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Loss of MV Alva Cape
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Loss of MV Alva Cape
In June 1966, the British oil tanker MV Alva Cape caught fire twice in New York Harbor, first in a collision with tanker SS Texaco Massachusetts, and next while unloading cargo, and was subsequently scuttled offshore. Thirty-three people were killed in the collision, the resulting spill of its cargo of naphtha and major fire that ensued. Four more were killed about two weeks later while the emptied tanks were being inerted with carbon dioxide in a misguided attempt to make the damaged vessel safe for transport.
Alva Cape was built at the Greenock Dockyard Company. She was launched on May 15, 1953, and was delivered in September of the same year. She was 166 metres (545 ft) long, with a beam of 21 metres (69 ft), and a draft of 9 metres (30 ft), and measured 11,252 GRT and 16,590 DWT. Her propulsion was a single diesel engine that gave her a service speed of 14 knots (16 mph). At the time of her loss, she was owned by the Alva Steamship Company and under charter to Esso.
During 1957 Alva Cape was under the command of Captain Paddy Dove. On May 25, 1957, Capt. Dove took ill and died onboard the Alva Cape whilst she was plying off the coast of Indonesia.
Texaco Massachusetts was built at the Bethlehem Sparrows Point Shipyard. She was launched on September 20, 1962, and was delivered in January 1963. She was 184 metres (604 ft) long, with a beam of 24 metres (79 ft), and measured 16,516 GRT and 25,728 DWT. She was powered by a single steam turbine that gave her a service speed of 17.5 knots (20.1 mph). At the time of the collision, she was owned by Domestic Tankers. After the 1966 incident, she returned to service and operated until September 1995, when she was scrapped at Alang, India.
On June 16 at about 14:30 local time, Alva Cape was moving westward through Kill Van Kull with a cargo of 4,200,000 US gallons (16,000,000 L) of naphtha, inbound from India. Texaco Massachusetts was outbound in ballast, bound for Port Arthur, Texas, and was turning into the channel from Newark Bay when she collided with Alva Cape on the latter ship's starboard side at the west end of Kill Van Kull, just west of the Bayonne Bridge. At the time of the collision, Texaco Massachusetts was being aided by the tugboat Latin American, while Alva Cape had the tug Esso Vermont alongside.
Immediately after the collision, Texaco Massachusetts began to back away, allowing naphtha to spill from Alva Cape and ignite, likely from the engine of Esso Vermont. A crew member from Texaco Massachusetts later testified that the master of his ship, Captain Richard Pinder, had ordered fire hoses deployed to spray foam, but only one had worked. The following fire burned until about 22:35, when firefighters from fireboats and the Staten Island fire department extinguished it. In addition to fireboats, small craft from the police department and Coast Guard were dispatched to the scene, along with seven tugboats.
Estimates of the number people aboard the four ships involved in the collision varied, ranging from 96 to 104. At least 60 people were hospitalized, about 40 of whom were released within two days. By the day after the fire, 21 people had been confirmed dead, including eight of the nine crew of Esso Vermont, with eleven missing. After continued searching failed to locate the missing, they were declared lost and the death toll was officially raised to 32 on June 19. Another person later died, bringing the final toll to 33.
Following the fire, Texaco Massachusetts sailed for Todd Shipyards in Brooklyn, while Alva Cape was grounded off of Bergen Point, New Jersey where preparations to unload the rest of her cargo were begun. She was later moved to anchor off Gravesend, Brooklyn for removal of the naphtha by salvers Merritt-Chapman & Scott. Esso Vermont was towed to Shooters Island, and Latin American was towed to a Staten Island shipyard. Both tankers were insured at Lloyd's of London, which said that the value of the policy on Texaco Massachusetts was $7 million and that of Alva Cape was $1.4 million.
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Loss of MV Alva Cape
In June 1966, the British oil tanker MV Alva Cape caught fire twice in New York Harbor, first in a collision with tanker SS Texaco Massachusetts, and next while unloading cargo, and was subsequently scuttled offshore. Thirty-three people were killed in the collision, the resulting spill of its cargo of naphtha and major fire that ensued. Four more were killed about two weeks later while the emptied tanks were being inerted with carbon dioxide in a misguided attempt to make the damaged vessel safe for transport.
Alva Cape was built at the Greenock Dockyard Company. She was launched on May 15, 1953, and was delivered in September of the same year. She was 166 metres (545 ft) long, with a beam of 21 metres (69 ft), and a draft of 9 metres (30 ft), and measured 11,252 GRT and 16,590 DWT. Her propulsion was a single diesel engine that gave her a service speed of 14 knots (16 mph). At the time of her loss, she was owned by the Alva Steamship Company and under charter to Esso.
During 1957 Alva Cape was under the command of Captain Paddy Dove. On May 25, 1957, Capt. Dove took ill and died onboard the Alva Cape whilst she was plying off the coast of Indonesia.
Texaco Massachusetts was built at the Bethlehem Sparrows Point Shipyard. She was launched on September 20, 1962, and was delivered in January 1963. She was 184 metres (604 ft) long, with a beam of 24 metres (79 ft), and measured 16,516 GRT and 25,728 DWT. She was powered by a single steam turbine that gave her a service speed of 17.5 knots (20.1 mph). At the time of the collision, she was owned by Domestic Tankers. After the 1966 incident, she returned to service and operated until September 1995, when she was scrapped at Alang, India.
On June 16 at about 14:30 local time, Alva Cape was moving westward through Kill Van Kull with a cargo of 4,200,000 US gallons (16,000,000 L) of naphtha, inbound from India. Texaco Massachusetts was outbound in ballast, bound for Port Arthur, Texas, and was turning into the channel from Newark Bay when she collided with Alva Cape on the latter ship's starboard side at the west end of Kill Van Kull, just west of the Bayonne Bridge. At the time of the collision, Texaco Massachusetts was being aided by the tugboat Latin American, while Alva Cape had the tug Esso Vermont alongside.
Immediately after the collision, Texaco Massachusetts began to back away, allowing naphtha to spill from Alva Cape and ignite, likely from the engine of Esso Vermont. A crew member from Texaco Massachusetts later testified that the master of his ship, Captain Richard Pinder, had ordered fire hoses deployed to spray foam, but only one had worked. The following fire burned until about 22:35, when firefighters from fireboats and the Staten Island fire department extinguished it. In addition to fireboats, small craft from the police department and Coast Guard were dispatched to the scene, along with seven tugboats.
Estimates of the number people aboard the four ships involved in the collision varied, ranging from 96 to 104. At least 60 people were hospitalized, about 40 of whom were released within two days. By the day after the fire, 21 people had been confirmed dead, including eight of the nine crew of Esso Vermont, with eleven missing. After continued searching failed to locate the missing, they were declared lost and the death toll was officially raised to 32 on June 19. Another person later died, bringing the final toll to 33.
Following the fire, Texaco Massachusetts sailed for Todd Shipyards in Brooklyn, while Alva Cape was grounded off of Bergen Point, New Jersey where preparations to unload the rest of her cargo were begun. She was later moved to anchor off Gravesend, Brooklyn for removal of the naphtha by salvers Merritt-Chapman & Scott. Esso Vermont was towed to Shooters Island, and Latin American was towed to a Staten Island shipyard. Both tankers were insured at Lloyd's of London, which said that the value of the policy on Texaco Massachusetts was $7 million and that of Alva Cape was $1.4 million.