CACHALOTE EXPLORER

• CAPSIZESCritical
  Dec 2, 1997PYLADES CHANNEL, B.C.2 deaths

  In the early hours of 02 December 1997, while bringing on board the final haul of a herring trawling voyage, the small fishing vessel "PACIFIC CHARMER" slowly heeled to starboard before downflooding and sinking in about 55 metres of water in Pylades Channel, B.C. The sea and weather conditions at the time were calm. Two of the vessel's crew and a Department of Fisheries and Oceans observer were rescued. The remaining two crew members succumbed to hypothermia and drowning. The vessel initially heeled to starboard because her intact transverse stability had been reduced by the cumulative detrimental effects of the weight of additional and spare fishing gear; asymmetric loading; free surface effects of liquids in partially filled tanks and fish holds; and fish waste water retained on deck. The dynamic effects of the weight of the trawl net cod-end being briefly suspended from a winch located above the wheel-house caused a sudden rise in the vessel's virtual centre of gravity. In conjunction with the initial small heel to starboard, the dynamic effects were such that the vessel heeled further to starboard and remained briefly at an angle of about 40 degrees. Seawater shipped at this time downflooded through open weathertight doorways until all reserve buoyancy was lost and the "PACIFIC CHARMER" sank.

Recorded marine occurrences naming this vessel.