SS Marine Electric was a 605-foot bulk carrier that sank on 12 February 1983, about 30 miles off the coast of Chincoteague Island, Virginia, in 130 feet of water. Thirty-one of the thirty-four crew members lost their lives due to hypothermia; the three survivors endured 90 minutes drifting in the frigid waters of the Atlantic. The wreck resulted in some of the most important maritime reforms in the second half of the 20th century. The tragedy tightened inspection standards, resulted in mandatory survival suits for winter North Atlantic runs, and helped create the now famous Coast Guard rescue swimmer program.
Ship history
The ship was built by the Sun Shipbuilding and Drydock Company of Chester, Pennsylvania, for the U.S. Maritime Commission (contract No. 1770) as a Type T2-SE-A1 tanker, hull number 437. She was laid down on 10 January 1944, launched on 2 May, and delivered on 23 May.
In May 1947, she was sold to the Gulf Oil Corporation and renamed Gulfmills. In May 1961, she was purchased by Marine Transport Lines (MTL), and renamed Marine Electric. The ship was modified by the addition of a new midsection for bulk cargo transport, built at the Bremer Vulkan yard in Bremen, Germany, which was then towed to the Bethlehem Steel Co. yard in East Boston. This extended the ship's length overall from to , and her tonnage from 10,448 to . The work was completed in November 1962. However, the Marine Electric was showing its age, exhibiting corrosion and damage to the hull and other structural components.
Final voyage
The Marine Electric put to sea for her final voyage on 10 February 1983, sailing from Norfolk, Virginia, to Somerset, Massachusetts, with a cargo of 24,800 tons of granulated coal. The ship sailed through a fierce (and ultimately record-breaking) storm that was gathering.
The Marine Electric neared the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay at about 2:00 a.m. on Thursday, 10 February. She battled 25-foot (7.6-m) waves and winds gusting to more than , fighting the storm to reach port with her cargo.
The following day, she was contacted by the United States Coast Guard to turn back to assist a fishing vessel, the Theodora, that was taking on water. The Theodora eventually recovered and proceeded on its westerly course back to Virginia; the Marine Electric turned north to resume its original route.
In the early morning hours of 12 February, members of the crew noted that the ship's bow was riding low in the water. Multiple mayday calls were made to the Coast Guard beginning at 2:51 a.m. In response, USCGC Point Highland was dispatched. Shortly thereafter, the Marine Electric capsized, killing 31 of the 34 man crew.
Investigation
During the course of the investigation into the ship's sinking, representatives of MTL theorized that the ship ran aground during her maneuvering to help the Theodora, fatally damaging the hull. They contended that it was this grounding that caused the Marine Electric to sink five hours later. However, these theories were disproved by the evidence discovered during the Coast Guard investigation.
Investigations by the Coast Guard, led by Captain Dominic Calicchio and independent examinations of the wreck, discovered that the Marine Electric had left port in an un-seaworthy condition, with gaping holes in its deck plating and hatch covers. These had been noted at multiple points by surviving Chief Mate Bob Cusick, who testified that no effort had been made by MTL to rectify the issues. The hatch covers, in particular, posed a problem, since without them the cargo hold could fill with water in the storm and drag the ship under.
Additionally, the Coast Guard required that survival suits be required on all winter North Atlantic runs. Later, as a direct result of the casualties on the Marine Electric, Congress pushed for and the Coast Guard eventually established the now famous Coast Guard Rescue Swimmer program.