Ferry sinking in South Korea with 476 on board

My auto-check probably did it, but I'm married 38 years. I'll take the blame for the typo....along with every other problem in the world. I'm used to it.

Hi,

The size of them means more capacity can be carried in a given space.

In a sinking properly secured rafts with hydrostatic releases will float free, lifeboats will not release from their falls in a sinking.

I don't think there is much difference between a liferaft and a lifeboat if they are both still firmly attached to the deck after the event has concluded.

I understand. The stack of boxes replaces boats hanging all over the ship.

I do think of something like this (the pic on the page, didnt see what the site was about) Lifeboats take on the Arctic when I say lifeboat, not the traditional oversized rowboat. I've seen these set up with hydrostatic releases. May be intended for arctic climates, but would be a good lifeboat for handicapped, elderly and children.

I do not understand what is going on? How is ti that the last two big boats to go down have had so many people go with the ship? And the fact that the captains have both been some of the first off the ship. Really p**es me off.

Last news report I heard was the ferry was 2 hours late leaving and the captain took a short cut across a known reef area to make up time.

Pete

At this point that's just one theory. It would seem there are basic questions the Captain could answer but, at least publicly, he hasn't done so.

One other theory circulating is that a sharp turn caused the cargo and cars to shift and that tipped it. Perhaps the cranes will be able to do something to help.

The lifeboats would have been a help since the water was very cold and it's likely many people died of Hypothermia. They should have launched them right away with the amount of water the ship was taking on.

That Chilean sub wasn't playing wargames; it was travelling on the surface in the shipping channel, and regularly broadcasting it's coarse and location. The sailboat's radar reflector for some reason was not working, so that the sailboat did not appear on either the sub's radar or on coast guard radars. The sailboat's captain was not broadcasting his position, nor was he plotting his position or checking his radar, so both he and the sub were unaware that he had crossed into the shipping lane and collision was imminent. The ships sited each other in the dense fog too late to avoid the collision. The Canadian Coast Guard exonerated the sub of responsibility, although the Chilean Navy did pay for the loss of the sailboat, presumably to avoid bad publicity. No one was injured in the collision and the sub rescued the sailboat captain.

Having said that, there are plenty of other examples of even friendly submarines causing damage to ships where the submarine was definitely to blame; and as was pointed out by others, it wouldn't surprise me to find out that the North Koreans decided to engineer such an incident, if for no other reason than to see if they could do it without being caught.

-Harry

Subs do hit civilian craft, especially in busy shipping areas.

Submarine crew blamed for sinking of Antares - UK - News - The Independent

Sadly, in the case of this ferry it's down to poor judgement in Nav, lack of experience from the crew and poor training.

NBC has reported that Captain is likely to be arrested.

"Prosecutors asked a court to issue an arrest warrant Friday for the captain of the South Korean ferry that sank leaving hundreds missing and feared dead, The Associated Press and Yonhap news agency reported.

Two other crew members were also facing arrest, even as the search continued for up to 268 survivors who may be trapped in the submerged vessel.

The investigation into Wednesday's sinking of the Sewol ferry has focused on how the ship began to list sharply, and whether a quicker evacuation order by captain Lee Joon-seok could have saved lives.

Both Lee, 69, and the company that owns the ship have apologized for the loss of life, although neither has admitted responsibility."

Care to elaborate?


http://www.nbcnews.com/storyline/so...ry-rescued-vice-principal-found-hanged-n83871

Questions raised over the mental state of Korean ferrycaptain

Overfilled with cargo and it not secured properly could certainly lead to a shift in a sharp turn. A shift could cause the boat to lean and even topple especially if the balance was compromised by additional weight in the upper area when refit upon receipt from Japan as quite a few tons were added in the cabin area.

As to the article you referenced, that's tragic and shows how something like this hits so hard. I would never hang myself I don't think but in his position I sure would feel horrible guilt even if I had zero reason to feel it. Honestly, don't know how I'd go on.

Just announced that the captain has been arrested.

Something tells me mental condition might be his attempted defense. He's now been charged:

Captain in ferry sinking charged, in custody - CNN.com

Multiple charges against the captain including "causing the Sewol ship to sink by failing to slow down while sailing the narrow route and making the turn excessively," and "failing to do the right thing to guide the passengers to escape and thereby leading to their death or injury."

That's another indication that cargo shift might have played a significant if not primary role.

They still apparently don't know where he was when it happened since he wasn't at the helm. Have heard nothing from him about what happened. Only, "I'm Sorry."

Oh and of course we have another case of not staying with the boat. I know in a situation like this I'd stay and do anything I could to get the kids out. Frankly, the fear of my own death would be minimal because at that moment I wouldn't care about living if I couldn't get them out.

This has touched us deeply and we've both shed tears over it. We deal with death, even like the Malaysian airline decently, but not when it's a boatload of kids and their teachers.

Those dying aren't the only victims. Those surviving will never be the same. Families are devastated. All the kids in their school and their friends, those who didn't go.

And the President of the company that owns the ship can't take seeing it and turns around and goes back to land. This is your boat, your captain, your responsibility. You need to see no matter how painful it is. You need to know a small part of what the parents are going through. I don't care if you faint and have to be revived or you throw up for hours. You need something to make you take responsibility and also to see nothing like this happens again.

I wonder why the divers have not reported on the initial reports of a fairly large impact ?

Hi,

Wasn't there one involving the US Navy and a trawler where the sub was being used for a jolly with civilian guests onboard albeit under the Masters watchful eye?

Well, that was all speculation but I never heard impact reported by anyone on the vessel. Loud noise, tilting. I keep wondering and waiting for them to either say there's a big hole and evidence of impact or not. Maybe impact from the inside too, from the Cargo.

The lack of information from Captain and crew about what happened set an alarm off in my mind from the start. The charges and official comments about them make no mention of hitting anything. They just talk about taking the sharp turn too fast.

I think it was a training vessel for Japanese students. The sub was doing a rapid ascent and punched a hole in the vessel. The captain's Navy career was finished as I recall

Interesting that some post a theory and other thinks their post is fact...it's speculation at this point and some should think before criticizing others posts