Whiskey Jack (I)

The Transportation Safety Board of Canada states that "On 11 May 1993, the fishing vessel "Whiskey Jack" was engaged in seafood harvesting and anchored in the shallow waters off Fan Island, Porcher Peninsula, British Columbia. While the heavily laden "Whiskey Jack" was in the process of weighing anchor, a succession of large waves struck on her port quarter. The vessel shipped large quantities of water causing her to rapidly settle by the stern and founder. One of the three crew members succumbed to hypothermia and drowned, and the two others were rescued suffering from hypothermia. The Board determined that the heavily laden "Whiskey Jack" was swamped by successive large waves and foundered. Valuable time was lost because the Search and Rescue (SAR) initiative was prematurely terminated at the communication stage as a result of confusion regarding the identity of the vessel in distress. This confusion arose from the fact that two vessels had transmitted similar MAYDAY messages almost simultaneously. " "The "Whiskey Jack" was originally designed and built as a herring skiff in 1979. The vessel was converted for use as a dive tender in 1986, at which time the bow was redesigned, and a small cabin and an aluminium rubbing strake were added. The gunwales were raised 305 mm and a false bottom was added. A longitudinal fuel tank extending from the engine compartment to the cabin was also added. Several design modifications were made and the vessel's ownership changed several times. No accurate record of repairs and/or modifications made to this vessel is available. The welded aluminium vessel was of open construction with a small cabin situated forward of amidships. A single sliding weathertight door located aft of the cabin provided access to the afterdeck. The door, which slid open to starboard, could be secured in an open or closed position. The vessel was powered by an inboard/outboard marine diesel engine located in the engine compartment aft, with a small outboard motor as a backup. "