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Accidents

POET (1980)

POET disappeared in the North Atlantic during severe weather, and the vessel and its 34-person crew were never recovered.

Classification

  • Incident Type: Sinking
  • Severity: High
  • Marine casualty status: Disappearance and presumed total loss

Vessel Details

FieldValue
Vessel NamePOET
Vessel TypeGeneral cargo vessel
Flag StateUnited States [US]
IMO Number5127956
Official Number294731
Call SignWKFP
Gross Tonnage11421
LOA (m)159.37
Year Built1944
Crew Size34
Cargo13,500 long tons of No. 2 yellow corn
VoyagePhiladelphia to Port Said, Egypt

Incident Details

FieldValue
Date1980-10-24 (departure and last known voyage date)
LocationNorth Atlantic Ocean, approximately 500 nautical miles east of Delaware Bay
RegionAtlantic Ocean
Fatalities34, missing and presumed dead
Injuries
Missing
Cargo LossVessel and cargo were not recovered
Direct Damage
Economic DamageUSD 4.25 million estimated loss of vessel and cargo
Environmental Impact

Key facts

  • POET departed Girard Point in Philadelphia on 24 October 1980 for Port Said, Egypt, carrying approximately 13,500 long tons of No. 2 yellow corn.
  • The vessel's last known communication was on 24 October. No distress signal was received, and POET was reported overdue on 3 November.
  • The search ran from 8 to 17 November across approximately 296,000 to 297,400 square miles. No wreckage, lifeboat, debris, or crew member was found.
  • The Coast Guard established a Marine Board of Investigation on 17 November. The later Coast Guard report said the proximate cause could not be determined.
  • NTSB analysis considered a rapid capsize in beam or quartering seas, potentially involving synchronous rolling, the most likely explanation. The Coast Guard Commandant considered loss of hull integrity more probable, but this was not confirmed by physical evidence.

Narrative

POET was a U.S.-flag general cargo vessel that departed Philadelphia early on 24 October 1980 on a voyage to Port Said with a bulk corn cargo. The Coast Guard's Proceedings account records the cargo as approximately 13,500 long tons of No. 2 yellow corn. A bibliographic record for the Coast Guard casualty report identifies the departure as 0120 from Girard Point, Philadelphia.

The ship's last known communication occurred on 24 October. NTSB material places the likely disappearance at some time on 25 or 26 October, about 500 nautical miles east of Delaware Bay, as the vessel encountered a North Atlantic storm. No distress transmission was received. When POET was reported overdue, the Coast Guard began an extensive air and surface search. The search was suspended on 17 November without finding the vessel, cargo, lifeboats, debris, or any of the 34 crew.

Because neither the vessel nor physical evidence from the casualty was recovered, the investigation could not establish one confirmed loss mechanism. NTSB analysis considered a sudden capsize in beam or quartering seas, with synchronous rolling as a possible mechanism. The Coast Guard Commandant's action on the Marine Board report stated that proximate cause could not be determined, while considering loss of hull integrity more probable. The Commandant's scenario was that undetected water ingress could have led to a sudden loss by plunging, capsizing, or foundering.

Sequence of events

Date/timeEvent
1980-10-24POET departed Girard Point, Philadelphia, for Port Said, Egypt, with a bulk corn cargo.
1980-10-24The last known communication from the vessel was recorded; no later distress signal was received.
1980-10-25 to 1980-10-26NTSB analysis placed the likely loss during this period as POET encountered severe North Atlantic weather.
1980-11-03The owners contacted the Coast Guard Rescue Coordination Center in New York after communication checks and the vessel's overdue status.
1980-11-08 to 1980-11-17Air and surface searches covered approximately 296,000 to 297,400 square miles without finding POET or its crew.
1980-11-17The search was suspended and the Coast Guard established a Marine Board of Investigation.
1982-04-12The Coast Guard Commandant signed Marine Casualty Report USCG-16732/11486.

Contributing factors

FactorEvidence statusDescription
Severe storm and heavy seasReported conditionThe vessel was believed to have been lost while transiting a North Atlantic storm.
Beam or quartering seasSuspected mechanismNTSB analysis found that the vessel could be exposed to dangerous beam or quartering seas as wind and wave direction changed.
Synchronous rollingSuspected mechanismNTSB simulations identified synchronous rolling as a possible route to a rapid capsize under some assumed conditions.
Loss of hull integrity and water ingressSuspected mechanismThe Coast Guard Commandant considered loss of hull integrity more probable, with undetected water ingress potentially leading to sudden loss.
Distress-alert and notification limitationsReported safety context, not established as a cause of lossNTSB recommendations discussed the absence of a received distress signal, EPIRB detection limitations, and the interval before the overdue report.

Investigation

The United States Coast Guard established a Marine Board of Investigation after the search failed to locate POET. The Coast Guard casualty report, identified as USCG-16732/11486 and signed by the Commandant on 12 April 1982, stated that the proximate cause could not be determined. The Commandant nevertheless considered loss of hull integrity more probable than other explanations and described possible sudden loss through plunging, capsizing, or foundering after water ingress.

The NTSB later used the casualty in safety recommendations concerning emergency position-indicating radio beacons, satellite detection, and AMVER participation. Its technical discussion favored a rapid capsize in beam or quartering seas as the most likely explanation, but the absence of wreckage and other physical evidence prevented confirmation of the mechanism.

References

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