On this day: 1973 - Ship Collision/Fire NY Harbor

On this day in 1973, two merchant vessels collided in New York Harbor. Vessel one was the SS CV Sea Witch, a 610 foot long container vessel with a reinforced ice bow, loaded with 730 containers. The Sea Witch put to sea from Howland Hook Terminal in Staten Island, NY. Vessel two was the SS Esso Brussels, a 698 foot oil tanker which was anchored in the part of New York Harbor known as the Narrows (between Brooklyn and Staten Island), just north of the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge.  Headed for a refinery in Bayway, NJ, the Brussels was fully loaded with ~320,000 barrels of light Nigerian crude.

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

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