The loss of M/V Conception

[Cpt Pat]

As I'm sure most of you have heard, the vessel Conception burned to the waterline this morning in a cove at northern Santa Cruz Island, off the coast of Santa Barbara, CA. A distress call went out from the vessel at 3:15 AM PDT (1015 UTC), according to the USCG, and the last AIS position report received from a volunteer marinetraffic.com receiving station occurred at about the same time (1016 UTC).

Here is the last position reported by marinetraffic.com: https://www.marinetraffic.com/en/ais/details/ships/shipid:3479687/mmsi:367098480/vessel:CONCEPTION

Early news reports indicate the ENTIRE crew escaped, and that ALL of the passengers are presumed to have perished. That is awful news. Here is the USCG statement: https://tinyurl.com/y5lodqvd.

The incident raises several questions, not the least of which are:

• How did the fire spread so quickly without some form of accelerant?
• The entire crew appear to have been awake and on the bridge deck at 3 AM. Why?
• And of course, why didn't anyone besides the crew escape? The passengers were divers, and the shore was nearby.
  
  Maybe one of you who is familiar with this type of dive vessel operation can comment.

[Don C L]

Here is the other thread:http://www.cruisersforum.com/forums/...ng-223273.html

file:///Users/user/Downloads/Conception%20-%20Truth%20Aquatics.pdf

My wife and I were married on one of the other Truth Aquatics boats. It's an operation dedicated to safety. Still waiting to hear from crew who survived, but in that boat all the passengers have bunks below decks and crew have bunks above decks. The boat and company are well-known and highly respected. That particular boat has been doing dive trips since '81. Best to wait to see what investigation turns up. But for now, best to send send condolences to the family and friends of the victims.

[john61ct]

Just heard on the radio, the transcript of the emergency call with the CG apparently implies the crew member in the water was reporting passengers were somehow locked in.

Not all crew survived I think, but apparently all five survivors were crew.

[zeehag]

r i p to the dead and condolences to the families of the deceased.
this is a horror.

[Nicholson58]

I suspect crew was filling tanks and making breakfast. Gasoline and propane. I’d guess big instant fire, oxygen gone in the flash. Hope they figure it out. Plenty of witnesses.

[tarian]

Yes a sad day . condolences to all
But before this gets into the conspiracy thread lets stop it there and just mourn those that have been lost, and let those trained to find out what happened do their Job.

[john61ct]

Originally Posted by Nicholson58

Plenty of witnesses.

Really? I missed that.

Who besides the 5 survivors, all crew members?

No conspiracies, but hopefully lessons to be learned.

[Cadence]

Originally Posted by tarian

Yes a sad day . condolences to all
But before this gets into the conspiracy thread lets stop it there and just mourn those that have been lost, and let those trained to find out what happened do their Job.

Well said.

[Baba Buoy]

There was only one entrance to lower bunk deck, a spiral staircase, and it was in front of the boat next to the galley. If a fire originated in galley, it would have quickly cut off egress out of bunk area. Apparently there was no emergency hatch. Why didn't a fire alarm do its job of alerting the crew and passengers? I had been on that boat many times over the last 30 years. Terrible news.

[Woodland Hills]

How can a commercial dive boat get certified with no secondary exit from the bunk room? I see on the floor plan that there were two stairs up and out, from the bunk room and from the showers, but they both went to the galley, the most likely place for a fire to start. Again how can this be legal?

[Valmika]

Originally Posted by Don C L

Here is the other thread:http://www.cruisersforum.com/forums/...ng-223273.html

file:///Users/user/Downloads/Conception%20-%20Truth%20Aquatics.pdf

My wife and I were married on one of the other Truth Aquatics boats. It's an operation dedicated to safety. Still waiting to hear from crew who survived, but in that boat all the passengers have bunks below decks and crew have bunks above decks. The boat and company are well-known and highly respected. That particular boat has been doing dive trips since '81. Best to wait to see what investigation turns up. But for now, best to send send condolences to the family and friends of the victims.

Thanks Don, I have been out on Conception before and she is a well founded boat. I also dove on the original Truth (not sure if the boat is related to the company) but that too was a well run boat. Sleeping quarters are tight below decks so if something happened where the exit was blocked by fire that could have been a problem. The question remains what started the fire and where? I am thinking a propane issue but your guess is as good as mine. I don't know how much gasoline they carry or where. In the meantime lets not make accusations.

[Valmika]

Originally Posted by Woodland Hills

How can a commercial dive boat get certified with no secondary exit from the bunk room? I see on the floor plan that there were two stairs up and out, from the bunk room and from the showers, but they both went to the galley, the most likely place for a fire to start. Again how can this be legal?

There is a secondary exit.

[Valmika]

Originally Posted by Nicholson58

I suspect crew was filling tanks and making breakfast. Gasoline and propane. I’d guess big instant fire, oxygen gone in the flash. Hope they figure it out. Plenty of witnesses.

Don't know but I doubt crew is filling tanks at 3 AM.

[Woodland Hills]

Originally Posted by Valmika

There is a secondary exit.

Where is it?

[Checkswrecks]

See Post #25 of the other thread for the escape hatch.
http://www.cruisersforum.com/forums/...-223273-2.html

And the regulation is 46 CFR § 177.500 - Means of escape