Bounty (2012)

Classification

• Incident Type: Sinking
• Severity: High

Vessel Details

Bounty was a United States-flagged, wooden, square-rigged three-mast tall ship operated by HMS Bounty Organization, LLC. Its registered length was 33 m; the NTSB also recorded a sparred length of 120 ft.

Incident Details

The casualty counts overlap: the captain remained missing and was presumed dead, so the NTSB included him among the two fatalities while his physical status remained missing.

Key facts

• Bounty departed New London, Connecticut, with 16 people aboard despite forecasts and warnings for Hurricane Sandy.
• Progressive flooding and failures of the vessel's dewatering and power systems left it adrift without propulsion or pumping capability.
• All 16 people entered the sea when the vessel heeled sharply at 0426 on 29 October; Coast Guard helicopters rescued 14 survivors.
• One crewmember died after being recovered, and the captain was not found during a 2.5-day search and was presumed dead.
• The NTSB determined that the captain's decision to sail into the hurricane's well-forecast path was the probable cause; ineffective organizational safety oversight contributed.

Narrative

The wooden replica tall ship Bounty left New London, Connecticut, at about 1800 on 25 October 2012 for St. Petersburg, Florida, with 16 people aboard. Hurricane Sandy had already formed, and forecasts indicated that it would move north before turning toward the United States east coast. The captain initially intended to remain east of the storm. On 27 October, however, he changed course southwest, attempting to pass ahead of the hurricane and then sail on its western side. The vessel organization monitored the forecasts but did not dissuade him from sailing or direct him to seek shelter.

The vessel normally made some water even in good conditions. As wind and sea conditions worsened on 27 October, water entered more rapidly and the electric bilge pumps had to run continuously. They repeatedly lost suction. The fixed hydraulic backup pump would not operate, while the portable hydraulic pump also required sustained attention. The crew had neither tested nor practised with a recently purchased gasoline-powered pump, and they could not start it when it was eventually needed. The NTSB also noted that wood rot had been found during the preceding shipyard period and that most of the crew had limited experience aboard Bounty.

Conditions deteriorated further on 28 October. Crew accounts described seas of about 30 feet and winds reaching 90 knots. Flooding spread through the vessel, equipment failed, and injuries and fatigue reduced the crew's ability to respond. The port engine stopped, generator interruptions repeatedly deprived the electric pumps of power, and water in the engine room rose to about 4 feet. Although the chief mate suggested contacting the Coast Guard at about 1800, the captain initially continued trying to manage the casualty. HMS Bounty Organization notified Coast Guard Sector North Carolina at 2045, after the captain requested assistance, and the crew activated an emergency position-indicating radio beacon.

A Coast Guard C-130 aircraft established contact and remained overhead. The vessel lost electrical power at about 2130. The crew briefly restarted one generator, but the flooded engine room became unsafe to occupy. By about midnight, the remaining main engine and generator had failed, leaving Bounty adrift without propulsion or dewatering capability. At 0223 on 29 October, the crew reported about 10 feet of water aboard and an ingress rate of approximately 2 feet per hour. Everyone donned immersion suits while plans were made to abandon in daylight.

Shortly after 0400, the chief mate twice recommended abandoning while the vessel remained upright. At 0426, before the planned daylight evacuation, Bounty heeled hard to starboard and buried its bow in a large wave. All 16 people entered the sea in darkness at 33°57.36′ N, 73°54.52′ W, about 110 nautical miles southeast of Cape Hatteras. Rigging and the vessel's movement impeded escape, and survivors struggled to reach two liferafts in winds of 50–60 knots, gusts up to 90 knots, and seas exceeding 20 feet.

Three Coast Guard Jayhawk helicopters began hoisting at 0641 and recovered 14 survivors. A female crewmember was recovered without vital signs at 1638 and later pronounced dead. The captain was never found; the Coast Guard suspended its search after 2.5 days, and he was presumed dead. The NTSB recorded three serious injuries and two fatalities, with the missing captain included in the fatality total. Bounty was last seen awash on its side at 1920 and was a total loss. Its estimated value was USD 4 million; the report described minor environmental damage from fuel remaining aboard.

Sequence of events

Contributing factors

Investigation

The National Transportation Safety Board adopted Marine Accident Brief NTSB/MAB-14/03 on 6 February 2014, using evidence gathered during the United States Coast Guard's formal hearing. It determined that the probable cause was the captain's reckless decision to sail into Hurricane Sandy's well-forecast path, exposing an aging vessel and inexperienced crew to conditions from which the vessel could not recover. The NTSB found that the vessel organization's lack of effective safety oversight contributed to the sinking. The report did not establish a single initial point or mechanism of water ingress.

References

• NTSB Marine Accident Brief: Sinking of Tall Ship Bounty

Related

• Bounty
• Atlantic Ocean
• National Transportation Safety Board
• HMS Bounty Organization, LLC
• United States Coast Guard
• Sinking
• Progressive Flooding

Similar incidents

• 1980-10-24: POET (1980)
• 2015-10-01: El Faro (2015)
• 2006-01-18: VALOUR (2006)
• 1983-02-12: Marine Electric (1983)
• 1980-09-09: MV Derbyshire (1980)