Island Challenger (II)

The Transportation Safety Board of Canada states that "In the early morning hours of 11 February 1995, the "Pacific Bandit", laden with about 23,000 kg of fish, was off the west coast of Vancouver Island, British Columbia, not engaged in fishing operations. The wind and sea conditions were such that the vessel was shipping and retaining seas on the main deck. The vessel listed to starboard, downflooded, capsized, and eventually sank. Two crew members were swept overboard; the other two abandoned the vessel and managed to board the liferaft. Three of the crew members were later rescued and one person, who was in the water without a lifejacket or an immersion suit, succumbed to hypothermia and drowned. The Board determined that, while operating in moderate sea conditions, the "PACIFIC BANDIT" capsized when positive transverse stability was lost due to the cumulative effect of the shipped seas retained on deck, the stowage of the catch, the free surface effect of liquids, and downflooding to the below-deck spaces. The open weathertight doors and the broken galley windows accelerated the downflooding, which continued until the vessel lost all reserve buoyancy and sank." "The "PACIFIC BANDIT" was of welded steel construction with a raised forecastle deck. The forecastle space provided accommodation for three crew members. Access to the space was by way of a door on the centre line at the break of the forecastle. The steel cabin/wheel-house, situated abaft amidship, contained the skipper's cabin, bridge, galley and washroom. Three doors in the after end provided access to (from starboard to port) the washroom, the engine-room and the accommodation area. The accommodation entry door was a dutch door, comprising two sections designed such that the upper half could be secured in the open position while the lower half could be secured in the closed position. A net drum and two trawl winches were positioned on the afterdeck, abaft the wheel-house."