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Fools. No watch on duty. All that plug in digital shit. A wooden boat. Had to be towed to deeper water for the Coast Guard to fight the fire. How many fire extinguishers aboard? Can't trust anybody.
I am not sure that I would say I enjoyed watching this but that is no reflection on your video which was excellent. It is just sad that fire safety was so lacking and 34 people lost their lives because of it.
I thought maybe you would like to know the out come of the trial for Captain Jerry Boylan. May 2024, 4 years in Federal Prison www.justice.gov/usao-cdca/pr/captain-santa-barbara-based-dive-boat-burned-and-sank-resulting-34-deaths-sentenced-4
Glad you said this, the plug was just the cause of the fire, the deaths were caused by a number of other factors. This plug didn't kill anyone, the boats design, operation and fire precautions did.
They were packed like sardines in a matchbox. Im glad this show gets me to think critically about simple nuances within maritime operations. Some things are just easily avoidable while others even a veteran diver would seem imperceptible to becomes a deadly reality. Respect the water, know your limits and dont panic.
No doubt! I have first-hand experience with something similar, albeit on land. In the USA we run off 120 volt electrical sockets but overseas seems normal to be on 220 volt, so a special powerstrip or adapter is needed in order for 120v devices to safely be used on a higher power supply. Late one night, I was walking to the DFAC (USAF dining facility) and noticed one of the living units had plumes of smoke coming from it. While a group of onlookers just observed the fire, I assessed the situation and started giving orders to people on finding fire extinguishers, ensuring occupants were cleared from the building and surrounding units as well as notifying emergency units. Only two others were helping out of a group of a couple of dozen bystanders. I quickly re-assessed the situation, I first made sure no one was in the units, then ran to get the fire department that was nowhere to be found. So I dialed 911, and a language barrier was quickly evident. I hung up the phone and proceeded to extinguish the fire. In the end, I ensured the safety of 48 lives and mitigated over $5,000,000.00 in damages. It's hard to believe that even in the military, your brothers and sisters will seize up, and that can easily cost lives from even the simplest mistakes. The situation I encounter was a lucky outcome with so little help. A situation like this story could have potentially been a success story like the Thai cave incident. Instead it litterally went up in flames and went down in tragedy. Props to the crew member that took the initiative to not give up. But the odds were too stacked against him from the get go. and
As a former sailor, drydock refitter, and house rennovator, the flaws seem crystal clear. Electrical overhaul is expensive, but crucial. Dont overload corcuits! Rebuild circuits to match operational draw. Post and enforce plug rules if the system is old. Run an automatic cycler if needed to rotate which power strips get fed on a regular rotation: they cost like $5, $15 for nice ones. They would have needed 2-4. $10-$20 fix. 1hr alternating cycles 1/2 the draw and still charge everything. Every cabin/hold needs smoke detectors and an extinguisher. We had a pilot birth that didnt have these, but it at least had top deck and galley hatches. It also only slept 1. Last but not least: post an f'ing watchman! Wtf. My ship was 6 live aboard and no regular overnight passengers. Unless we were docked/moored with all systems shut down we still had watch cycles. Collisions, weird weather, draging anchors, fires, so much bad can be avoided/mitigated with a set of eyes and ears. Company maintenance and safety clearly lacking. 70s construction? BS. Refit it or run it carefully and strictly. 100% aviodable. Grumpy sailor rant over
The boat is setup as a deathtrap like most below decks, even if they were warned and tried to escape via the escape hatches you think they would do it orderly and effectively? To me it doesn't matter how it started and how far it got, literally no one made it out of the escape hatches did they?
Say what you will about the equipment... AND no argument... That SHOULD have been updated, even to the $20 to $45 fix for the cyclers... It's a small price to pay "up front" for convenience and safety... BUT it's MARITIME LAW to have a watchman on roving patrol... That's CRIMINAL NEGLIGENCE! AND there's just no excuse... The crew were onboard, so just put up the schedule and make a patrol... Everybody brags about how the worst things happen at sea... Yet, here we are, and 34 people are dead for lack of ONE person to spend a night walking about and logging imperfections and problems... or notifying the crew/cap'n in case of things like smoldering outlets, sparkling electronic devices, ANOTHER lithium ion battery self destructing... AND as prevalent as those are, it's 100% POSSIBLE that a laptop or cell phone got dinged and NONE of this has anything to do with bad wires or overloaded circuits. Granted, that's not probable... BUT IT IS POSSIBLE... and we'll never know because the "I don't give a f*** Cap'n" was running the "I don't give a f*** Boat" with the "WE don't give a f*** Crew". ;o)
All they needed to prevent tragedy was to have a crewmember on watch, as required ! It wouldn't have prevented the initiation of the fire, but could have put out the fire, while it was still small and manageable. The fire did NOT start as a big inferno, but in a small area. It would have been out quickly, and the passengers wouldn't need to be awaken, let alone evacuated. An underrated electrical system that caught fire, shows that the breakers were incorrectly rated. A "cycler", though a nice gadget, is a simple circuit, that I could build in a couple of hours, from parts scraped from the floor around my workbench. But a properly setup electrical system, even by standards of when this boat was made, should have tripped the breakers. I've been on quite a few dive boats, but never a "snooty" Truth Aquatics boat. Those were the fancy ones ! Best dive boat, by how accommodating the crew was, was the Scuba Queen, out of San Pedro. It wreaked of diesel, and leaked a bit, but the captain would let you get 4 dives in, on a single day trip, while most operators would only get 3. Irony, the rear bunk room opened up to the open, main deck. So, a fire in the salon, or galley, would not impede escape from that bunk room. Though, the forward bunk room passengers, would be toast.
I dunno if you'll ever see this, but I wanted to put it out there all the same: I found this channel a couple of weeks ago, I think because I was following Sub Brief and H I Sutton, so eventually TH-cam put your Titan video in my recommends. And I'm really glad it did... I've seen other channels deal with diving, cave diving and submarine accidents before and I just can't handle the way they play up the drama with eerie music and stings, overly emotive scripts, etc. They're all following the Discovery Channel formula, and it drives me nuts. I really appreciate the way you take these same tragic, sometimes terrifying events and explain how they happened without all of that. I don't find it dispassionate at all, rather it seems more like you're bringing the kind of professionalism and experience to these topics that they really deserve. I know it's not everyone's cup of tea, and the algorithm's probably telling you to hype this stuff up much more... But I, for one, appreciate this approach SO much more, and I just wanted to say that.
@@waterlinestories I also feel as this OP did. I think the vast majority of people do. Or at least the ones who are not the lowest common denominator type. Thank you for the intelligent and caring approach you use, without the offensive garbage and tone.
There are several channels I won't watch for that exact reason and a lot of them have the same narrator/voice that reads terribly written scripts. It's sad that drama loving people are what sways what the Tube pushes/recommends and IMO that all started with so-called reality TV shows...
Oh geez I've been binging your videos today and did not expect to come across one where a friend was a victim. I've spent so many sleepless nights wondering exactly how this happened, so I guess it's nice to have a bit of closure in that regard. Thanks for the video.
I've never had an affinity for learning about ocean disasters and incidents until i found your channel. Your manner of explaining and delivery is excellent. Great content.
@@mc4ndr3Bullshit. I wish the damn safety lady where I work would go find a different made up job somewhere else. There's so much "safety" going on to appease the OSHA gods, that it actually *creates* safety issues that wouldn't otherwise exist. It's not even really a "dangerous" environment. You'd have to just about be *trying* to get hurt... Yet. Yeah carry that shit.
@@mc4ndr3 Not true! I supervised around 25 people and I was a stickler for the rules, or better, if I could see more ways to protect them. Many of them were also just as vigilant, with their own safety and that of others. It's people with your bad attitude that are the problem.
From 1986 to 2009 I dove many times on the Charisma (later named Great Escape) and the Encore out of San Pedro (Long Beach). The cabin configuration was about the same with the escape hatch into the rear of the galley. Additionally the escape hatch was via one of the upper bunks at the rear of the main bunk room, difficult to reach and especially in a dark and or smoke filled situation. The Encore, Charisma, Great Escape always operated with a crew member on duty through the night. They also had an alarm that had to be reset (I think every 30 minute) that was always on at night and while underway. Sadly this event would have been different had they kept crew on duty.
This tragedy should not have been possible. Conception was a beautiful vessel. As a scuba instructor and dive shop owner I had been in many trips aboard her. Conception was built under old antiqated rules, codes, regulations, laws, and guidelines. However, anyone with common sense would have place both smoke and carbondioxide detectors in all spaces and compartment as soon as they were commercially available. I have been in trips aboard Vision and Truth, also. I recall one day aboard Truth when light smoke and smell of burning rubber wminated from engine compartment, it was a fail belt, I was just old. There were not smoke or CO detectors aboard, then
You're totally right. It should never have been possible. The fact the upgrades weren't done should be a crime that is very heavily punished. Every vessel should be required to be inspected regularly, and infractions of requirements should be pushed severely. If repairs and updates are found to be in violation of the regs, all permits should be revoked and VERY HARSH penalties applied. There should not be grace periods or forgiveness of violations in any case where somebody's life could have been lost, because that will definately cause lives to be lost in the future. People need to know that a law is a law, not a mere suggestion. And that laws can not be bent. Not when lives could hang in the balance. I believe no bending should ever be allowed, but in the case of potential deaths, the penalties should be as harsh as if real deaths had actually occurred. It's the only way to prevent actual deaths. People always say that "A little thing like this couldn't cause a death." But where you find a little thing like that is where there there has been neglect. And there you will always also find a whole lot of other little things, if you look for them. It's the accumulation of those little things that add up to big things! If you watch a video on a plane crash or a ship sinking, or read a report on a boiler explosion (steam or hot water pressure vessel), it's always a list of 3 or more things that on their own would never kill anyone, but they occur together because of neglect. The multiple layers of protections in the system are all broken down at once. That is THE common denominator in nearly all fatal accidents, especially regarding vehicles, including boats, planes, rockets, etc, and even terrorist attacks. You can almost always say that it should never have happened, but it did because people were lax. This is just as much a fault of the govt, and of the people who voted for a govt that abdicates its responsibilities. This accident would not have happened in the EU, at least not on any vessel that carries passengers.
The video showed a window seemed large enough to escape into the sea, but the people inside were in no shape to open it. The people been scuba diving, and I wondered where the masks and air tanks were, they could have used that to breath while looking for a way out.
@@tonylam9548 I'm sorry, but are you seriously suggesting that a bunch of amateur divers on an unfamiliar ship should take the time to find and don SCUBA gear while trying to escape a fire? Because that sounds like a guaranteed disaster.
As soon as you mentioned that both emergency exits from the sleeping area went into the same room---- It's just negligence in the design of the boat. That's funneling "two" escape, and it's really only one escape route.
The stairs led to the front of the salon and the galley. The escape hatch led to the rear of the salon by the bathrooms. They were pretty far apart. Getting out the escape hatch is not easy, however, and briefings didn't really go into any detail if it was mentioned at all. The Vision (sister ship) has been retrofit with escape hatches that lead to the deck, and a big fireproof cabinet for charging electronics.
@@johnmccallum8512 All the crewmembers share a responsibility for the safety of their ship and passengers. The fact he was a captain just means he shared a bit more of that responsibility. The classic, "I did not kill any Jews, I just guarded the towers and kept them from escaping!"
Found this channel recently and it’s already one of my favorites. I really appreciate how you cover some lesser known events and not the same ones everyone else seems to do
What I don't understand is that the same agency ( US Coast Guard ) that more or less passed inspection of the boat now finds fault with the same boat. How is that possible?
Boats built under older regulations are still considered seaworthy as long as they're not so far off the modern standard they pose a risk to everyone onboard. This does make the assumption that the crew will follow the rules though. Having somebody patrol that night would have minimized or outright prevented the tragedy, but I guess they needed their beauty sleep. Most modern regulations are placed under the idea that you have to make sure even the least competent, wholly unaware of their surroundings are at least pulled out of their state of psychosis long enough to realize something is wrong.
The problem is fire inspections are based on physical characteristics of a structure and not on the progress of a fire as an event. What is survivable in a structure fire at plus 30 seconds can be unsurvivable at plus 40 seconds.
The thing that many don’t understand is that “portable electronic devices” take VERY little power to charge. Each one might take 10 watts on average. You could have a hundred of them, ALL plugged in to ONE circuit, and it would just about equal the power consumed by a single coffee maker. Far more likely is that one of those cheap Chinese chargers caught on fire. Evidently the one in the salon. I can understand not requiring retroactive code compliance, however, some retroactive requirements are reasonable. In particular the requirement of ample smoke alarms throughout the ship. Keith
@@RussellD11 A classic 5V and 2A charger is 10W. I checked the charger of my phone and it is 7W. Newer models are up to 20W, you can buy chargers rated at 50W, but the phone wil limit the current to a lower value with a temp sensor.
@zonzeven There was mention of sparking outlets, and even just an amp could overheat an outlet if it was arcing, or 2-5 amps from a power strip full of laptops. Any time I have a loose outlet at home it gets promptly replaced.
I used to manage a dive shop in Pismo Beach, CA, and we chartered with them all the time before I became a fire fighter, so this hit me so hard as I watched the tragedy unfold on my news feeds. I can not tell you how hard I cried. Just knowing what this is going to be about was enough to trigger the water works. A fire on a ship is one of the most lethal situations one can ever find themselves in. My heart still breaks for those lost.
Great video as always. Just thought I'd mention that lots of chargers spark when plugged in because they have high inrush current, it is 'normal' and not an indicator of fault or overload.
Investigators with the bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives built a full-scale mock-up of the middle deck of the 75-foot vessel in their quest to determine the fire’s point of origin and cause. They conducted a series of burn tests at their Maryland research lab, which concluded the blaze began in a rubbish container and then quickly spread. Within minutes, the boat’s main salon was in flames, the testing showed.
Thank you for adding this comment. Unfortunately, speculation immediately after the accident centered on lithium batteries being charged in the bunkroom and catching fire. That speculation took on a life of its own. but thankfully the ATF really did their work and found a much more likely explanation -- the trash can (and probably a cigarette butt.)
UPDATE: November 6, 2023 AP news report: LOS ANGELES -- A federal jury on Monday found a scuba dive boat captain was criminally negligent in the deaths of 34 people killed in a fire aboard the vessel in 2019, the deadliest maritime disaster in recent U.S. history. The U.S. Attorney's Office in Los Angeles confirmed Jerry Boylan was found guilty of one count of misconduct or neglect of ship officer, a pre-Civil War statute colloquially known as seaman's manslaughter that was designed to hold steamboat captains and crew responsible for maritime disasters. Boylan was the only person to face criminal charges connected to the fire. He could get 10 years behind bars.
The ship burned and sank so they didn't have much to go on. The only way it could have been worse is if it had completely disappeared. That does happen sometimes.
@@iwaswrongabouteveryhthingYour name is fitting, since you clearly don't know that modern cigarettes are made to burn at too low a temperature to start a fire. There's a reason you don't hear about people dying in house fires because they fell asleep smoking in bed anymore.
I am 71 years old and have been fishing off the Southern California coast on boats like this for 40 years. The one thing that I see is a major difference is hand held electrical devices.phones, cameras,tablets go pros. I can see regulations springing up on the systems to plug in a large amount of these things. RIP to all.
If the electrical system is properly maintained that shouldn't matter. Also: The AC draws the most power amongst all the devices named in the video. So my bet would be on bad electric system + not enough smoke detectors. The ship's owner is to blame in my books...
@@TheMightyZwompeople will find any excuse to blame victims. Company didn't update the electrical obviously, because it's extremely expensive... Didn't do anything to make sure it's safe. But sure. The people who burned to death are to blame because they use cell phones. Boats didn't catch fire when you were young I suppose 🙄
Boylan was freed on $75,000 bond before being sentenced on May 2, 2024, to four years in prison followed by three years of supervised release for his criminal negligence.
The one thing people don't talk about is vessels being grand fathered in to old rules and regulations. Under the current rules the fire could not have gone without detection with the required safety equipment and alarms. The us is so terrified or losing what little commercial vessel jobs it has, it will put peoples life at risk, same thing with El Faro.
@@Mullins23 Both are true. Right wing governments shirking their responsibilities is a HUGE part of it. All vessels need to be inspected at regular intervals, MOST ESPECIALLY those that ever carry passengers! This would never have happened in the EU.
@@cattymajiv You're full of it... Right wing governments ? I'd blame left wing governments for this; probably didn't concern them as it 's not abortion, nor smoking weed.
For the same reason the first person to save themselves was the captain jumping overboard, followed by the other crew members. Only one of them was brave enough to at least try to get to the escape hatch. So many ship tragedies where crew don't give a monkeys about their passengers and look after no.1 first.
The electrical outlet did not kill 34 people. The captain is guilty of not maintaining a USCG mandated watch. The boat was under-wired and this is the responsibility of the boat's operator and captain. USCG safety regulations were outdated and insufficient to prevent a catastrophe on this boat including difficulty in operating the rear emergency hatch. Then again, the fire could have been caused by devices charging lithium/ion batteries, the safety of which were certainly suspect at the time. In short, these 34 deaths were the result massive regulatory failure, individual negligence and dereliction of duty.
Eh, they can be used responsibly. A cell phone charger draws 20w, a laptop charger 100w, and an outlet is rated for 1800w. So you can run quite a few chargers. The issue is when you add a 1500w kettle or hairdryer into the mix.
@@PsRohrbaugh I understand that, however 'can', 'could' and 'should' are very different. Here in the UK 'multi-adaptors' for outlets have warnings saying they 'should' not be 'daisy-chained'. 'Can' and 'could' relies on the not so common 'common sense' being applied.
A more viable threat is the [probably] 30 [plus] various sized Lithium batteries in various states of charging. Way more that I'd want as unattended sleep mates.
@@schizy Totally agree, both in various states of charge and in various states of condition. Electronics used in adventure and action environments get battered, in particular the charging ports and battery connections. All that with the crew person seeing a spark when plugging something into the outlet, that can't be good to see, especially with ambient moisture. Here in the UK the current carrying pins of mains plugs don't touch anything conductive until they are away from fingers and eyes - not sure about those two pronged outlets.
Another fantastic video from my favorite site. You are the best story teller out there. I feel drawn into the boat and the terror those people must if felt. Always look forward to a new story. Great job 👍🇺🇸👍🇺🇸❤👍🇺🇸👍🇺🇸
As an European, seeing American electric plugs makes me always to think how a country that makes microprocessors can’t make a decent socket and plug. Those plug contacts bend and are exposed with voltage when plugging it into socket. Add that the lower 110V voltage that requires more current and is more susceptiple for contact issues and heating. Whole world uses three phase electricity, but US invented the split ring supply which kind of the last nail in the coffin.
@@bwarrior6340 Interesting that the electrical plugs had nothing to do with this accident. The NTSB concluded, after extensive investigation, that the fire was started by a cigarette butt tossed in a trash can. The speculation that the fire was started by an electrical malfunction was from internet people -- much like yourself -- that spout nonsense and then assure each other of how knowledgeable they are about everything. I've used European plugs, when I've travelled to Europe. They look a lot like American plugs. Euro plugs have two round things, American are two flat things. Really makes no difference in functionality. British plugs have fatter flat things. All of them work just fine. If American plus really were defective, the entire country would have burned to the ground long ago. But please... keep posting your internet nonsense and tell yourself how knowledgeable you are, if it makes you happy. I'm sure your parents are proud of you.
I went in a chartered fishing trip, a little one. I asked a participant, is the boat fitted with life preservers? He said, certainly, it's a licensed charter company. Not a preserver or flotation device was anywhere to be seen. Lots of assumptions are made in regards to how we get around and who is doing so.
ugh. I caught some hint of that news story but missed the full details, even though I'm a few hours down the coast from Santa Barbara. Thanks for the sobering report. Those poor people; I had no idea there were so many.
For those believing that a deck watch would have saved lives - Perhaps. The deck watch would have had to have found the fire early as gasses from melting plastic within the sleeping area could have poisoned the atmosphere. In fact the watch could have been killed entering the sleeping area. One never knows. Plus the exits could have already been on fire and blocked when this mythological watch person discovered there was an issue and not been able to gain access to save anyone. Lastly the poisonous atmosphere within the sleeping quarters might have flashed over once this watch person opened the hatch allowing oxygen to enter the hold raising the flammable gas / oxygen level balance up to explosive percentages. All I'm saying here is that, although we all would like to think that a watch person would have found the problem in time resulting in the removal of the combusting devices before a run away situation started, there are just too many factors involved to believe that such a scenario was the only possibility or outcome to a situation in a resin covered plywood coffin. Furthermore lithium batteries suffer from thermal runaway and are pretty much impossible to put out in said situation. Plus those cheap chargers catch of fire as well as do power bars. UL approved counterfeits you know.
According to details released a month ago, the initial electrical fire theory is leas likely. The main theory now is a fire in a plastic trash can located under the wooden stairwell.
Enjoying your stuff mate. 2:30 worth mentioning there that a vessels passenger limit for day trips is more than the passenger limit for overnight trips.
Dude had a history of doing sketchy shit. Never stay on a boat that shitty. After looking at the layout of the boat there is no way I would stay on a craft set up in a way that would make escape in an emergency situation damn near impossible, hope the owners got sued for all they had . Scumbags. They had a bunch on idiots with no clue what they were doing trying to save them, they’re were doomed. Again I hope they were sued and imprisoned for their negligence. How dare they abandon ship when they left all the passengers onboard.
Despite the story, in my opinion, you are one of the best narrators I have heard.. others like Mike Brady are also good, and you are right up there with them.
I worked in the boat building industry in the 1980s. Fire is one of the most feared incidents because of the deadly chemicals and composites used. I myself suffered for years with cluster headaches directly attributed to the chemicals used.
@superbmediacontentcreator Reminds me of Swissair 111 from the late 90s which killed 300ish people after leaving NYC for Switzerland from an electrical fire. Investigators didn't understand how the fire started and spread so rapidly until they eventually tested the fireproof barrier lining (the standard in aviation) which turned out to be very flammable. Think it was Mylar-based, a modern product. It's ironic that newer building materials have made the wood frame one of the least combustible parts of construction and Asbestos is still one of if not THE best heat/fire insulator while posing an incredibly low risk when it's undisturbed. The toxicity from the countless chemicals used in everything since at least the plastic revolution is rarely thought about by most.
Thanks for the video. I am a licensed Master Captain and have captained vessels this size and larger. I am also a Scuba instructor. One thing about maritime law is that decisions are rarely “black and white”. Even though the captain was certainly to blame, he also is a victim of the owners stinginess. I have worked for outfits like this. And if you don’t run things the owners way, you will be looking for a new job. And the next captain they hire will have the same problem. And the next owner that the captain works for will probably be similar. Very happy to bend the rules for the sake of profit. Welcome to the would of capitalism. Profit is king…………even over safety in most industries, depending on how much regulation and oversight they have. To me, while the captain is negligent, the owner is even more at fault. What a terrible situation. I heard on the news that the captain left the boat first. BUT. He had too as the wheelhouse was on fire and he was at the top of the fire, the worst part. He had to jump after making the mayday calls. He then climbed back aboard. But could do nothing at that point. With the fire in the saloon, bunk room below. You couldn’t get out or in. Bad design, but coast guard approved inspected vessel. And of course, steel or aluminum a much better choice. A loose loose situation. Sad.
Consumers are at fault too. People don't want to pay for safety. I raised meat chickens outside the USA organically and customers wanted to save a peso or two by having antibiotic fed chickens, even though our chickens tasted better. So to save money I also started using antibiotics, which enables the birds to grow faster. Race to the bottom...in this case, literally, Davy Jones' Locker.
I had done dive trips aboard this boat before the fire. Pretty cramped sleeping quarters. Some dive friends died, some Sheriffs divers on this are friends. Bottom line: poor maintenance/upgrade of electrical systems, failure of crew watch keeping, etc. Mainly just slipping into business as usual thinking; i.e. complacency.
I had a dive trip on their other ship, the Truth in the 80’s and I remember the very steep and narrow stair leading into the lower deck. I do not remember much information on how to evacuate that space. The lower deck bunk area was crowded with a full boat.
The ATF opinion after extensive tests and reconstructions was it started in the trash can. Who knows? However when you talk about the issues not being detected by the CG, you should realize that the boat never had the required second path off the bridge deck. That second path was required when the boat was built and originally inspected and at every subsequent inspection. And nobody ever spotted that.
My God, the horror these poor people endured, choking to death, trapped, only for their families to suffer the cruelty of the captain wanting to 'limit liability to the value of the ship' just three days later, when they're in shock... How can people like that live with themselves? It seems to predominately be the captains fault too: - used an old boat, not designed for modern commercial use (air-con & devices, poorly designed escape hatches, 15:05, see the wiki for how difficult it is to escape in the aft hatch) - didn't want to spend $$ upgrading the electrics (or just mandating people don't charge their devices all at once) - didn't keep crew on watch overnight (how the hell can this happen with 39 people on board?!) - not enough fire detectors! They're like $15/each!? And not enough fire fighting equipment spread throughout the boat. It's sister ship, Vision, in Oct 2018, saw a battery and charger catch fire in the bookcase where power strips were plugged in, one passenger put the devices in a bin of water, another emptied a fire extinguisher into the bookcase. So, looks like the company might of had warning of a fire centering around electronic devices (inc. lithium). An unacceptable & preventable loss of life. It always comes back to cost-cutting... MV Conception sinking is the worst loss of life since USS Iowa turret explosion in 1989, when 47 sailors lost their lives. May they all RIP.
Situations like this is why many boats of this type of trip is why they have designated charging stations away from bunk areas where devices can be monitored. And why on even big cruise ships the cabin stewards will unplug devices left charging unattended. I remember when this happened, that bunk room was just a scary design to begin with, and is the exact reason they were supposed to have a crew member AWAKE!! I thought anchor watch was standard practice, plus with this many passengers what if a guest needs a drink or something in the middle of the night.
Wow... Imagine being on a boat, hoping it doesn't sink and you don't drown, but instead, it goes up in immense flames while you're surrounded by the very think you thought was most likely to kill you, when in fact, it was the one thing most likely to save your life, being impossibly so close, yet so infinitely far. Life can sometime be poetically cruel.
The deadly fire that broke out four years ago aboard the Conception dive boat, killing 34 people, started in a plastic trash can on the main deck, a confidential report reviewed by The Times shows.
The one thing that stands out to me is Kohl's 1:30am dishwashing excursion. An hour is a lot of dishwashing. Did he smoke? Did he leave something on the stove? Also, the Coast Guard shows up 4:30am, two hours after fire started and 1.25 hours after Captain's distress call. This means that the fire was burning for 45 minutes before a call for help? What was everyone doing for 45 minutes? That is a looong time.
I rather doubt the fire was because of all the portable devices connected. A spark at the outlet between the plug and outlet is not unusual. Each circuit has limited power before the breaker/fuse blows. But I'd imagine the wiring must be replaced or at least inspected periodically because unlike a fixed structure, a boat physically moves and the salt water will cause erosion. Actual cause may never be known because of the extensive damage.
The problem is that a circuit protection device is assuming everything between it and the load is intact. A damaged receptacle will have greater resistance and thus cause excess heating under load. Many chargers can lose as much as a quarter or more of their input voltage and keep supplying power just fine. That means if a 75W charger has fallen to 90V due to a loose receptacle, that receptacle which is dropping the other 30V is dissipating an additional 25W inside of it and heating up.
With the coroner’s report saying they all died of smoke inhalation, one can but hope they were all asleep, rendered unconscious by smoke and never knew the horror of the fire 🙏🙏. RIP those poor souls.
This is hard to watch. Kristy was a friend of mine - she was the one who organized all of our dive trips, and the organizer of that trip. All of the trips I went on were on the Vision, Conception's sister boat - slightly larger but basically the same layout. That bunk room was always SO dark at night - I'd have to find my way back to my bunk by feel. I knew where the emergency hatch was because at least once I had the bunk with the hatch, but it was not exactly a convenient way out. Waking up in there with the room full of smoke would be a terrifying way to go.
In 1981 a close friend of my Uncle was on board a large 80 foot sail boat on a month long trip along the Canadian west coast but while anchored at Coal Harbour and sleeping in the bunk liquid fuel had leaked undetected in the bilge and explosively ignited completely destroying the vessel killing him and 2 others while sleeping in their bunks.
Two of the people on this boat were seniors at my high school at the time. I didn't know them but I knew people who did because it was quite a small school. It was a weird time.
The increase in insurance harmed charter and sail training for years to come , a friend of mine had a successful charter and youth sail training business that stalled due to exploding insurace tied to this event which was already a topic of horrified discussion among carefull and reputable charter captains up to even now
Everyone is at fault: The USCG for allowing old boat designs to still be used with no changes made; the complacent owners knowing allow the proliferation of rampant battery charger use without change to the electrical layout, the captain and crew for sloppy watch practices, the Chinese manufacturer of cheap lithium battery packs and chargers that do not employ balanced smart chargers. I have been on this and similiar boats and they are lucky it hasnt happened more often.
It's pretty hard to find a lithium device without a protection circuit and balancing. Even the shittiest ones in any store has always had that and the only ones that don't are from obscure Ebay listings. Electrical fires require a whole lot of issues to happen and are next to impossible with a simple breaker. I very seriously doubt this fire was started by the ship's electrical system but agree that the blame is on cheap, negligent owners who, in this case, flagrantly broke the most fundamental rules.
@@Demoralized88 I agree the owners were negligant. However I personally nearly started a fire with recharging some underwater video light batteries..simpmy by plugging in the wrong charger. I know how many of these packs are constructed as I used to sell them. I asl design n build battery packs I know that there are units out there without the smart charger protection systems. Like all disasters cause is likely a combination of several things. I have bern on this boat..it was a death trap for the bunkroom occupannts from day one. as most of them are.
One of the most misused electrical devices is the so-called "power strip", that plastic six or so outlet "extender"...What was once a single outlet is now multiplied to six (or more) outlets....This multiplies any electrical load....stringing together multiples of these power-strips is just asking for trouble.
Beyond negligent. In the '70s, when I was on a Maine windjammer cruise on a 117' schooner with far fewer passengers, even back then they had either the 1st mate or the 2nd mate (?) keep watch and patrol all night long, ringing that darn ship's bell. Almost 50 years later this is a major screw up. Gross negligence.
You have a minor factual error at 10:56. While displaying the text "ACTUAL FOOTAGE", you are showing 2 coastguard workers from Manasquan Station which is in NJ, and not anywhere near Santa Barbara. I only bring it up because it had me confused for a few minutes as to where this took place.
Keep poating these , when you channel blows up your back catalog will be earning you a good living. These are great videos for anyone who likes the sea and the technology that goes into sea travel,etc.
*Spoilers* No watch keeping, no load calculation for the AC power system. Bad captain, bad engineers. Just because a couple of phones give negligible loads, doesn't mean you can assume the same for 30+! The Captain is also a coward for not reboarding to attempt to assist. It could be considered understandable that he forgot the fire axe and had to leave the wheelhouse because of smoke, but staying in the water makes me loose all respect.
Very sad, even in today's US. Those cabins should of been stripped of all, the coated flammable layers, throughout the entire boat. And, proper electrical updating. Crew following, essential protocols.
I love this title. It's so tongue in cheek. This channel is so good with words. Saying the plug was responsible for 34 deaths is like saying I'm solely responsible for climate change because I don't separate my glass from my plastic. There are levels to this shit 😩
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Fools. No watch on duty. All that plug in digital shit. A wooden boat. Had to be towed to deeper water for the Coast Guard to fight the fire. How many fire extinguishers aboard? Can't trust anybody.
How real are the many pictures? 😢😢
I live in santa barbra its a small town i can say that.... It was sad going on the peer and seeing everyone those lights and candles...
I am not sure that I would say I enjoyed watching this but that is no reflection on your video which was excellent. It is just sad that fire safety was so lacking and 34 people lost their lives because of it.
I thought maybe you would like to know the out come of the trial for Captain Jerry Boylan. May 2024, 4 years in Federal Prison www.justice.gov/usao-cdca/pr/captain-santa-barbara-based-dive-boat-burned-and-sank-resulting-34-deaths-sentenced-4
It was more than the plug that killed those people. Lack of an overnight watchperson really helped out a lot, as did the boat's death trap design.
Lack of safety precaution like do not plug in too many electrical devices in outlets.
@@TheSuperPsychoKiller Honestly with a proper electrical system, and fire proof structure, that would not be a problem.
Glad you said this, the plug was just the cause of the fire, the deaths were caused by a number of other factors.
This plug didn't kill anyone, the boats design, operation and fire precautions did.
As soon as I heard the “emergency exit” exited out of the same location, I knew what was about to happen.
@@TheSuperPsychoKillerit really depends on the load. Cell chargers are 20watts
They were packed like sardines in a matchbox. Im glad this show gets me to think critically about simple nuances within maritime operations. Some things are just easily avoidable while others even a veteran diver would seem imperceptible to becomes a deadly reality. Respect the water, know your limits and dont panic.
And have multiple escape plans at your fingertips.
No doubt! I have first-hand experience with something similar, albeit on land. In the USA we run off 120 volt electrical sockets but overseas seems normal to be on 220 volt, so a special powerstrip or adapter is needed in order for 120v devices to safely be used on a higher power supply.
Late one night, I was walking to the DFAC (USAF dining facility) and noticed one of the living units had plumes of smoke coming from it. While a group of onlookers just observed the fire, I assessed the situation and started giving orders to people on finding fire extinguishers, ensuring occupants were cleared from the building and surrounding units as well as notifying emergency units.
Only two others were helping out of a group of a couple of dozen bystanders. I quickly re-assessed the situation, I first made sure no one was in the units, then ran to get the fire department that was nowhere to be found. So I dialed 911, and a language barrier was quickly evident. I hung up the phone and proceeded to extinguish the fire.
In the end, I ensured the safety of 48 lives and mitigated over $5,000,000.00 in damages.
It's hard to believe that even in the military, your brothers and sisters will seize up, and that can easily cost lives from even the simplest mistakes.
The situation I encounter was a lucky outcome with so little help.
A situation like this story could have potentially been a success story like the Thai cave incident. Instead it litterally went up in flames and went down in tragedy. Props to the crew member that took the initiative to not give up. But the odds were too stacked against him from the get go. and
Not packed in like sardine. I'm very familiar with California dive boats.
@@Stan_in_Shelton_WA the beds are litterally stacked on top one another.
@@waterlinestories Can you shed light on why ATF would handle this investigation? I'm baffled like I'm missing something
As a former sailor, drydock refitter, and house rennovator, the flaws seem crystal clear.
Electrical overhaul is expensive, but crucial. Dont overload corcuits! Rebuild circuits to match operational draw. Post and enforce plug rules if the system is old. Run an automatic cycler if needed to rotate which power strips get fed on a regular rotation: they cost like $5, $15 for nice ones. They would have needed 2-4. $10-$20 fix. 1hr alternating cycles 1/2 the draw and still charge everything.
Every cabin/hold needs smoke detectors and an extinguisher. We had a pilot birth that didnt have these, but it at least had top deck and galley hatches. It also only slept 1.
Last but not least: post an f'ing watchman! Wtf. My ship was 6 live aboard and no regular overnight passengers. Unless we were docked/moored with all systems shut down we still had watch cycles. Collisions, weird weather, draging anchors, fires, so much bad can be avoided/mitigated with a set of eyes and ears.
Company maintenance and safety clearly lacking. 70s construction? BS. Refit it or run it carefully and strictly. 100% aviodable.
Grumpy sailor rant over
Thank you for the insightful grumpy sailor rant sir or ma’am :)
The boat is setup as a deathtrap like most below decks, even if they were warned and tried to escape via the escape hatches you think they would do it orderly and effectively? To me it doesn't matter how it started and how far it got, literally no one made it out of the escape hatches did they?
@@Snarf_Le_Wombat, they couldn’t because both escape routes led into the saloon, which was on fire.
Say what you will about the equipment... AND no argument... That SHOULD have been updated, even to the $20 to $45 fix for the cyclers... It's a small price to pay "up front" for convenience and safety...
BUT it's MARITIME LAW to have a watchman on roving patrol... That's CRIMINAL NEGLIGENCE! AND there's just no excuse... The crew were onboard, so just put up the schedule and make a patrol...
Everybody brags about how the worst things happen at sea... Yet, here we are, and 34 people are dead for lack of ONE person to spend a night walking about and logging imperfections and problems... or notifying the crew/cap'n in case of things like smoldering outlets, sparkling electronic devices, ANOTHER lithium ion battery self destructing...
AND as prevalent as those are, it's 100% POSSIBLE that a laptop or cell phone got dinged and NONE of this has anything to do with bad wires or overloaded circuits. Granted, that's not probable... BUT IT IS POSSIBLE... and we'll never know because the "I don't give a f*** Cap'n" was running the "I don't give a f*** Boat" with the "WE don't give a f*** Crew". ;o)
All they needed to prevent tragedy was to have a crewmember on watch, as required ! It wouldn't have prevented the initiation of the fire, but could have put out the fire, while it was still small and manageable. The fire did NOT start as a big inferno, but in a small area. It would have been out quickly, and the passengers wouldn't need to be awaken, let alone evacuated.
An underrated electrical system that caught fire, shows that the breakers were incorrectly rated. A "cycler", though a nice gadget, is a simple circuit, that I could build in a couple of hours, from parts scraped from the floor around my workbench. But a properly setup electrical system, even by standards of when this boat was made, should have tripped the breakers.
I've been on quite a few dive boats, but never a "snooty" Truth Aquatics boat. Those were the fancy ones ! Best dive boat, by how accommodating the crew was, was the Scuba Queen, out of San Pedro. It wreaked of diesel, and leaked a bit, but the captain would let you get 4 dives in, on a single day trip, while most operators would only get 3. Irony, the rear bunk room opened up to the open, main deck. So, a fire in the salon, or galley, would not impede escape from that bunk room. Though, the forward bunk room passengers, would be toast.
I dunno if you'll ever see this, but I wanted to put it out there all the same: I found this channel a couple of weeks ago, I think because I was following Sub Brief and H I Sutton, so eventually TH-cam put your Titan video in my recommends. And I'm really glad it did... I've seen other channels deal with diving, cave diving and submarine accidents before and I just can't handle the way they play up the drama with eerie music and stings, overly emotive scripts, etc. They're all following the Discovery Channel formula, and it drives me nuts.
I really appreciate the way you take these same tragic, sometimes terrifying events and explain how they happened without all of that. I don't find it dispassionate at all, rather it seems more like you're bringing the kind of professionalism and experience to these topics that they really deserve. I know it's not everyone's cup of tea, and the algorithm's probably telling you to hype this stuff up much more... But I, for one, appreciate this approach SO much more, and I just wanted to say that.
Thanks I really appreciate that. I completely agree which is why I started making these videos to begin with. 👌🏻
@@waterlinestories I also feel as this OP did. I think the vast majority of people do. Or at least the ones who are not the lowest common denominator type. Thank you for the intelligent and caring approach you use, without the offensive garbage and tone.
Well said🙂
There are several channels I won't watch for that exact reason and a lot of them have the same narrator/voice that reads terribly written scripts.
It's sad that drama loving people are what sways what the Tube pushes/recommends and IMO that all started with so-called reality TV shows...
@@waterlinestoriesYay. Cause I'm a new sub here. Subscriber, not submarine.😁
Oh geez I've been binging your videos today and did not expect to come across one where a friend was a victim. I've spent so many sleepless nights wondering exactly how this happened, so I guess it's nice to have a bit of closure in that regard. Thanks for the video.
I've never had an affinity for learning about ocean disasters and incidents until i found your channel. Your manner of explaining and delivery is excellent. Great content.
Thanks👍🏻
I kind of love the fact that these are basically the most epic workplace safety videos of all time
@@mc4ndr3Bullshit.
I wish the damn safety lady where I work would go find a different made up job somewhere else.
There's so much "safety" going on to appease the OSHA gods, that it actually *creates* safety issues that wouldn't otherwise exist.
It's not even really a "dangerous" environment. You'd have to just about be *trying* to get hurt... Yet.
Yeah carry that shit.
@@mc4ndr3 Not true! I supervised around 25 people and I was a stickler for the rules, or better, if I could see more ways to protect them. Many of them were also just as vigilant, with their own safety and that of others. It's people with your bad attitude that are the problem.
it's the captain scattino playbook 101. get off. f everyone else. go to the hotel bar for some drinks.
And don't forget to laugh and be merry the whole time like nothing happened.
And don't forget to laugh and be merry the whole time like nothing happened.
My mom was friends with one of the victims. Crushing.
From 1986 to 2009 I dove many times on the Charisma (later named Great Escape) and the Encore out of San Pedro (Long Beach). The cabin configuration was about the same with the escape hatch into the rear of the galley. Additionally the escape hatch was via one of the upper bunks at the rear of the main bunk room, difficult to reach and especially in a dark and or smoke filled situation.
The Encore, Charisma, Great Escape always operated with a crew member on duty through the night. They also had an alarm that had to be reset (I think every 30 minute) that was always on at night and while underway. Sadly this event would have been different had they kept crew on duty.
This tragedy should not have been possible. Conception was a beautiful vessel. As a scuba instructor and dive shop owner I had been in many trips aboard her. Conception was built under old antiqated rules, codes, regulations, laws, and guidelines. However, anyone with common sense would have place both smoke and carbondioxide detectors in all spaces and compartment as soon as they were commercially available. I have been in trips aboard Vision and Truth, also. I recall one day aboard Truth when light smoke and smell of burning rubber wminated from engine compartment, it was a fail belt, I was just old. There were not smoke or CO detectors aboard, then
You're totally right. It should never have been possible. The fact the upgrades weren't done should be a crime that is very heavily punished. Every vessel should be required to be inspected regularly, and infractions of requirements should be pushed severely. If repairs and updates are found to be in violation of the regs, all permits should be revoked and VERY HARSH penalties applied.
There should not be grace periods or forgiveness of violations in any case where somebody's life could have been lost, because that will definately cause lives to be lost in the future. People need to know that a law is a law, not a mere suggestion. And that laws can not be bent. Not when lives could hang in the balance. I believe no bending should ever be allowed, but in the case of potential deaths, the penalties should be as harsh as if real deaths had actually occurred. It's the only way to prevent actual deaths.
People always say that "A little thing like this couldn't cause a death." But where you find a little thing like that is where there there has been neglect. And there you will always also find a whole lot of other little things, if you look for them. It's the accumulation of those little things that add up to big things! If you watch a video on a plane crash or a ship sinking, or read a report on a boiler explosion (steam or hot water pressure vessel), it's always a list of 3 or more things that on their own would never kill anyone, but they occur together because of neglect. The multiple layers of protections in the system are all broken down at once. That is THE common denominator in nearly all fatal accidents, especially regarding vehicles, including boats, planes, rockets, etc, and even terrorist attacks. You can almost always say that it should never have happened, but it did because people were lax.
This is just as much a fault of the govt, and of the people who voted for a govt that abdicates its responsibilities. This accident would not have happened in the EU, at least not on any vessel that carries passengers.
only as strong as its weakest link
A truly shocking series of events , I've spent my life at sea and can't believe both escape routes led into one room .
The video showed a window seemed large enough to escape into the sea, but the people inside were in no shape to open it. The people been scuba diving, and I wondered where the masks and air tanks were, they could have used that to breath while looking for a way out.
@tonylam9548 That wouldn't happen.
@@tonylam9548 I'm sorry, but are you seriously suggesting that a bunch of amateur divers on an unfamiliar ship should take the time to find and don SCUBA gear while trying to escape a fire? Because that sounds like a guaranteed disaster.
As soon as you mentioned that both emergency exits from the sleeping area went into the same room---- It's just negligence in the design of the boat. That's funneling "two" escape, and it's really only one escape route.
I wonder how it happened... likely, it is post-make addition of the galley, with both hatches originally leading on-deck
The stairs led to the front of the salon and the galley. The escape hatch led to the rear of the salon by the bathrooms. They were pretty far apart. Getting out the escape hatch is not easy, however, and briefings didn't really go into any detail if it was mentioned at all.
The Vision (sister ship) has been retrofit with escape hatches that lead to the deck, and a big fireproof cabinet for charging electronics.
You can blame the boat all you want, but at the end of the day its every crewmember's fault for allowing people to stay on it.
@@JapanesePiano1 No it was the Captain's fault for not enforcing a nightwatch.
@@johnmccallum8512 All the crewmembers share a responsibility for the safety of their ship and passengers.
The fact he was a captain just means he shared a bit more of that responsibility.
The classic, "I did not kill any Jews, I just guarded the towers and kept them from escaping!"
Found this channel recently and it’s already one of my favorites. I really appreciate how you cover some lesser known events and not the same ones everyone else seems to do
What I don't understand is that the same agency ( US Coast Guard ) that more or less passed inspection of the boat now finds fault with the same boat. How is that possible?
It met required regulations, but there were more stringent regulations for larger/newer boats.
Boats built under older regulations are still considered seaworthy as long as they're not so far off the modern standard they pose a risk to everyone onboard. This does make the assumption that the crew will follow the rules though. Having somebody patrol that night would have minimized or outright prevented the tragedy, but I guess they needed their beauty sleep. Most modern regulations are placed under the idea that you have to make sure even the least competent, wholly unaware of their surroundings are at least pulled out of their state of psychosis long enough to realize something is wrong.
The problem is fire inspections are based on physical characteristics of a structure and not on the progress of a fire as an event. What is survivable in a structure fire at plus 30 seconds can be unsurvivable at plus 40 seconds.
An inspection won't catch people slacking off on watches in the middle of the night.
The thing that many don’t understand is that “portable electronic devices” take VERY little power to charge. Each one might take 10 watts on average. You could have a hundred of them, ALL plugged in to ONE circuit, and it would just about equal the power consumed by a single coffee maker.
Far more likely is that one of those cheap Chinese chargers caught on fire. Evidently the one in the salon.
I can understand not requiring retroactive code compliance, however, some retroactive requirements are reasonable. In particular the requirement of ample smoke alarms throughout the ship.
Keith
10 watts is a little low man, I'd say 50 watts is prob the average, 50-100 watts is my guess... ten devices thats a microwave man...
@@RussellD11 A classic 5V and 2A charger is 10W.
I checked the charger of my phone and it is 7W.
Newer models are up to 20W, you can buy chargers rated at 50W, but the phone wil limit the current to a lower value with a temp sensor.
@@zonzeven They did mention laptops, which are in fact upwards of 50W.
@@soundspark Indeed, at 6:06 they mention laptops, you have a point.
@zonzeven There was mention of sparking outlets, and even just an amp could overheat an outlet if it was arcing, or 2-5 amps from a power strip full of laptops.
Any time I have a loose outlet at home it gets promptly replaced.
I used to manage a dive shop in Pismo Beach, CA, and we chartered with them all the time before I became a fire fighter, so this hit me so hard as I watched the tragedy unfold on my news feeds. I can not tell you how hard I cried. Just knowing what this is going to be about was enough to trigger the water works. A fire on a ship is one of the most lethal situations one can ever find themselves in. My heart still breaks for those lost.
Jesus, take the story so personally, why don't ya.
@@jf8138did you read what he wrote? Relax yourself
I go up to Morro Bay every year. I don’t like Pismo!
@@chateaudisco1436He's had an account for nine years and this is his only comment.
This is completely unrelated but... I adore your profile picture.
Great video as always. Just thought I'd mention that lots of chargers spark when plugged in because they have high inrush current, it is 'normal' and not an indicator of fault or overload.
If it's a little snap as the prongs engage the contacts that's one thing but if it's crackling as you push it into the socket you have a problem.
Investigators with the bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives built a full-scale mock-up of the middle deck of the 75-foot vessel in their quest to determine the fire’s point of origin and cause. They conducted a series of burn tests at their Maryland research lab, which concluded the blaze began in a rubbish container and then quickly spread. Within minutes, the boat’s main salon was in flames, the testing showed.
Thank you for adding this comment. Unfortunately, speculation immediately after the accident centered on lithium batteries being charged in the bunkroom and catching fire. That speculation took on a life of its own. but thankfully the ATF really did their work and found a much more likely explanation -- the trash can (and probably a cigarette butt.)
The same BATF that murdered all those people in Waco? Oh hell yes, I believe what they say.
Wow the low tech cigarette strikes again !
@@IdRatherBeDiving-vr5gkSurely they wouldnhave been awake if it was a lit butt, right? But it went unnoticed for so long?
UPDATE: November 6, 2023 AP news report: LOS ANGELES -- A federal jury on Monday found a scuba dive boat captain was criminally negligent in the deaths of 34 people killed in a fire aboard the vessel in 2019, the deadliest maritime disaster in recent U.S. history.
The U.S. Attorney's Office in Los Angeles confirmed Jerry Boylan was found guilty of one count of misconduct or neglect of ship officer, a pre-Civil War statute colloquially known as seaman's manslaughter that was designed to hold steamboat captains and crew responsible for maritime disasters. Boylan was the only person to face criminal charges connected to the fire.
He could get 10 years behind bars.
This is the update I needed. Thank you
Should get longer then 10 years in my honest opinion
But thank you for the update! Was thinking this would be the case
Excellent explanation. I followed it at the time but the local tv and newspaper never got into how it happened.
The ship burned and sank so they didn't have much to go on. The only way it could have been worse is if it had completely disappeared. That does happen sometimes.
Excellent video. A Coast Guard person once told me fire is a big issue on boats.
@traybern But not heeded. Recall in Lahaina, HI the people ran to the ocean, even though being near water won't save you in a fire.
Such a bogus death. RIP to all the passengers. Thanks for raising awareness about safety at sea.
ATF is saying that based on their recreations the fire started in a trash can underneath the stairs on the main deck.
Yep. Wonder why it was included in the video
smokers.. .
@@iwaswrongabouteveryhthingYour name is fitting, since you clearly don't know that modern cigarettes are made to burn at too low a temperature to start a fire. There's a reason you don't hear about people dying in house fires because they fell asleep smoking in bed anymore.
@@itiscujo sure pal
Thank you. These kinds of presentations always make me feel happy that I do not a company providing services to anyone.
I am 71 years old and have been fishing off the Southern California coast on boats like this for 40 years. The one thing that I see is a major difference is hand held electrical devices.phones, cameras,tablets go pros. I can see regulations springing up on the systems to plug in a large amount of these things. RIP to all.
not only that but having smokers on board overnight you know someone lit up we're talking a legal cannabis state full of smokers
@@Aaron-zu3xnthat makes zero sense, people have been smoking on ships since there were people with ships ,
Troll
@@willpugh8865 LOL facts
If the electrical system is properly maintained that shouldn't matter. Also: The AC draws the most power amongst all the devices named in the video. So my bet would be on bad electric system + not enough smoke detectors. The ship's owner is to blame in my books...
@@TheMightyZwompeople will find any excuse to blame victims. Company didn't update the electrical obviously, because it's extremely expensive... Didn't do anything to make sure it's safe.
But sure. The people who burned to death are to blame because they use cell phones. Boats didn't catch fire when you were young I suppose 🙄
Your videos get better and better.
Another epic video!
👍🏻 thanks
Boylan was freed on $75,000 bond before being sentenced on May 2, 2024, to four years in prison followed by three years of supervised release for his criminal negligence.
Ridiculously light but I guess at least he got something for his failures.
The one thing people don't talk about is vessels being grand fathered in to old rules and regulations. Under the current rules the fire could not have gone without detection with the required safety equipment and alarms. The us is so terrified or losing what little commercial vessel jobs it has, it will put peoples life at risk, same thing with El Faro.
No, this would have been prevented if the captain followed the law and had an overnight watchman.
@@Mullins23 Both are true. Right wing governments shirking their responsibilities is a HUGE part of it. All vessels need to be inspected at regular intervals, MOST ESPECIALLY those that ever carry passengers! This would never have happened in the EU.
@@cattymajiv You're full of it... Right wing governments ? I'd blame left wing governments for this; probably didn't concern them as it 's not abortion, nor smoking weed.
@@MrPir84free That's because you're mentally defective
This is so informative!!! Fantastic reporting!🌻🌼🐝
Weird that in the mayday call he never mentioned "fire." He said, "I can't breathe," suggesting a single medical emergency.
Kind of shows how little he cared for anyone but himself.
Why would a ship have all the passengers in the lowest deck with both exits leading to the same area
For the same reason the first person to save themselves was the captain jumping overboard, followed by the other crew members. Only one of them was brave enough to at least try to get to the escape hatch. So many ship tragedies where crew don't give a monkeys about their passengers and look after no.1 first.
The electrical outlet did not kill 34 people. The captain is guilty of not maintaining a USCG mandated watch. The boat was under-wired and this is the responsibility of the boat's operator and captain. USCG safety regulations were outdated and insufficient to prevent a catastrophe on this boat including difficulty in operating the rear emergency hatch. Then again, the fire could have been caused by devices charging lithium/ion batteries, the safety of which were certainly suspect at the time. In short, these 34 deaths were the result massive regulatory failure, individual negligence and dereliction of duty.
Seeing that many 'outlet multipliers' is horrific - land, sea or air.
Eh, they can be used responsibly. A cell phone charger draws 20w, a laptop charger 100w, and an outlet is rated for 1800w. So you can run quite a few chargers. The issue is when you add a 1500w kettle or hairdryer into the mix.
@@PsRohrbaugh I understand that, however 'can', 'could' and 'should' are very different. Here in the UK 'multi-adaptors' for outlets have warnings saying they 'should' not be 'daisy-chained'. 'Can' and 'could' relies on the not so common 'common sense' being applied.
A more viable threat is the [probably] 30 [plus] various sized Lithium batteries in various states of charging. Way more that I'd want as unattended sleep mates.
@@schizy Totally agree, both in various states of charge and in various states of condition. Electronics used in adventure and action environments get battered, in particular the charging ports and battery connections. All that with the crew person seeing a spark when plugging something into the outlet, that can't be good to see, especially with ambient moisture. Here in the UK the current carrying pins of mains plugs don't touch anything conductive until they are away from fingers and eyes - not sure about those two pronged outlets.
@@Chilled_Mackers if a capacitor is drained it can cause a small spark when it jumps the gap. Or if the appliance is calling for power
My father knew one of the women who died on that boat. RIP
Underrated channel. Keep at it and have fun along the way!
Another excellent presentation.
Another fantastic video from my favorite site. You are the best story teller out there. I feel drawn into the boat and the terror those people must if felt. Always look forward to a new story. Great job 👍🇺🇸👍🇺🇸❤👍🇺🇸👍🇺🇸
👍🏻 Thanks Beverly. Always great to see you. Welcome back and thanks for your kind words.
As an European, seeing American electric plugs makes me always to think how a country that makes microprocessors can’t make a decent socket and plug. Those plug contacts bend and are exposed with voltage when plugging it into socket. Add that the lower 110V voltage that requires more current and is more susceptiple for contact issues and heating. Whole world uses three phase electricity, but US invented the split ring supply which kind of the last nail in the coffin.
According to the ATF, the fire originated in a trash can. Likely a cigarette. See posting by @55desotomine.
Weird... I've been using the US system for -- literally -- all my life and have had exactly zero problems.
only need to look at other countries plugs to realise US plugs are sub standard.
@@bwarrior6340 Interesting that the electrical plugs had nothing to do with this accident. The NTSB concluded, after extensive investigation, that the fire was started by a cigarette butt tossed in a trash can. The speculation that the fire was started by an electrical malfunction was from internet people -- much like yourself -- that spout nonsense and then assure each other of how knowledgeable they are about everything.
I've used European plugs, when I've travelled to Europe. They look a lot like American plugs. Euro plugs have two round things, American are two flat things. Really makes no difference in functionality. British plugs have fatter flat things. All of them work just fine. If American plus really were defective, the entire country would have burned to the ground long ago.
But please... keep posting your internet nonsense and tell yourself how knowledgeable you are, if it makes you happy. I'm sure your parents are proud of you.
European plugs and sockets are dreadful too. The UK is the only country with a safe outlet and plug.
As a liveaboard diver who's been on a sketchy ship or two, I'm completely horrified
Can you explain "a liveaboard diver" in this case?
@@Snarf_Le_WombatI assume he lives on a charter boat that takes clients out to scuba dive
There are some boats which take people on multi day dive trips in which they can ‘live aboard’ while diving
I went in a chartered fishing trip, a little one. I asked a participant, is the boat fitted with life preservers? He said, certainly, it's a licensed charter company. Not a preserver or flotation device was anywhere to be seen. Lots of assumptions are made in regards to how we get around and who is doing so.
They aren't left out open to be tampered with. They are stowed with signage. If you're on a charter I'm sure they had them, in fact they told you.
Hey, after the boat sank you'd have seen whatever could float. Then you swim for it.
ugh. I caught some hint of that news story but missed the full details, even though I'm a few hours down the coast from Santa Barbara. Thanks for the sobering report. Those poor people; I had no idea there were so many.
The owner of the vessel should be facing criminal charges along with the Captain of the vessel as they both were negligent in their duties.
Thanks for the video.
Condolences to those who lost friends and relatives.
A deck watch would have saved lives.
For those believing that a deck watch would have saved lives - Perhaps.
The deck watch would have had to have found the fire early as gasses from melting plastic within the sleeping area could have poisoned the atmosphere. In fact the watch could have been killed entering the sleeping area. One never knows.
Plus the exits could have already been on fire and blocked when this mythological watch person discovered there was an issue and not been able to gain access to save anyone.
Lastly the poisonous atmosphere within the sleeping quarters might have flashed over once this watch person opened the hatch allowing oxygen to enter the hold raising the flammable gas / oxygen level balance up to explosive percentages.
All I'm saying here is that, although we all would like to think that a watch person would have found the problem in time resulting in the removal of the combusting devices before a run away situation started, there are just too many factors involved to believe that such a scenario was the only possibility or outcome to a situation in a resin covered plywood coffin.
Furthermore lithium batteries suffer from thermal runaway and are pretty much impossible to put out in said situation. Plus those cheap chargers catch of fire as well as do power bars. UL approved counterfeits you know.
Captain is the first one off the boat, what a brave man
According to details released a month ago, the initial electrical fire theory is leas likely. The main theory now is a fire in a plastic trash can located under the wooden stairwell.
Enjoying your stuff mate. 2:30 worth mentioning there that a vessels passenger limit for day trips is more than the passenger limit for overnight trips.
Captain: "Save yourselves! I'm out of here!"
Another banger. Thanks for the work you do.
Dude had a history of doing sketchy shit. Never stay on a boat that shitty. After looking at the layout of the boat there is no way I would stay on a craft set up in a way that would make escape in an emergency situation damn near impossible, hope the owners got sued for all they had . Scumbags. They had a bunch on idiots with no clue what they were doing trying to save them, they’re were doomed. Again I hope they were sued and imprisoned for their negligence. How dare they abandon ship when they left all the passengers onboard.
“Truth aquatics”. “Conception”.
Another fucking religious grifter.
Well said
Despite the story, in my opinion, you are one of the best narrators I have heard.. others like Mike Brady are also good, and you are right up there with them.
I worked in the boat building industry in the 1980s. Fire is one of the most feared incidents because of the deadly chemicals and composites used. I myself suffered for years with cluster headaches directly attributed to the chemicals used.
@superbmediacontentcreator Reminds me of Swissair 111 from the late 90s which killed 300ish people after leaving NYC for Switzerland from an electrical fire. Investigators didn't understand how the fire started and spread so rapidly until they eventually tested the fireproof barrier lining (the standard in aviation) which turned out to be very flammable. Think it was Mylar-based, a modern product. It's ironic that newer building materials have made the wood frame one of the least combustible parts of construction and Asbestos is still one of if not THE best heat/fire insulator while posing an incredibly low risk when it's undisturbed. The toxicity from the countless chemicals used in everything since at least the plastic revolution is rarely thought about by most.
suing the coast guard is pretty selfish ngl
Bite the hand that feeds ya
I am very surprised this ship was even allowed to be built.. I mean.. Both exits coming out in the same room? That's a very obvious flaw..
This is so tragic and profound, Dying in a fire while floating in the largest body of water on earth
horrific. RIP Steve, family and all the other victims
Thanks for the video. I am a licensed Master Captain and have captained vessels this size and larger. I am also a Scuba instructor. One thing about maritime law is that decisions are rarely “black and white”. Even though the captain was certainly to blame, he also is a victim of the owners stinginess. I have worked for outfits like this. And if you don’t run things the owners way, you will be looking for a new job. And the next captain they hire will have the same problem. And the next owner that the captain works for will probably be similar. Very happy to bend the rules for the sake of profit.
Welcome to the would of capitalism. Profit is king…………even over safety in most industries, depending on how much regulation and oversight they have. To me, while the captain is negligent, the owner is even more at fault. What a terrible situation. I heard on the news that the captain left the boat first. BUT. He had too as the wheelhouse was on fire and he was at the top of the fire, the worst part. He had to jump after making the mayday calls. He then climbed back aboard. But could do nothing at that point. With the fire in the saloon, bunk room below. You couldn’t get out or in. Bad design, but coast guard approved inspected vessel. And of course, steel or aluminum a much better choice. A loose loose situation. Sad.
Consumers are at fault too. People don't want to pay for safety. I raised meat chickens outside the USA organically and customers wanted to save a peso or two by having antibiotic fed chickens, even though our chickens tasted better. So to save money I also started using antibiotics, which enables the birds to grow faster. Race to the bottom...in this case, literally, Davy Jones' Locker.
@@raylopez99 Wow, good point, and sad.
I had done dive trips aboard this boat before the fire. Pretty cramped sleeping quarters. Some dive friends died, some Sheriffs divers on this are friends. Bottom line: poor maintenance/upgrade of electrical systems, failure of crew watch keeping, etc. Mainly just slipping into business as usual thinking; i.e. complacency.
Frightening to think that any one of us could’ve been on there. Vision’s quarters were the same. Just one disaster this bad is too many.
@@sammmycheez99 I wouldn't have been there. It doesn't look like anything I'd ever want to do.
I had a dive trip on their other ship, the Truth in the 80’s and I remember the very steep and narrow stair leading into the lower deck. I do not remember much information on how to evacuate that space. The lower deck bunk area was crowded with a full boat.
The ATF opinion after extensive tests and reconstructions was it started in the trash can. Who knows? However when you talk about the issues not being detected by the CG, you should realize that the boat never had the required second path off the bridge deck. That second path was required when the boat was built and originally inspected and at every subsequent inspection. And nobody ever spotted that.
Avoidable deaths are the worst, especially when shortcuts are taken
My God, the horror these poor people endured, choking to death, trapped, only for their families to suffer the cruelty of the captain wanting to 'limit liability to the value of the ship' just three days later, when they're in shock... How can people like that live with themselves? It seems to predominately be the captains fault too:
- used an old boat, not designed for modern commercial use (air-con & devices, poorly designed escape hatches, 15:05, see the wiki for how difficult it is to escape in the aft hatch)
- didn't want to spend $$ upgrading the electrics (or just mandating people don't charge their devices all at once)
- didn't keep crew on watch overnight (how the hell can this happen with 39 people on board?!)
- not enough fire detectors! They're like $15/each!? And not enough fire fighting equipment spread throughout the boat.
It's sister ship, Vision, in Oct 2018, saw a battery and charger catch fire in the bookcase where power strips were plugged in, one passenger put the devices in a bin of water, another emptied a fire extinguisher into the bookcase. So, looks like the company might of had warning of a fire centering around electronic devices (inc. lithium).
An unacceptable & preventable loss of life. It always comes back to cost-cutting... MV Conception sinking is the worst loss of life since USS Iowa turret explosion in 1989, when 47 sailors lost their lives. May they all RIP.
Situations like this is why many boats of this type of trip is why they have designated charging stations away from bunk areas where devices can be monitored. And why on even big cruise ships the cabin stewards will unplug devices left charging unattended.
I remember when this happened, that bunk room was just a scary design to begin with, and is the exact reason they were supposed to have a crew member AWAKE!! I thought anchor watch was standard practice, plus with this many passengers what if a guest needs a drink or something in the middle of the night.
Wow... Imagine being on a boat, hoping it doesn't sink and you don't drown, but instead, it goes up in immense flames while you're surrounded by the very think you thought was most likely to kill you, when in fact, it was the one thing most likely to save your life, being impossibly so close, yet so infinitely far. Life can sometime be poetically cruel.
Insane to trust your life to strangers that are unreliable and incapable of taking care of passengers safety.
Your narration is excellent.
The deadly fire that broke out four years ago aboard the Conception dive boat, killing 34 people, started in a plastic trash can on the main deck, a confidential report reviewed by The Times shows.
The one thing that stands out to me is Kohl's 1:30am dishwashing excursion. An hour is a lot of dishwashing. Did he smoke? Did he leave something on the stove?
Also, the Coast Guard shows up 4:30am, two hours after fire started and 1.25 hours after Captain's distress call. This means that the fire was burning for 45 minutes before a call for help? What was everyone doing for 45 minutes? That is a looong time.
That's an excellent point! It sounds like a lot of incompetence! How tragic.
The prevailing theory is the plastic trash can caught fire
@@barfy4751 So, from a cigarette discarded by Kohl?? Garbage containers do not spontaneously combust. Was he, or anyone else disgruntled?
No excuse for no night watch. Those passengers were the captains responsibility. He failed them.
I’ve been waiting to hear about this one….. it’s both sad and terrifying. 🙏🏼🙏🏼
My friend was on this boat. They had absolutely no chance to survive that fire...
How incredibly horrible. Just a terrible and sad tragedy.
The moment I heard both escape directions went to the same place I knew everything that was coming next.
The one room that didn't have fire sprinklers.
I rather doubt the fire was because of all the portable devices connected. A spark at the outlet between the plug and outlet is not unusual. Each circuit has limited power before the breaker/fuse blows. But I'd imagine the wiring must be replaced or at least inspected periodically because unlike a fixed structure, a boat physically moves and the salt water will cause erosion.
Actual cause may never be known because of the extensive damage.
The problem is that a circuit protection device is assuming everything between it and the load is intact. A damaged receptacle will have greater resistance and thus cause excess heating under load.
Many chargers can lose as much as a quarter or more of their input voltage and keep supplying power just fine. That means if a 75W charger has fallen to 90V due to a loose receptacle, that receptacle which is dropping the other 30V is dissipating an additional 25W inside of it and heating up.
Having a designated steel enclosure for charging lithium-ion batteries might be useful too.
With the coroner’s report saying they all died of smoke inhalation, one can but hope they were all asleep, rendered unconscious by smoke and never knew the horror of the fire 🙏🙏. RIP those poor souls.
The first crew member to notice the fire woke up and heard yelling. 7:00 So your scenario unfortunately probably didn’t happen.
Amazing work on this one!
I can’t believe capacity was that high on a boat that size. The bunks were not much different that what we had on a Navy ship.
Never sleep under the main desk.
So was it built of wood 1:59 or steel 2:11 as shown on the inspection sheet?
Good grief. What a shocking tale.
Wow - What an absolute nightmare.
This is hard to watch. Kristy was a friend of mine - she was the one who organized all of our dive trips, and the organizer of that trip. All of the trips I went on were on the Vision, Conception's sister boat - slightly larger but basically the same layout. That bunk room was always SO dark at night - I'd have to find my way back to my bunk by feel. I knew where the emergency hatch was because at least once I had the bunk with the hatch, but it was not exactly a convenient way out. Waking up in there with the room full of smoke would be a terrifying way to go.
Oh geez. That must be frightening to think about considering you knew them and the boat.
In 1981 a close friend of my Uncle was on board a large 80 foot sail boat on a month long trip along the Canadian west coast but while anchored at Coal Harbour and sleeping in the bunk liquid fuel had leaked undetected in the bilge and explosively ignited completely destroying the vessel killing him and 2 others while sleeping in their bunks.
I think I remember that tragedy.
I can't believe this what a bloody tradegy rip to those people such a shame
Two of the people on this boat were seniors at my high school at the time. I didn't know them but I knew people who did because it was quite a small school. It was a weird time.
final report said it started in a trash can, not electrical
They don’t know for sure
I'm just shocked that an overnight watch wasn't standard in their crew. I wouldn't be able to sleep without one.
The increase in insurance harmed charter and sail training for years to come , a friend of mine had a successful charter and youth sail training business that stalled due to exploding insurace tied to this event which was already a topic of horrified discussion among carefull and reputable charter captains up to even now
Everyone is at fault: The USCG for allowing old boat designs to still be used with no changes made; the complacent owners knowing allow the proliferation of rampant battery charger use without change to the electrical layout, the captain and crew for sloppy watch practices, the Chinese manufacturer of cheap lithium battery packs and chargers that do not employ balanced smart chargers. I have been on this and similiar boats and they are lucky it hasnt happened more often.
It's pretty hard to find a lithium device without a protection circuit and balancing. Even the shittiest ones in any store has always had that and the only ones that don't are from obscure Ebay listings. Electrical fires require a whole lot of issues to happen and are next to impossible with a simple breaker. I very seriously doubt this fire was started by the ship's electrical system but agree that the blame is on cheap, negligent owners who, in this case, flagrantly broke the most fundamental rules.
@@Demoralized88 I agree the owners were negligant. However I personally nearly started a fire with recharging some underwater video light batteries..simpmy by plugging in the wrong charger. I know how many of these packs are constructed as I used to sell them. I asl design n build battery packs I know that there are units out there without the smart charger protection systems. Like all disasters cause is likely a combination of several things. I have bern on this boat..it was a death trap for the bunkroom occupannts from day one. as most of them are.
One of the most misused electrical devices is the so-called "power strip", that plastic six or so outlet "extender"...What was once a single outlet is now multiplied to six (or more) outlets....This multiplies any electrical load....stringing together multiples of these power-strips is just asking for trouble.
How did the tugboat hook onto to the burning Conception?
Beyond negligent. In the '70s, when I was on a Maine windjammer cruise on a 117' schooner with far fewer passengers, even back then they had either the 1st mate or the 2nd mate (?) keep watch and patrol all night long, ringing that darn ship's bell. Almost 50 years later this is a major screw up. Gross negligence.
You have a minor factual error at 10:56. While displaying the text "ACTUAL FOOTAGE", you are showing 2 coastguard workers from Manasquan Station which is in NJ, and not anywhere near Santa Barbara. I only bring it up because it had me confused for a few minutes as to where this took place.
Keep poating these , when you channel blows up your back catalog will be earning you a good living. These are great videos for anyone who likes the sea and the technology that goes into sea travel,etc.
*Spoilers*
No watch keeping, no load calculation for the AC power system. Bad captain, bad engineers. Just because a couple of phones give negligible loads, doesn't mean you can assume the same for 30+!
The Captain is also a coward for not reboarding to attempt to assist. It could be considered understandable that he forgot the fire axe and had to leave the wheelhouse because of smoke, but staying in the water makes me loose all respect.
Very sad, even in today's US. Those cabins should of been stripped of all, the coated flammable layers, throughout the entire boat. And, proper electrical updating. Crew following, essential protocols.
The captain got found guilty yesterday, he'll be sentenced in February and faces up to 10 years in prison.
There are often many small mistakes that add up. Then add bad luck and the misfortune cannot be stopped.
I love this title. It's so tongue in cheek. This channel is so good with words. Saying the plug was responsible for 34 deaths is like saying I'm solely responsible for climate change because I don't separate my glass from my plastic. There are levels to this shit 😩