Lady Mary (2009) | Novatug Maritime Wiki

Classification

Field	Value
Incident Type	Sinking
Severity	High
Mechanism	Progressive flooding through the lazarette and adjoining spaces

Vessel Details

Field	Value
Vessel Name	Lady Mary
Vessel Type	Fishing Vessel
Flag State	United States [US]
IMO Number
Official Number	520834
Gross Tonnage	105
LOA (m)	23.16
Breadth (m)	6.46
Year Built	1969
Converted	2001
Owner/Operator	Smith and Smith, Inc.
Crew Size	7

Incident Details

Field	Value
Date	2009-03-24
Location	Atlantic Ocean, 65 miles southeast of Cape May, New Jersey
Coordinates	38.5395, -73.7150
Region	United States
Fatalities	6
Injuries
Missing
Vessel Outcome	Total loss; wreck not recovered
Direct Damage
Economic Damage
Investigation Body	U.S. Coast Guard (lead), National Transportation Safety Board

Key facts

The Lady Mary sank between 05:10 and 05:40 EDT in about 210 feet of water, 65 miles southeast of Cape May, New Jersey.
The NTSB determined that flooding originated in the lazarette through an access hatch left open during rough weather.
Six of the seven people aboard died and one crew member survived. Four others were not found during the initial search; two were later recovered, and two remained missing and presumed dead in the NTSB brief.
The automatically activated EPIRB functioned, but it lacked GPS position transmission and had been incorrectly registered in the NOAA database.
The Coast Guard dispatched a helicopter after NOAA pinpointed the signal, and later searched 3,600 square miles with additional aircraft, cutters, and fishing vessels.

Narrative

The Lady Mary departed Cape May, New Jersey, on March 18, 2009, for the Elephant Trunk scallop fishing area. The seven-person crew included the master and his brother, who co-owned the vessel through Smith and Smith, Inc. The NTSB brief states that about 11,000 pounds of scallops were aboard when the vessel sank.

At about midnight on March 24, the survivor and another crew member finished an 18-hour shift and went below to sleep. Vessel-monitoring data show that the vessel was making 2 to 5 knots while dredging at midnight, then changed course around 00:33 and drifted south-southwest at about 1.5 knots with the wind and current. Weather conditions worsened during the early morning: winds increased from about 25 to 35 knots and wave heights rose from roughly 4.5 feet to more than 7 feet. The survivor was awakened at about 05:00 and was told that the vessel was sinking. The vessel lost electrical power, had settled by the stern to the winch deck, and sank about five minutes after he entered the water. The exact sinking time was not established; the last vessel-monitoring transmission was at 05:10 and the first EPIRB transmission was detected at 05:40.

Post-sinking photographs showed the lazarette access hatch open, with a hose from a pump tied overboard. The Coast Guard Marine Safety Center's stability analysis concluded that water retained on the main deck could enter through that hatch, flood the lazarette, submerge the stern further, and progress forward through the aft door toward the engine room. The NTSB determined that this flooding through an access hatch left open during rough weather was the probable cause. The report also noted that modifications made during the vessel's conversion reduced freeboard and increased the likelihood that downflooding points would be submerged in adverse weather.

The EPIRB activated automatically and was later found to be functional, but its signal could not immediately identify or locate the vessel. The beacon had no GPS receiver, and its identifying code had been entered incorrectly in NOAA's database. A low-earth-orbit satellite detected the signal at 06:56, NOAA pinpointed the position at 07:15, and the Coast Guard search-and-rescue center ordered a helicopter launch at 07:20. The helicopter arrived at 08:20, found an empty liferaft, rescued the surviving crew member, and recovered two bodies. Two more bodies were recovered later; two crew members remained missing and were presumed dead in the NTSB brief. The wreck was not recovered and the report classified the property damage as an undetermined total loss.

Sequence of events

Date/time	Event
2009-03-18	Lady Mary departed Cape May for the Elephant Trunk scallop grounds.
2009-03-24 00:00 EDT	The survivor and another crew member finished an 18-hour shift and went below; the vessel was still engaged in scallop dredging.
2009-03-24 00:33 EDT	Vessel-monitoring data showed the vessel change course and begin drifting with the wind and current.
2009-03-24 05:00 EDT	The survivor was awakened and told that the vessel was sinking.
2009-03-24 05:10-05:40 EDT	The Lady Mary sank; the last vessel-monitoring transmission was at 05:10 and the EPIRB first transmitted at 05:40.
2009-03-24 06:56 EDT	A low-earth-orbit satellite detected the EPIRB signal and established the basis for locating it.
2009-03-24 07:15 EDT	NOAA pinpointed the EPIRB position at 38.5395, -73.7150.
2009-03-24 07:20 EDT	The Coast Guard search-and-rescue center directed Air Station Atlantic City to dispatch a helicopter.
2009-03-24 08:20 EDT	The helicopter reached the site, rescued the survivor, and recovered two bodies after finding the liferaft empty.
2009-03-25	The Coast Guard ended the initial search after covering approximately 3,600 square miles.

Contributing factors

Factor	Evidence status	Description
Open lazarette hatch	Confirmed finding	The NTSB determined that the hatch had been left open during rough weather, allowing flooding to originate in the lazarette.
Progressive downflooding	Confirmed finding	The Coast Guard stability analysis found that water retained on deck could flood the lazarette and progress forward through the aft door toward the engine room.
Reduced freeboard after modifications	Confirmed finding	The NTSB reported that conversion work added weight, reduced freeboard by about four inches, and increased the likelihood that downflooding points would submerge in adverse weather.
EPIRB without position transmission	Confirmed finding	The NTSB identified the lack of GPS position data as contributing to the delay in dispatching rescue assets.
Incorrect EPIRB registration	Confirmed finding	An error in the NOAA registration data prevented immediate identification of the vessel from the first EPIRB signal.

Investigation

The U.S. Coast Guard led a joint investigation with the National Transportation Safety Board. The Coast Guard convened a Marine Board of Investigation on March 30, 2009, and held nine days of hearings. The NTSB issued Marine Accident Brief NTSB/MAB-11/01, adopted May 2, 2011.

The NTSB determined that the probable cause was flooding originating in the lazarette through an access hatch left open during rough weather, contrary to safe shipboard practice. It identified the EPIRB's inability to transmit position data as contributing to the delay in dispatching rescue assets. Investigators also examined a possible collision. AIS and vessel-monitoring data, inspections of nearby vessels, and examination of the wreckage provided no evidence that the nearby cargo ship Cap Beatrice or a tracked fishing vessel struck Lady Mary; the rudder damage was consistent with contact with the ocean floor.

The NTSB recommended that the Federal Communications Commission require 406-MHz EPIRBs carried on commercial vessels to broadcast vessel position data when activated. The Coast Guard's public material also identified the open hatch, progressive flooding, compromised watertight integrity, and delayed emergency response as central safety issues.

References

Video

NJ.com: wreck of the Lady Mary