Althouse: "Divers... used hammers to knock on the body of the ship, which was almost completely submerged, and heard responses from inside..."

June 2, 2015

"Divers... used hammers to knock on the body of the ship, which was almost completely submerged, and heard responses from inside..."

"... a state-run local newspaper reported. Welders used blowtorches in an attempt to cut the hull open...."

30 comments:

Wince said...: Imagine if Ernest Borgnine and Red Buttons popped out.; 6/2/15, 9:45 AM
Eric the Fruit Bat said...: The first sentence gives us: (1) scrambling; (2) searching; (3) grappling; and (4) unfolding.

You might add: (5) hulking, if you want to get impressionistic about it.; 6/2/15, 9:47 AM
Eric the Fruit Bat said...: Let's add (6) for Ms. Williams: erecting.; 6/2/15, 9:48 AM
William said...: If I win a Darwn award, I hope. It's for traveling through a safari park with the windows down and not for saving money by booking passage on a discount Chinese ferry. What a a terrible way to perish.; 6/2/15, 9:54 AM
Ann Althouse said...: "The Eastern Star capsized late Monday in stormy weather as it carried 458 passengers -- mostly senior citizens -- and crew members ... By Tuesday night, only 15 survivors and five bodies had been recovered, state media reported, as rescuers battled darkness and rain in a desperate effort to reach those trapped inside the wreck."; 6/2/15, 9:57 AM
Big Mike said...: Local authorities launched rescue efforts after receiving a phone call from a survivor who managed to swim ashore, according to Chinese media.

So the captain didn't send out an SOS? I think the authorities will want to speak to him about that. Whoever thought to reduce the discharge from the upstream dam to aid search and rescue was very on the ball.; 6/2/15, 10:01 AM
alan markus said...: More than 1,000 armed police officers, equipped with 40 inflatable boats, were participating in the rescue effort,

What does being "armed" have to do with the story? Just a reminder that police officers carry arms, and are a potential threat to citizens?; 6/2/15, 10:14 AM
alan markus said...: So the captain didn't send out an SOS?

There could many reasons why it was not feasible to do that. Would want to wait for details before speculating why or why not that did not happen. But I would hazard a guess that a ship being suddenly turned upside down in the water may be a factor.; 6/2/15, 10:18 AM
Michael K said...: I would assume the captain has a cell phone. SOS was for the era of Marconi.

The armed police are for when they find the captain. The Chinese are not too forgiving of error.; 6/2/15, 10:26 AM
Big Mike said...: @alan markus, there certainly "could" be many reasons why the captain didn't send out an SOS, but my impression is that in modern vessels this is a simple push of a button. If the captain had time to get out of the ship, presumably he had time to push a button. But he's in custody, so we'll see.; 6/2/15, 10:46 AM
Etienne said...: This comment has been removed by the author.; 6/2/15, 10:53 AM
Etienne said...: This comment has been removed by the author.; 6/2/15, 10:57 AM
Quaestor said...: On the morning of 7 December 1941 Battleship Oklahoma, resting at anchor in Pearl Harbor, took six to nine torpedo hits on her port side. The ship capsized 20 minutes later, trapping hundreds of sailors and Marines below decks. Rescue operations started later that morning, even during the height of the second Japanese attack wave. Using hammers the rescuers signaled on Oklahoma's exposed bottom in an attempt to locate trapped crewmen. There were some clear replies, but due to internal fires and loose gear Oklahoma's hull was full of noises and clanks, obscuring and confusing signals from inside. Only 32 trapped crewmen were rescued from the stricken warship. Later salvage efforts discovered a compartment with ten bodies inside. Along with the remains was a calendar with the days up to December 26th marked off.

It wasn't until the summer of 1943 that USS Oklahoma was finally raised and pumped out. Over 400 bodies were removed from the ship and at least twelve were never found. Oklahoma was sold after the war. The purchaser arranged for her to be towed to California to be scrapped, however on May 17, 1947 the temporary hull repairs began to give way. The battered hulk took on water and showed an increasing list to port. Shortly thereafter the tow line was cut. Oklahoma sank later that day, 540 miles northeast of Oahu.

Illustration; 6/2/15, 11:02 AM
traditionalguy said...: She must have been part of MacArthur's navy for a few years.; 6/2/15, 11:14 AM
Etienne said...: This comment has been removed by the author.; 6/2/15, 11:21 AM
SteveR said...: There's got to be a morning after; 6/2/15, 11:27 AM
Quaestor said...: I find the flippant tone of some of the comments in poor taste at least. Being trapped in a capsized ship has to be among the worse of imaginable fates. Rescuing those trapped is no picnic either. The hull is the strongest part of any civilian vessel, and cutting through it even with the best of equipment can be agonizingly slow. River ferries are particularly prone to such accidents. They necessarily have shallow drafts, and their loads are carried high. Ferry passengers are hard to manage in an emergency. They instinctively flee to the high side when a vessel begins to list, which is unfortunate since in most circumstances the correct procedure involves balancing the load, meaning that some people must move toward the list. It can be very difficult indeed to persuade a panicky lubber to obey a counterintuitive order.; 6/2/15, 11:34 AM
Ann Althouse said...: I agree, Quaestor.; 6/2/15, 11:37 AM
Skeptical Voter said...: Not a time for joking or tomfoolery. Didn't your Mamas raise you right?; 6/2/15, 11:45 AM
Quaestor said...: This comment has been removed by the author.; 6/2/15, 11:49 AM
Etienne said...: This comment has been removed by the author.; 6/2/15, 12:04 PM
Quaestor said...: Coupe, please be aware that any ship not under way is said to be at rest. The phase I used -- resting at anchor -- is common parlance, and is not to be interpreted as a criticism of the ship's readiness, except perhaps by ninnies.

Sailors may be cheap in your estimation, but I wouldn't express such a sentiment in a situation where one is likely to meet one in the flesh. The anonymity of the web makes for a bold mouth, does it not?

(typo fixed); 6/2/15, 12:05 PM
Quaestor said...: Be assured you haven't upset me, Coupe. That my estimation of your probity has slipped downward a few notches shouldn't deter you from future ill-considered blathering.; 6/2/15, 12:11 PM
Big Mike said...: I just got back from the cafeteria, where our TV sets are permanently tuned to CNN. Still only 15 saved and 5 bodies recovered (per CNN) as of 12:30 Eastern.; 6/2/15, 12:14 PM
Big Mike said...: @Quaestor, you seem to be fairly knowledgeable about maritime matters. Can you confirm my understanding that an SOS signal of some sort should have been simple to generate? Thank you.; 6/2/15, 12:16 PM
Larry J said...: alan markus said...
So the captain didn't send out an SOS?

There could many reasons why it was not feasible to do that. Would want to wait for details before speculating why or why not that did not happen. But I would hazard a guess that a ship being suddenly turned upside down in the water may be a factor.

The topic of sending out a distress call frequently comes up in discussions about airline accidents. In flying, the rule is "aviate, navigate, communicate - in that order." I'm reasonably sure similar rules apply to ships. Sometimes, things happen so quickly that there isn't time to send a distress call. We know nothing about whether the captain was even on the bridge when this happened.

It's possible that there are survivors trapped inside that hull. Sometimes, cutting holes in the hull results in the water rising as the air pressure bleeds out. The rescue workers are doing the best they can under difficult circumstances. I can only hope for the best.

Big Mike said...
Whoever thought to reduce the discharge from the upstream dam to aid search and rescue was very on the ball.

Damned straight. That was good thinking.; 6/2/15, 12:20 PM
Kyzer SoSay said...: Quaestor @ 11:02

Very fascinating stuff dude. Thanks - I know a lot about Pearl Harbor and the attacks but I did not know about the Oklahoma.; 6/2/15, 12:27 PM
Quaestor said...: traditionally wrote: She [Battleship Oklahoma] must have been part of MacArthur's navy for a few years.

USS Oklahoma wasn't decommissioned until September, 1944.

The Navy didn't admit to the loss of any ship damaged in the PH attack by name, which was in keeping with the general effort to disinform the enemy in any war. However, records show that the Japanese made an excellent post-attack estimate of the losses their airmen inflicted. They erred in identifying USS Utah as a battleship, however. Utah was de-armed and converted to a target ship in 1931. They were also surprised by the rapidity of the repairs and harbor clearance. Of the eight battleships damaged in the attack, six were repaired, modernized, and rejoined the line.; 6/2/15, 12:38 PM
Quaestor said...: @ Big Mike. Many ships have distress transmitters that work in tandem with GSP. The transmitter sends the vessel's ID and position automatically as long as the system has power. There are also data recorders that function much like aircraft "black boxes."

There are, however, a few important points to be made. The use of distress transmitters is far from universal, and they're mostly used on ocean-going ships. The vessel we're talking about is a river cruiser. It's licensing and operation is not under any Law of the Sea or international conventions or treaties. Chinese maritime law is the sole authority, and what that requires in terms of safety equipment is unknown to me. Secondly, all distress transmitters require antennae, which are typically installed on masts. This vessel has capsized. If it had a distress transmitter, it was silenced when the ship turned turtle.; 6/2/15, 12:57 PM
Big Mike said...: @Quaestor, thank you.; 6/2/15, 1:07 PM