The Dutch freighter Stellamare heeled over and sank while at the docks
in the Port of Albany (NY).

Live local news indicates that 15 of 18 crew members have been
accounted for, some taken to local hospitals for injuries and
hypothermia. The three missing men are believed to be in the cargo
hold of the ship, and State Police divers have entered the flooded
hull.

A portion of the hull is still above water, but the deck is at about a
70° angle from horizontal. The ship is still tied to the dock, and
three highly strained lines are preventing it from rolling further.
It is believed that part of the hull is grounded.

Ice flows in the river are complicating the rescue efforts.

The ship had been loaded with 600 metric tonnes of turbine equipment,
bound for Italy, and was preparing to cast off when it overturned.

No cause for the incident has been released.

Regards,
noah

To email me, remove the "OT-" from OT-wrecked.boats.noah.
....as you were. )

I have it on good authority that after the cargo was loaded
top-heavy, a seagull was seen to perch on the port wing rail
just before the roll.
JR


noah wrote:

The Dutch freighter Stellamare heeled over and sank while at the docks
in the Port of Albany (NY).

Live local news indicates that 15 of 18 crew members have been
accounted for, some taken to local hospitals for injuries and
hypothermia. The three missing men are believed to be in the cargo
hold of the ship, and State Police divers have entered the flooded
hull.

A portion of the hull is still above water, but the deck is at about a
70° angle from horizontal. The ship is still tied to the dock, and
three highly strained lines are preventing it from rolling further.
It is believed that part of the hull is grounded.

Ice flows in the river are complicating the rescue efforts.

The ship had been loaded with 600 metric tonnes of turbine equipment,
bound for Italy, and was preparing to cast off when it overturned.

No cause for the incident has been released.

Regards,
noah

To email me, remove the "OT-" from OT-wrecked.boats.noah.
...as you were. )

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Eyewitnesses have confirmed that the ship was still loading when it
capsized. A ship-mounted crane was being used to load one of two 250
ton generators (not turbines), when the ship rolled.

Longshoremen noticed a slight roll, and frantically attemted to signal
the crane operator, who either did not see or understand the signals.
A few moments later, the freighter flipped, throwing several
crewmembers about 50 yards into the ice-chunked river.

The tide has been falling since about 5:30 PM, Eastern, and there is
great concern about the stability of the ship. Rescue crews continue
to search the river and the flooded ship for the missing men.
Regards,
noah

To email me, remove the "OT-" from OT-wrecked.boats.noah.
....as you were. )

Amazing what 10 minutes on google turns up. My unedcuated guess is
they must have been doing a heavy lift when something went
catastrophically wrong with the physics of trying to stay upright.
Would have been every ship's officers' nightmare come true.

http://www.cnn.com/2003/US/Northeast...d.ap/index.htm
Today's story.

http://www.boatnerd.com/pictures/salty/saltys.htm
STELLAMARE Willemstad, Neth. Antilles Heavy Lift Ship 2850 289'
50' 24' 1982 Netherlands 2800 2 derr. PJFA Jumbo Shpg.
Valkenswaard

http://www.transport.qld.gov.au/QT/n...d?OpenDocument
Mariners are advised that the Vessel 'Stellamare' will be loading
heavy lifts at the Maritime No.2 Wharf between 0600 hours and 2359
hours on Thursday, 5 September 2002. The vessel will have floating
stabilising pontoons on the river side which protrude 11 metres into
the river. Mariners should pass the operation at a slow speed with no
wash. Warnings will be broadcast on VHF Radio channel 12.

http://www.jumboship.nl/downloads/na...avigator_5.pdf
Picture of Stellamare loading a 50m yacht for transport from Turkey to
Italy.

http://www.vaxxine.com/jcameron/transit/1998/may/16.htm
Stellamare holding off a pier in Welland Canal.

http://www.page27.co.uk/nwales/nw9906a.htm
Nick Gurney's Lineside Notes Wednesday 2 June: 56 116 worked 6M43
Petroleum Coke to Holyhead and returned light engine through Rhyl at
09.30; 47 854 + DVT 82152 worked 1A37 Holyhead - Euston; 66 116 worked
6H10 ballast from Penmaenmawr through Rhyl at 10.45am. (see picture
above.) 66 116 is currently the highest numbered 66 in the country
having only been unloaded off the ship MV Stellamare over the weekend.

http://61.129.109.18/notice/020409.htm
Stellamare lift capabilities.

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/shedge...age/7?source=1
Date: Tue, 13 Apr 1999 17:32:54 -0700 From: Paul Harley
Subject: Latest delivery All locos seem to be
unloaded from m/v Stellamare by late afternoon, so ship will probably
sail tomorrow.

The "facts" relayed on local news have not been totally reliable, but
are getting more consistent, as the Coast Guard has taken control of
the recovery and salvage.

The three missing crew are presumed dead. The water temperature is
around 34° F., and listening equipment attached to the hull has
detected no signs (sounds) of life. Divers continue to search the
river, and the interior of the hold, during daylight hours. State
police helicopters and boats from several agencies have also been
searching the river, hampered by ice flows.

It was reported that two heavy salvage barges from NYC were to arrive
today around 6:00 PM Eastern. A "Salvage Master" is enroute from
Sweden to oversee the righting and refloating of the ship once the
recovery effort is called off.

The weight and quantity of the cargo varies, depending upon which news
source is delivering it. The latest reports state that one 308 ton
turbine/generator is in the hold, another is still attached to the
shipboard crane (acting as a 308 ton anchor, at this point), and a
third is still on the pier at the port.

No official release has been made on the cause, but eyewitnesses
continue to report that the ship started to roll slowly as the second
turbine/generator was being lifted aboard, then quickly capsized away
from the pier, tossing up to eight crew into the river A consistent
report has been that the ship's crane operator ignored, or didn't see,
warning signals from the longshoremen working the loading.
Regards,
noah

To email me, remove the "OT-" from OT-wrecked.boats.noah.
....as you were. )

For a pic of the vessel (in the background)
see
http://www.uscg.mil/USCG.shtm

On 11 Dec 2003 01:17:44 GMT, ojunk (BUDATLITHO)
wrote:

For a pic of the vessel (in the background)
see
http://www.uscg.mil/USCG.shtm

===============================

THe Albany Times Union newspaper has a good sequence of photos he

http://www.timesunion.com/specialreports/stellamare/

On Thu, 11 Dec 2003 03:23:41 GMT, Wayne.B
wrote:



THe Albany Times Union newspaper has a good sequence of photos he

http://www.timesunion.com/specialreports/stellamare/

Great link, Wayne.
Thanks,
Regards,
noah

Off-topic posting is a bit like farting in a house of worship.
Only children, the arrogant, or the ignorant, can truly enjoy it.
Only the arrogant and the ignorant insist on it.

To email me, remove the "OT-" from OT-wrecked.boats.noah.
....as you were. )

After reading many reports, do they say why the ship rolled? As I read
it......

The cranes are hooked to the load and ballast(water?) is pumped into the
offshore ballast tanks to offset the off-center weight being lifted from the
dock.

Then the load is lifted to the center of the boat. At this time the ship
began to roll away from the dock.

An interview with a loading specialist said that the ship should have
re-ballasted as the load was swung onboard. This could have been
accomplished by pumping out the offshore tanks and/or filling the inshore
tanks.

There was some mention of a crane failure?

On Thu, 11 Dec 2003 17:35:39 GMT, "Floyd in Tampa"
wrote:

After reading many reports, do they say why the ship rolled? As I read
it......

The cranes are hooked to the load and ballast(water?) is pumped into the
offshore ballast tanks to offset the off-center weight being lifted from the
dock.

Then the load is lifted to the center of the boat. At this time the ship
began to roll away from the dock.

An interview with a loading specialist said that the ship should have
re-ballasted as the load was swung onboard. This could have been
accomplished by pumping out the offshore tanks and/or filling the inshore
tanks.

There was some mention of a crane failure?


So far, Floyd, there has been no official report or speculation on the
cause. The Coast Guard has initiated an investigation, but "it's
early yet".

I can think of at least 10 things that "could" have caused it but,
like everybody else at this point, I'd be guessing.

The Stellamare has been in the heavy-lift business for a number of
years, but there has been no mention of the experience level of this
particular crew (mostly Russian).
Regards,
noah

Off-topic posting is a bit like farting in a house of worship.
Only children, the arrogant, or the ignorant, can truly enjoy it.
Only the arrogant and the ignorant insist on it.

To email me, remove the "OT-" from OT-wrecked.boats.noah.
....as you were. )