At approximately 00:30 hours the Sea Witch, under the command of the Harbor Pilot, was traveling at the authorized harbor speed of almost 14 knots. Passing through the Narrows, the pilot ordered a number of routine course corrections. A routine turn failed to occur as a result of a mechanical failure of the ship's steering mechanism. The crew of the Sea Witch sounded the whistle which was heard by the crew of the Brussels as the Sea Witch headed directly for her on a collision course. The general alarm was sounded on the Brussels but within minutes the container vessel, with engines in full reverse but still traveling at ~13 knots, collided with the tanker on the starboard side between the midships and aft deck area. The collision resulted in the penetration of a number of oil tanks. Within minutes both ships were interlocked and aflame. The flames were of a height and intensity to scorch the bottom of the bridge but because the anchor had given way on the Brussels, both ships passed under the bridge fast enough to avoid any permanent damage. The ships continued their path until coming to rest in Gravesend Bay, an area of the harbor between Bensonhurst and Coney Island, Brooklyn.
View from Bay Ridge, Brooklyn, most likely Shore Road or Owls Head
View from Bensonhurst, Brooklyn, Belt Parkway Bicycle Path - AP Photo via goo.gl/Wd6Po
The FDNY Fireboat The Fire Fighter was on the scene quickly having responded from it's station in Staten Island and was soon joined by three other FDNY Marine Companies and the United Stated Coast Guard. Firefighters aboard The Fire Fighter reported a 3,000 foot sea of flame. The crew of The Fire Fighter (retired in 2010) is credited with making a number of rescues and suppressing the fire. Employing all deck guns the Fire Fighter was able to disperse flames for a period long enough to allow ~30 people to be safely rescued. Fire suppression operations continued until June 14. Two crew of the Sea Witch were killed. Tug boats and other craft successfully rescued many of the Brussels crew however 13 were lost and never recovered.
Note: Some accounts have this event occurring on May 30, 1973. Having lived nearby I recall this incident occurring on a weekend night. If the incident occurred on June 2, as I believe is the proper date, it occurred Saturday morning, just after midnight.
Sources:
http://goo.gl/Wd6Po
http://goo.gl/Hh36I
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Steven Kuhr
Emergency Management Nexus
Disaster History
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Like the history, what we learn from history can prevent us from repeating history. But we would have to be smart enough to know the history and learn from past mistakes.
ReplyDeleteRemember it well
ReplyDeleteMy siblings and I were sleeping in the family car during one of our father's all-night fishing trips at the pier when this happened. Definitely in June and on a weekend.
ReplyDeleteLooks like the essayist has put a considerable measure of diligent work into this.
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My father was on that ship when it happened. He worked as a purser. I was very young when it happened. Him and my mom had told me his ship caught fire. I remember him talking about this years later and how angry he was at the captain. I had been on that ship about a year prior, my dad had taken me on it to meet the captain and coworkers.
ReplyDeleteI was on one of the USCG 110'tug that assisted fighting that fire.
ReplyDeleteThat’s amazing. Today is the 46th anniversary. Thank you for your service.
ReplyDeleteA resident of Staten Island I witnessed the fire from a friends front lawn. His house was on Flagg Place with a great view of the lower bay. We could see the Brooklyn side of the VB and the boats were drifting under the bridge. We had a fishing charter planned weeks in advance. We left Great Kills harbor at 7am and proceeded to Sandy Hook. The fishing was ruined for the day and the amount of oil on the water turned the white portion of the Barbara R a nasty oily black. I remember the Capt. Fred Repp went back out later in the afternoon and came back to GK with a boatlosd of new car tires that were apparently jettisoned from the SW as they were the cause for the dense black smoke. I recall the fire burned for days.
ReplyDeleteAmazing post. Thanks for sharing.
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Tragic reminder of maritime risks; honoring lives lost and lessons learned. FMC Fire Systems
ReplyDeleteA tragic reminder of maritime safety's paramount importance. RIP. FMC Fire Systems
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