Gnarly afternoon. You may be able to spot the transient Orca in the distance.
Passengers prepared to abandon if necessary
Three pumps at work
Crack Remedy deck hand Andrew D diagnoses the problem
Naturalist and current Zenith Maritime student
Lauren S. was aboard the other wildlife vessel.
Off loading passengers to another vessel.
This time of year, my primary job is instruction for Zenith Maritime. My partner Deb becomes first out, unless there’s a short run I might make prior to class.
This afternoon was the exception. At 13:00 a local wildlife boat issued a Mayday. She was taking on water faster than the bilge pump could keep up, with 28 people on board. Her Master considered briefly beaching her on Goose Island. Both Capt. Fritz and I were about 15 minutes from the vessel’s last reported position. We both made a made dash for the boat. The three pumps we put on board were enough to dewater the boat. The capacity of the pumps were about 10,000 gph.
The source of the water was a broken hose clamp.
———————-
9/30/09 update: don’t miss a comment from the vessel’s owner
Oh no! Not _______ ______!! :S
Glad no one was injured and the boat was saved. Lucky they were so close to help.
FWIW, on a recent whale watch trip (visitors … what you going to do) on another boat the captain was suggesting we all lodge a complaint against a smokey old tub which I believe was/is the WP. It was indeed a pretty smokey boat leaving a noticeable trail of blue exhaust.
- kg
Great job, Captain Richard!
TY Kelly, As you know – the credit goes to a group of folks on scene. There was a Nordhavn that was standing off before we got there. The vessel’s master was as cool as a cuke too. Lots of passengers taking pics with their phones.
I would also like to whole heartedly thank everyone that was on scene to assist. If it wasn’t for the local Vessel Assist crew (Richard, Deb, and Andrew), the preparedness of my crew, and the other vessels there to help it might have been a much worse situation.
The hose clamp in question actually broke (it was not loose), and the second hose clamp in place did not do its job. Two Coast Guard officers inspected the packing gland and shaft log last night and both agreed that a visual inspection would not have been able to determine that the hose clamp was ready to break. It broke in the perforated section of the band. I’ve made a point of replacing all critical hose clamps with non-perforated ABA style clamps. Unfortunately these ones were overlooked.
I have learned a lot of important lessons in this experience. Fortunately, no one was hurt and the water level only made it to about half way up the oil pans on the engines. All critical engine room components were well above that line.
Thank goodness for high water alarms, prepared crew, and Friday Harbor Vessel Assist.
Cagey,
I am the owner of the Western Prince II and have captained her for the last 6 years. I take great exception to your uneducated comment. The vessel is well maintained and has NEVER smoked in the time that I have owned her.
Ivan, TY for the clarification on the hose clamp. I’ve changed the post reflect that.
Many thanks to Ivan Reiff for sharing that info of why the clamp failed, a big help to me and probably many boaters who worry that a critical clamp like that can suddenly fail. You mention better ones being ABA type – I believe you mean those are mostly solid SS band with perforation only a short area near the screw, rather than being perforated all the way around the band, and thus the ABA style are likely stronger and more reliable than more common fully adjustable ones.
And kudos to Richard, Deb and Andrew!
I am so relieved to hear that the story has a happy ending for all. From the calm and steady thinking of the captain to the helpful rescue crew, it is good to know that even when things seem to be at their worst, they can come out good in the end. And a good lesson for all of us to check those clamps and get the ABA types if we still have the perforated ones–cheap insurance!
And Cagey–Ivan is 100% right about the boat/smoke issue. I have been on the Western Prince II many times in the last 4 years, and it has never smoked. We need to be careful in our comments to make sure we have our information straight before posting.
Hi Richard,
So, will you file a salvage claim? I can’t think of any job that more fits the definition of a salvage.
Good job!
Doug, you’re correct about a salvage claim. A short answer – yes we could, but didn’t. We did charge the higher hourly salvage rate.
“I am the owner of the Western Prince II and have captained her for the last 6 years. I take great exception to your uneducated comment. The vessel is well maintained and has NEVER smoked in the time that I have owned her.”
You are right, my apologies. It was another boat which looks somewhat like the WP II (well, to my “uneducated” eye it looks a lot like it).
In any case, I was surprised at the vehemence of the comment by the skipper. He didn’t hand out the phone number of the Whale Museum but he suggested we all call.
Again, I regret the comment.
- kg
CaptRR,
Are you achieving 10k gph with three electric pumps?
Glad to hear the discussion about the hose clamps. I too started using the non-perforated all 316 clamps because I read that they were ABA approved. Unfortunately my experience has been that if you tighten them down as tight as I normally do with the perforated ones they strip out almost every time, and I’ve tried different makes and sizes. I’ve gone back to the “old” style and change them out if they have any rust or corrosion. All the ABA ones I bought are in a separate box as spares. I should note that I do not carry passengers.
I am familiar with a better hose clamp called a “T-clamp” which has a bolt that tightens them. Is this what your describing as ABA approved or are they the stainless strap that can only be used once????
I just googled ABA style clamp and T-bolt clamp, now I know it all.
thanks
Ive just done some online checking of T-bolt clamps and they appear to be a better design than any of the screw types, in that maybe give more even pressure around circumference, and higher tensile strength. West carries them, are about 2.5 times the price of ABA 316 type. Have any of you had any experience using the T type on shaft logs or exhaust hoses?
This is a great way to learn about these things
Great stuff Lee, TY
As part of the rescue crew from the whale watch boat that responded and eventually took passengers aboard from the Western Prince II, I would like to commend all captains, crews and guests that were participants in this situation. Everyone was very professional and calm and the original guests on the M/V Sea Lion understood the importance of the moment and did all that they could to ensure everyone’s safety and comfort. It was an unfortunate situation, but a job well done by all involved.
~Tristen, Naturalist
Tristen, I couldn’t agree more. Everyone was calm, cool, and collected. Professionals at work. We have a great community.
T clamps are proof that God wants us to be happy (and poor)
T-clamps are great for larger hoses like exhaust. They take up a lot more room (and cost a LOT more) and won’t fit in many of the locations (and cost a LOT more), especially if you put two clamps on as with thru hulls or any other below waterline connections (did I mention that they cost a LOT more). My boat has well over 100 hose clamps on fittings, I’d have to put in for some stimulus money to change them all out to T type
)
So I’ve got a question….what kind of pump/s does it take to keep up with a situation like this? How many gallons/hour? Is it correct to assume that the boat’s bilge pumps kept right on working, even though they were unable to keep up will the incoming volume?
Thanks in advance.
We used three 12v bilge pumps; two 4k gph and one 2k gph.
Richard, why is Andrew D going into a bilge with a life-jacket on?
E, I don’t have a good answer on that. We were working fast to stop the water.
Very instructive. I’m glad that it turned out so well and that panic was kept to a minimum. Even on boats equipped to “spec” or beyond, the unexpected can occur, and it’s a mark of the seamanship of those involved that it was dealt with quickly and properly.
My wife and I were on the Nordhavn Sandstone that responsed to the call for assistance. Glad to hear that all ended well. If interested, we have some pictures taken while we circled and watched vessel assist in action. We did see a pod of orcas on the trip into Friday Harbour.
If all vessels responded as you did the world would be a better place. Thanks for being there.
What a coincidence…
While replacing exhaust system components, I noticed that that large hose clamps on my shaft seal looked a little rusty… so I I decided to take one off and inspect (it was just minor surface rust), I then noticed the boot had torn past the outer hose clamp and while I was scratching my head it sprang a leak in the tear! Needless to say, I slapped the second hose clamp back on and ordered a new boot. pronto.
Honestly, I don’t know what I would have done if the rip continued past the second hose clamp. Shaft seals are tricky affairs that required the disassembly of, well, the shaft in tight spaces that have poor lighting with water ingress happing during the replacement (throw in a few extras like being sideways to the waves, cold, alone and I could easily see how something simple like this sinks boats). Makes me wonder if anyone manufactures a tear resistant, kevlar reinforced heavy duty boot.
Anyone have any tips for improvised sealing of journal bearing at sea? It’s not like you can just pound a wooden plug into it.
> T clamps are proof that God wants us to be happy (and poor)
http://www.qualitycustomparts.com/images/T-Clamps.jpg
See those three little thru-band welds keeping the retainer strap in place…
…that’s your single point of failure with t-clamps.
Sure, they look impressive from the outside, but closer inspection reveals they’re not any better than less expensive solutions.