Marine Accident Report--Fire Onboard the Italian Passenger Ship ANGELINA LAURO, Charlotte Amalie Harbor, St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands, March 30, 1979

摘要

On the afternoon of March 30, 1979, a fire erupted in the crew galley onboard the Italian passenger ship ANGELINA LAURO while it was berthed starboard side to the West India Company dock, Charlotte Amalie Harbor, St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands. The fire quickly spread from the crew galley to a dining room. The fire was fought onboard by the ship's crew and shoreside fighters. Heavy smoke impeded firefighting efforts aboard the ship and eventually forced the crew to leave the ship. Firefighting efforts continued to be directed against the exterior of the vessel, but the fire raged out of control throughout the interior spaces until the fire burned itself out 4 days later. The ANGELINA LAURO was almost destroyed. Two persons received minor injuries. The National Transportation Safety Board determines that the probable cause of the initial fire aboard the ANGELINA LAURO was overheated oil in an unattended skillet in the crew galley. This initial propagated and spread throughout the ship and resulted in the ship's destruction because of: (1) the failure of responsible vessel personnel to promptly establish effective control and coordination of the shipboard firefighting effort; (2) failure of the ship's fire detection and sprinkler system to provide early warning of and to extinguish the fire.