Classification
- Incident Type: Collision
- Severity: High
The severity reflects the passenger vessel's flooding and grounding, the evacuation of all persons aboard, and reported repair costs above USD 7 million.
Vessel Details
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Vessel Name | Crimson Glory |
| Vessel Names | Crimson Glory / Mississippi Queen |
| Vessel Type | Tug |
| Official Number | 515916 |
| Flag State | United States [US] |
| IMO Number | |
| Gross Tonnage | 857 |
| LOA (m) | 51.82 |
| Breadth (m) | 13.72 |
| Bollard Pull (t) | |
| Power (kW) | |
| Owner/Operator | Agri-Trans |
| TEU | |
| Year Built | 1969 |
| Crew Size | |
| Other Vessel | Mississippi Queen, U.S. passenger vessel, 382 ft (116.43 m) long |
Incident Details
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Date | 1985-12-12 |
| Location | Mississippi River near Donaldsonville, Louisiana |
| Coordinates | 30.1000, -90.9900 |
| Region | United States |
| Fatalities | 0 |
| Injuries | |
| Missing | |
| Cargo Loss | |
| Direct Damage | |
| Economic Damage | Over USD 7 million |
| Insured Loss | |
| Salvage/Cleanup Cost |
Key facts
- At about 1710 local time on December 12, 1985, Crimson Glory and its tow of 28 barges, approximately 1,150 ft overall, collided with Mississippi Queen near Donaldsonville, Louisiana.
- Mississippi Queen was holed and began to flood, but was grounded after the collision. The NTSB recorded that all 405 passengers and crew were safely evacuated.
- Crimson Glory sustained minor damage and stood by to assist Mississippi Queen.
- The NTSB reported that the estimated repair cost for the two vessels exceeded USD 7 million.
- The NTSB determined that the probable cause was the Mississippi Queen pilot's decision to overtake at a sharp bend while the tow was crosswise in the river, rather than delay the maneuver until the tow cleared the bend.
Narrative
At about 1710 on December 12, 1985, the U.S. towboat Crimson Glory and its 28-barge tow, approximately 1,150 ft in overall length, collided with the passenger vessel Mississippi Queen on the Mississippi River near Donaldsonville, Louisiana. The NTSB described Mississippi Queen as a 382-ft passenger vessel. The collision holed Mississippi Queen and caused flooding, after which the vessel was grounded. The NTSB reported that all 405 passengers and crew were safely evacuated. Crimson Glory sustained minor damage and stood by to assist.
The NTSB determined that the probable cause was the Mississippi Queen pilot's decision, about eight minutes before the collision, to overtake Crimson Glory at a sharp bend while the tow was crosswise in the river. The Board concluded that the passenger vessel should instead have slowed and delayed the overtaking maneuver until the tow cleared the bend. The NTSB's follow-up safety recommendations also described an inadequately positioned lookout and an obstructed view from the Mississippi Queen pilothouse during close maneuvers. A Coast Guard safety advisory stated that no lives were lost and no severe injuries occurred. A contemporary trade report described three people treated for minor ailments and one crew member picked up from the river; because the available accounts do not establish an exact injury count, the numeric injuries field remains blank.
The NTSB reported that the estimated repair cost for the two vessels was over USD 7 million. No separate monetary allocation between the vessels or exact coordinates for the collision has been identified.
Sequence of events
| Date/time | Event |
|---|---|
| 1985-12-12 about 17:10 local | Mississippi Queen attempted to overtake Crimson Glory and its tow near a sharp bend; the tow was crosswise in the river and the vessels collided. |
| 1985-12-12 after the collision | Mississippi Queen was holed and began to flood, while Crimson Glory sustained minor damage and stood by to assist. |
| 1985-12-12 following grounding | Mississippi Queen was grounded and all 405 passengers and crew were safely evacuated. |
Contributing factors
| Factor | Evidence status | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Overtaking at a sharp bend | Confirmed finding | The NTSB identified the decision to overtake while the tow was crosswise, rather than delay the maneuver until the tow cleared the bend, as the probable cause. |
| Inadequate lookout position and use | Confirmed finding | The NTSB stated that the designated lookout spent most of the watch seated facing inboard and was not effectively observing the waterway; it recommended bridge-wing lookouts during close maneuvers. |
| Obstructed pilothouse view | Confirmed finding | The NTSB described an obstructed view of objects close to the water and recommended compensating through lookout placement, design changes, or visibility equipment. |
Investigation
The National Transportation Safety Board investigated the casualty as Marine Accident Report NTSB/MAR-86/09, published in 1986. The NTSB determined the probable cause was the decision by the Mississippi Queen pilot to overtake Crimson Glory at a sharp bend while the tow was crosswise in the river. In a July 21, 1986 safety recommendation letter, the Board documented related concerns about passing large tows in bends, lookout placement and training, pilothouse visibility, damage stability, and emergency procedures aboard Mississippi Queen.
References
- NTSB safety recommendation letter M-86-78 through M-86-93
- TRID record for NTSB Marine Accident Report NTSB/MAR-86/09
- U.S. Coast Guard safety advisory on the Mississippi Queen casualty
- U.S. Coast Guard COFR vessel status report
- U.S. Army Corps of Engineers vessel characteristics listing
- Contemporary Seafarers' Log report
- MarineLink Crimson Glory particulars
Related
- United States
- Collision
- Tug Incident Classification
- National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB)
- Crimson Glory