Crew Abandons Sinking Tanker

Press, Volume C, Issue 29634, 3 October 1961, Page 15

Crew Abandons Sinking Tanker

(NX. Press Association— Copyright) JACKSONVILLE (Florida), October 2.

Four men, who had tried for six hours to save a sinking tanker, abandoned the ship before dawn today,

The four joined the 33 other crew members who had abandoned the 10,564-ton tanker, Hess Mariner, shortly after an engine room explosion punched a hole in the bottom last night All went by lifeboat to another tanker, the Texaco Nevada, which was nearby when the Hess Mariner sent an S.O.S. One crew member waa injured in the explosion. He suffered a badly broken ankle. A doctor transmitted instructions for treating the man, and the Coast Guard said it would try to send a helicopter to take the man off.

The Texaco Nevada stayed near the stricken tanker through the night, 116 miles east-north-east of Jacksonville. That was almost twice as far as the range of the helicopter, the Associated Press said.

Information about the plight of the 523-foot long ship and the struggle to save her from sinking was sketchy. The cause of the explosion was not known.

“She’s Mill taking water," a spokesman for ths United States Coast Guard search and rescue headquarters in Maimi said hours after the distress eall. “We haven't had much

contact with her and her radio batteries are running low. Communications are such that we can't crowd the air with unnecessary talk. “We heard that the water was above the generators, indicating that main power was gone. But they said the watertight doors were closed, indicating that the water was being confined to only some of the compartments. "We don’t know bow they are trying to stop the leak. They may have no power for the pumps and they may have some auxiliary power. We haven't the foggiest idea yet what’s happening." he Mid. During the night three other ships—two tankers and an unidentified vessel—joined the Texaco Nevada tn the vigil near the damaged tanker. Later reports said the four men, after staying on the damaged tanker for six hours, abandoned the ship before dawn. When they had joined their shipmates, the Texaco Nevada headed for Charleston, North Carolina. "The Hess Mariner almost certainly will sink.” ■ Coast Guard spokesman raid. "They couldn’t stop the water.” The injured crew member was treated hy a doctor from a rescue ship.