Maritime Injury Attorneys

Shipping Disasters: The Pendleton

The Pendleton, an oil tanker, reached the coast of Cape Cod near Chatham on the evening of February 17th, 1952. The ship had left Baton Rouge five days earlier and was taking gas and other fuels to Boston and New England. During the journey, bad weather had delayed the tanker’s arrival in Boston by two days. Due to the awful weather off of the coast of the Cape on the 17th, the captain of the ship decided to delay his arrival further. On the evening of the 17th, the Pendleton was off shore, holding at a slow speed while it awaited more favorable weather.

Unfortunately, the weather conditions continued to deteriorate. By midnight of the same night, a gale was blowing from the East/Northeast accompanied by heavy snow and seas of 60 to 70 feet. On the morning of the 18th, the tanker lurched heavily. This was followed by a loud, explosive noise. Following another large lurch and another explosive sound, the Pendleton broke in two between cargo holds seven and eight.

When the ship broke apart, eight men were trapped on the bow and thirty-three men were trapped on the stern. A fireman on watch in the boiler room reported that a large wave hit the vessel. This first wave was closely followed by a second wave directly before the ship broke apart.

Prior to the incident, the ship had been riding well for 15 hours. Once the ship broke apart, the Chief Engineer ordered all hands on the stern end, into the engine room. When the crewman who was sent to talk to the bridge reported the ship had separated, the Chief Engineer ordered that all of the watertight doors be closed, except those leading from the engine room and the fire room.

At roughly 3 p.m. in the afternoon of the 18th, the Coast Guard noticed two objects on its radar. Shortly afterwards, a temporary improvement in visibility permitted lookouts to see the bow of a tanker whose identity was still unknown. Around 6 that evening, a lifeboat was dispatched from the Chatham Lifeboat Station.

The ensuing rescue has been hailed as one of the most heroic rescues in the history of the United States Coast Guard. Of the 33 people on the stern, 32 were successfully rescued. Unfortunately, the 8 men on the bow perished.

If you have been injured in an accident at sea, contact the maritime injury lawyers of Williams Kherkher at 1-800-220-9341 to discuss your case and to determine your legal options.