficulty with logic.
Everyone wants to have their say, including you having your say about people speculating. It’s all the same, don’t you think?
Does the County have any obligation or liability to maintain emergency preparedness and response for water between City and Islands? I noticed islands are in Sup Greg Hart’s District #2. Does County Fire maintain specialized fire fighting safe boats? There are many tourists, cruise ships, and ocean related businesses generating tax revenue. How does County provide emergency services off shore?
The “noise” was most likely the 34 people screaming for help. I mean seriously, what do you think it was? Freakin’ ghouls here!
I’m sure the Captain and his crew had done hundreds of overnight trips to the islands without a hitch. Either a crew member assigned for night watch was sleeping or the Captain felt it wasn’t really that necessary to have a roving night watchman after a long day on the water.
Do you have proof that the crew knew about the dangers of LI batteries?
It’s common knowledge . Duh !