
Marine Electric: A Wreck That Changed the Coast Guard - smacktoward
https://www.maritime-executive.com/features/marine-electric-the-wreck-that-changed-the-coast-guard-forever
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dsfyu404ed
The Wikipedia page[1] has a more detailed analysis of the regulatory situation
that HN is probably most interested in:

"But Coast Guard investigations, and independent examinations of the wreck,
told a different story: the Marine Electric left port in an un-seaworthy
condition, with gaping holes in its deck plating and hatch covers. The hatch
covers, in particular, posed a problem, since without them the cargo hold
could fill with water in the storm and drag the ship under. And it was there
that the investigation took a second, dramatic turn.

Investigators discovered that much of the paperwork supporting MTL's
declarations that the Marine Electric was seaworthy was faked. Inspection
records showed inspections of the hatch covers during periods where they'd in
fact been removed from the ship for maintenance; inspections were recorded
during periods of time when the ship wasn't even in port. A representative of
the hatch covers' manufacturer warned MTL in 1982 that their condition posed a
threat to the ship’s seaworthiness. But inspectors never tested them. And yet,
the Marine Electric was repeatedly certified as seaworthy.

Part of the problem was that the Coast Guard delegated some of its inspection
authority to the American Bureau of Shipping. The ABS is a private, non-profit
agency that developed rules, standards and guidelines for ship's hulls. In the
wake of the Marine Electric tragedy, questions were raised about how
successfully the ABS was exercising the inspection authority delegated to it,
as well as about whether the Coast Guard even had the authority to delegate
that role. Also there was a conflict of interest in that the inspection fees
paid to the ABS were paid by the ship owners. "

[1]
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SS_Marine_Electric](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SS_Marine_Electric)

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jandrese
Good example of a case where conflict of interest got people killed. ABS was
paid to certify ships and that is what they did.

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noir_lord
What gets me is how often these conflicts of interest go sideways.

I'll give you another one, in the UK there is a panel of civil servants who
get to decide if another civil servant would be entering a conflict of
interest by working for an organisation he/she used to oversee.

I.e. a civil servant in the ministry of defense retiring and going to work as
a non-executive director for British Aerospace.

Of 450+ decisions they made, 0 where considered a conflict of interest.

If you ask the other wolves if the first wolf did anything wrong by attacking
the sheep you can't be surprised by the answer.

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black6
This story brings to mind the propublica article submitted to HN a week ago on
the USS Fitzgerald[0]. At what point does a ship’s captain refuse to put to
sea because his vessel is unseaworthy? Does it happen frequently and these are
just exceptions, or is it the norm to follow orders and damn the consquences?

A former USN sailor I know says it was the norm (in his experience), but I
know of an infantry company commander in the Army who was replaced mid-tour
because he stopped taking his company out on pointless “movement to contact”
missions. Different jobs, but same principle — safety of one’s team.

0:
[https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=19094762](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=19094762)

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kazinator
Looking at map of Virginia.

Awesome fractal: Mobjack Bay!

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t413
It's true, well done planet. [google maps
view]([https://www.google.com/maps/place/Mobjack+Bay/@37.3314833,-7...](https://www.google.com/maps/place/Mobjack+Bay/@37.3314833,-76.4056107,12z))

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205guy
It had some help, I propose we name it Slartibartfast:
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chesapeake_Bay_impact_crater](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chesapeake_Bay_impact_crater)

