I am very excited by a new series, “Disasters at Sea” that will be premiering on the Smithsonian Channel this Sunday, January 13th. The series is produced by Exploration Production Inc. in association with Smithsonian Networks and Discovery Channel (Canada). The series will be airing in Canada in early February.
The premiere episode, “Trapped in Typhoon Alley “, looks at the mysterious sinking of MV Derbyshire, which disappeared in Typhoon Orchid off Japan with a load of 160,000 tonnes of iron ore in 1980. She remains the largest British ship ever to have been lost at sea.
Subsequent episodes include “Deadly Neglect “, the loss of the SS Marine Electric; “Four Minutes to Survive “, the capsize of the MV Rockness off the coast of Norway; “The Ice Ship “, the sinking of the MV Explorer in Antarctica; “Shipwrecked in Alaska “, the rescue of the crew of the Alaska Ranger; and “Torn Apart, ” the breaking apart of the MSC Napoli.
The second season of Disasters at Sea is currently under production. For the sake of full disclosure, I advised on several of the episodes in both seasons.
Via Instant Google Knowledge I see that <MV Rocknes ended up as the Nordnes, after repairs taking into account stability issues identified in the incident investigation– an oddly belated method of regulation.
https://www.theartofdredging.com/Investigation_Report_18_04.pdf
The MV Derbyshire loss was reckoned to be due to liquefaction of the cargo, a reason why several ships probably disappeared in recent years.
Let me know if the program comes up with a different scenario and I will see if I can watch it in the UK.
Yup cant watch it. Not paying $40 a month.
Too bad, as I like a good documentary. The joys of being a cord cutter
There were many, many theories about the loss of the Derbyshire. At first the crew was blamed. Then a possible structural failure was just forward of the deckhouse was suspected. Other ships of the class had seen similar cracking. Liquefaction was suggested but, ultimately, no evidence supported the idea. The final conclusion was that waves stove in the forward hatch covers, causing progressive flooding. This lead to a major change in of bulk carrier design standards around the world.
With video:
Discovery has released a statement following the tragic news that a Dungeness crab fishing boat featured on Discovery Channel’s Deadliest Catch: Dungeon Cove was involved in a fatal accident Tuesday night. The Mary B II capsized while crossing the Yaquina Bay bar in Newport, Ore., killing three fishermen onboard.
https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/deadliest-catch-responds-crab-boat-accident-killing-3-feel-deeply-saddened-news-215342096.html
Hope the series also consides the Great Lakes (inland seas). Edmund Fitzgerald would make a good episode…