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Accidents

TECO 2 (1983)

On the morning of 12 October 1983, the U.S. Navy guided-missile destroyer USS William V. Pratt entered Pensacola Bay to refuel at the Naval Air Station. Because the planned starboard-side landing required a more complex approach, the ship used the Navy tug YTM 544 and the commercial tug TECO 2. At about 1028, the pilot directed YTM 544 to the port bow and TECO 2 to the port quarter, each with a headline and quarter line. TECO 2's two deckhands secured its quarter line to an after-deck cleat with multiple figure-eight turns and then moved away from it. Four people were aboard: the operator, two deckhands, and an observer. (NTSB/MAR-84/04, PDF p. 7)

Classification

  • Incident Type: Sinking
  • Severity: High

Vessel Details

FieldValue
Vessel NameTECO 2
Vessel TypeTug
Flag StateUnited States [US]
IMO Number
Gross Tonnage
LOA (m)24.38
Breadth (m)7.01
Bollard Pull (t)
Power (kW)
Owner/OperatorTECO Marine, Inc.
Year Built1945
Crew Size3

Incident Details

FieldValue
Date1983-10-12
LocationPensacola Bay, Pensacola, Florida
RegionUnited States
Fatalities0
Injuries2
Missing
Cargo Loss
Vessels Lost1
Direct DamageUSD 650,000
Economic Damage
Insured Loss
Salvage/Cleanup CostUSD 100,000

Key facts

  • TECO 2 was an 80-foot single-screw harbor tug operated by TECO Marine; three crew and one observer were aboard.
  • Sternway tightened the quarter line, dragging TECO 2 at about 45 degrees to the ship and creating a heeling moment to starboard.
  • The quarter line jammed on its cleat, the open engine-room doorway submerged, and the tug sank within no more than two minutes of beginning to heel.
  • Navy personnel rescued all four people aboard; the operator lost three fingers and an elderly observer was hospitalized for two days.
  • TECO 2 was salvaged but declared a constructive total loss. Damage was estimated at USD 650,000 and salvage cost USD 100,000.

Narrative

On the morning of 12 October 1983, the U.S. Navy guided-missile destroyer USS William V. Pratt entered Pensacola Bay to refuel at the Naval Air Station. Because the planned starboard-side landing required a more complex approach, the ship used the Navy tug YTM 544 and the commercial tug TECO 2. At about 1028, the pilot directed YTM 544 to the port bow and TECO 2 to the port quarter, each with a headline and quarter line. TECO 2's two deckhands secured its quarter line to an after-deck cleat with multiple figure-eight turns and then moved away from it. Four people were aboard: the operator, two deckhands, and an observer. (NTSB/MAR-84/04, PDF p. 7)

The Pratt's initial engine movements did not produce the required turn. From 1030 the conning officer ordered increasing astern power on the port engine, without the pilot warning TECO 2's operator. As the destroyer developed sternway, slack came out of TECO 2's quarter line and the tug moved to about 45 degrees to the ship. The taut line and hydrodynamic forces created a heeling moment to starboard. The operator ordered the line released, but it jammed on the cleat; another deckhand could not close the starboard engine-room door. Water entered when the deck edge submerged. The quarter line and then the headline parted as the tug flooded and sank, a sequence the report says took no more than two minutes. (NTSB/MAR-84/04, PDF pp. 9, 17-19)

YTM 544 cast off and joined Navy personnel in the rescue. Three people entered the water and one deckhand stepped directly from TECO 2 to a ladder on the destroyer. All four survived. The operator lost three fingers from his right hand, while the 81-year-old observer was hospitalized for two days after ingesting water and suffering traumatic effects. TECO 2 was later salvaged but declared a constructive total loss; the owner estimated USD 650,000 damage and the salvage operation cost USD 100,000. (NTSB/MAR-84/04, PDF pp. 9-10, 16)

The NTSB found that the operator failed to require continuous tending of the quarter line and closure of exterior main-deck doors. It also identified divided control of ship and tugs, and the pilot's failure to warn before the Pratt backed down, as contributing causes. (NTSB/MAR-84/04, PDF pp. 19-21)

Sequence of events

Date/timeEvent
1983-10-12 09:39 EDTThe pilot boarded USS William V. Pratt near the entrance to Pensacola Bay.
1983-10-12 10:28 EDTTECO 2 and YTM 544 were secured on the destroyer's port side; TECO 2 was positioned at the quarter.
1983-10-12 10:30 EDTThe conning officer ordered the Pratt's port engine astern as the ship attempted to complete its turn.
1983-10-12 10:31 EDTFull astern power was ordered on the port engine; TECO 2's quarter line tightened as the destroyer developed sternway.
1983-10-12 10:33 EDTTECO 2 was reported in trouble. Its lines parted as it flooded and sank, and Navy personnel rescued all four people aboard.

Contributing factors

FactorEvidence statusDescription
Quarter line managementConfirmed findingTECO 2's quarter line was secured by multiple turns on a cleat, was not tended continuously, and could not be quickly released after it tightened and jammed.
Open main-deck doorsConfirmed findingThe open engine-room doorway submerged as the tug heeled, allowing flooding that the NTSB found might have been prevented by keeping the doors closed.
Divided command structureConfirmed findingControl of the tugs was not held by the same person who controlled the Pratt.
Pilot warningConfirmed findingThe pilot failed to warn the TECO 2 operator that the Pratt was about to back down.

Investigation

The National Transportation Safety Board adopted Marine Accident Report NTSB/MAR-84/04 on 17 April 1984. It recommended that the Navy vest control of ship and assisting tugs in one person during docking and use separate personnel to execute and record engine orders in restricted waters. It recommended that TECO Marine require a deckhand to tend every working line continuously and keep exterior main-deck doors closed while a tug is alongside a ship during docking. (NTSB/MAR-84/04, PDF p. 21)

References

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