The Cape Douglas, a vessel originally built in 1944 as a landing craft tank-1443 (LCT-1443) for the U.S. Navy sank as it was transiting Chiniak Bay, in part because the watertight doors
Cape Douglas docked in 2022. [NTSB/Alaska Marine Surveyors, Inc.]
The Cape Douglas, a vessel originally built in 1944 as a landing craft tank-1443 (LCT-1443) for the U.S. Navy sank as it was transiting Chiniak Bay, in part because the watertight doors in the engine room and companionway spaces remained open, the National Transportation Safety Board said Thursday..
Owned and operated by North Bay Corporation (Commercial), the 80-year old Cape Douglas was operating as a fish tender on Nov. 6, 2024, near Kodiak, Alaska, and was on its way to dump fish byproduct when it began to flood below deck. The captain and crewmember were unable to control the flooding and abandoned the vessel into a towed skiff.
They were rescued by a Good Samaritan vessel. The Cape Douglas sank with an estimated 400-600 gallons of diesel fuel on board. It was not recovered and declared a total loss valued at $250,000.
Investigators found that the flooding might have been contained if the watertight doors were secured. “Maintaining watertight integrity of a vessel is a fundamental principle of safe operations on water,” the report said. “Within the hull, watertight bulkheads and watertight doors are designed to prevent progressive flooding by containing any incoming water to the compromised space.”
The captain observed flooding about 15 minutes after opening the inlet valve for the seawater pump. The crew was intending to use the vessel’s deck washdown system to loosen fish byproduct and wash it overboard. The investigation found that the flooding was likely caused by a system piping or component failure of the washdown system, which was at least 25 years old and had not been used or tested for at least two years before the sinking, according to the captain’s statements.
Before the sinking, the vessel had visual signs of rust and deterioration, and, along with documented hull wastage, suggested a general degradation of the vessel and onboard systems, such as the deck washdown system. About seven months before the sinking, the City of Kodiak harbormaster raised concerns about the vessel’s condition.
The full NTSB report says: The vessel’s age (80 years old), visual signs of rust and deterioration, and documented hull wastage suggest a general degradation of the vessel and onboard systems, such as the deck washdown system. However, because the vessel was not salvaged, investigators could not determine the condition of the components of the deck washdown system, including the inlet valve between the sea chest and the seawater pump, the pump, or the associated piping. Based on the captain’s statements, these components were over 25 years old and had not been used or tested for at least two years before the sinking. On the day of the sinking, the system was not tested before getting underway, so the captain would not have identified any issues with it. As the Cape Douglas neared the disposal site, the captain did not observe any flooding below deck while opening the inlet valve for the seawater pump and attempting to start the seawater pump. The flooding was only observed by the captain when he returned to the engine room about 15 minutes after opening the valve. Because the flooding occurred shortly after the valve was opened, the flooding was likely caused by a failure of the deck washdown system piping or the system’s components downstream of the open valve.
- Read the full NTSB report HERE
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