SS SILVER DOVE Cargo Shift and Sinking in the North Pacific Ocean on 2 April 1973 without Loss of Life.
Abstract
At 0937 on 31 March 1973, the freighter SS SILVER DOVE, en route from Guam to the Panama Canal with a bulk cargo of raw sugar, listed suddenly to port; the vessel sank 41 hours later 180 miles southwest of Johnston Island. Water had been leaking through a crack in the hull for several days; since the crew's attempts to repair the hull were unsuccessful, the vessel had stopped in Guam for temporary repairs. After leaving Guam, the leak continued, however, and the ship listed slightly to starboard. The sudden list to port occurred when the master shifted weight to the port side to correct the starboard list. The crew was rescued before the ship sank. The National Transportation Safety Board determines that the probable cause of the sinking of the SILVER DOVE was the loss of transverse stability when the master was unable to assess the vessel's stability and incorrectly transferred fuel and water at a time when a crack was allowing seawater to leak into the sugar cargo. Contributing factors were the inability of the repair crew to repair the crack in the hull properly, the Coast Guard inspector's release of the ship without insuring proper temporary repairs because he had no inspection instructions, the inability of the ship's crew to remove the leaking water, and the creation of empty cargo space when the sugar dissolved to form the viscous sugar-water solution. (Author)
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Sep 10, 1976
- Accession Number
- ADA037254
Entities
Organizations
- United States Coast Guard