John A. Downs

Type:
shipwreck, tugboat, USA
Specs:
( 113 ft ) 8 crew
Sunk:
Sunday March 3, 1985
collision with one of its own barges - no casualties
Depth:
230 ft

INCIDENT SUMMARY

ON THE NIGHT OF MARCH 4, 1985 THE 113 FOOT TUG, JOHN A DOWNS, WITH 3 BARGES IN TOW BEGAN TO TAKE ON WATER. THE EMPTY BARGES WERE CUT LOOSE BUT THE VESSEL CONTINUED TO FLOUNDER. THE CREW OF 13 ABANDONED SHIP AND WERE RESCUED BY THE U.S. COAST GUARD. ALL THREE BARGES WERE TAKEN IN TOW BY OTHER VESSELS. ON THE MORNING OF MARCH 5 AN OIL SLICK WAS SIGHTED DURING LOW VISIBILITY CONDITIONS FROM A BUOY MARKED "2A" ON NOAA CHART 13211. THE MOST RECENT NUMBER FOR THIS BUOY IS "4" LOCATED AT 41 DEGREES 15.5 MIN NORTH LAT. AND 72 DEGREES 08.5 MIN WEST LONG. THE SLICK IS REPORTED TO EXTEND TO THE SOUTHWEST FOR 3/4 OF A MILE. NO WIDTH CAN BE OBSERVED. THE JOHN A DOWNS IS REPORTED TO HAVE 50,000 GALLONS OF #2 FUEL OIL AND 1,000 GALLONS OF LUBE OIL ON BOARD. USCG district 1.

-- UCCG

Owned by Great Lakes Dredge and Dock Co. of Staten Island, N.Y.


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brass snap
d-ring

Diving in the North Atlantic requires a lot more accessory gear than diving in the tropics. This can include knife, spare knife, light, spare light, marker light, flag & line, slate, dive tables, goody bag, spear, spear gun, tickle stick, reel, lobster gauge, lift bags, camera and lights, hammer, and a whole lot more if you are into heavy-duty wrecking, although hopefully not all of it at the same time.

Except for the new pseudo-technical BCs, most BCs just don't have enough D-rings. One solution is to add a few stainless steel D-rings to your weight belt or harness. You can get these ready-made from your dive shop for a few dollars. The best kind are those that are welded onto a slide-buckle so that they stand out rigidly away from your body. D-rings that are not fixed like this will inevitably fold under, making them impossible to use ( or even find ) with thick gloves on. Remember, once you are in the water with your mask on, most of yourself will be out of sight, and you will have to work everything by touch.

Printed from njscuba.net