The New Carissa Disaster 1999 | A Plainly Difficult Documentary

[@PlainlyDifficult]

I hope you enjoyed the video! Have any naval disaster in mind for the future? Let me know below!

[@RCAvhstape]

The Corinthos collision and explosion near Philadelphia back in the 1970s, please!

[@electrohalo8798]

Cant forget the Halifax explosion

[@ericstromberg9608]

With love, from Oregon! Thanks for taking a look at this slice of my home state's history!

[@TheMemeDynamics]

How about the RMS Queen Elizabeth Fire on 9th of January, 1972

[@mrolle99]

You should do the Prestige shipwreck on the Galician shore. One of the worst ecological disasters to ever happen

[@tobbsdasock]

To be honest after beaching, settling, being blown up, burned, broken in half, dragged out to sea, blown up again and then shot up by two Navy vessels the thing still wouldn’t sink I’ve got to admire the Japanese workmanship that built the thing.

[@chrisakaschulbus4903]

Oh grow up. Ya little wuzz ain't got the tame to argue a position.

[@mikemck4796]

That was my thought. Hire those builders.

[@buckstarchaser2376]

Yeah, but keep in mind that the problem began when the Japanese anchor chain was too short to keep her from drifting.

[@fnamelname9077]

@@buckstarchaser2376 Big girl just wanted to sail. Wouldn't stay put. Wouldn't sink. Kind of endearing, TBH.

[@buckstarchaser2376]

@@fnamelname9077 A 1-crew ship is superior in every way to a drifter that ends up burning on a beach, bombed and passed around from one crew's responsibility to another .

[@AndyFletcherX31]

Must have been the first time the US Navy torpedoed a Japanese ship for many years

[@PlainlyDifficult]

😂😂

[@geoffreygriffin3015]

Always good to have some fresh practice every 40-50 years....almost due for some practice again. 😂

[@villebooks]

@@geoffreygriffin3015 Balls!

[@tcpratt1660]

Apparently needing a second torpedo, as they used an original, unmodified BuOrd Mark XIV torpedo for the first shot, which, thankfully, BuOrd admitted fault immediately (or else the most deadly marine force in world history would have been unleashed - not Godzilla, but Admiral Ernest King, who put the irate in "Semper Iratus" - see Drachinifel's video about King here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/kJ6QeKV_Yqeogq8 )

[@tcpratt1660]

And about the unmitigated gall of BuOrd in designing the Mark XIV, along with Congressional kibitzing, and all the felonious follies thereto, Drach has that covered here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/m4KYg6htj9qSZ6s

[@scottbruner9987]

I used to be stationed at Naval Air Station Whidbey Island. A good friend of mine was part of the base EOD team, and he told me about this incident, as he was part of the team that tried to blow up the ship. They had to be very careful, the right amount of explosives to do the job, not too much causing the ship to release it's fuel to the environment, instead of just burning. What a shit-show it was, he said.

[@PlainlyDifficult]

Blimey!! That does sound like a literal minefield!

[@thomaskositzki9424]

Sounds like they did a decent job though! I would think the 3000 dying birds weren't so much from botched detonations as from the first spillage.

[@scottbruner9987]

@@thomaskositzki9424 Agreed. They did the best they could.

[@jimtaylor294]

Meanwhile - quite a few years prior - the UK used air strikes by the Fleet Air Arm to destroy the Torrey Canyon wreck.

[@scottbruner9987]

Jim Taylor, has that been featured on this channel? If not, I hope you are listening, Plainly.

[@cereal9267]

It's refreshing to see a story without human casualties for once.

[@PlainlyDifficult]

Very much a rarity

[@friedchicken297]

@@PlainlyDifficult Gonna have to make up for the lack of tragedy in this one by covering the Eastland or something similarly horrifying.

[@direwolfmusic]

"balls" lol

[@kateapple1]

Oh it is? Damn I’ll skip this one then 😂

[@anitaevans5361]

Wildlife?

[@kevinwebster7868]

You drop anchor and don’t set an anchor watch to make sure you aren’t dragging then it’s the crews fault. Plain and simple. The country that the ship is registered in should pay compensation. Also the international community needs to make flag of convenience illegal. A ship should be registered in the country that the company who owns it is home based.

[@bakedbeings]

How is that not an automated alarm situation these days? Location differs by more than would be allowed by properly fixed anchor, wake humans?

[@Thirdbase9]

But the company was home based in Panama. It probably had a PO Box and everything. That's how it works. XYZ company in the US, or Japan, or wherever opens subsidiaries in Panama or Liberia and registers ships there.

[@Techno_Idioto]

@@Thirdbase9 No, flags of convenience allow for very bad shit to happen.

[@kenbrown2808]

and despite the shipping company's claims, they WERE told to maintain watch and keep the engines running.

[@AnimeSunglasses]

@@bakedbeings You say "These days", but this happened 25 years ago...

[@OAleathaO]

2:47 - "I told you it's a confusing web...or maybe it's just me." To anyone outside the shipping industry it can certainly seem like it. And, unsurprisingly, it is meant to be. That way when issues arise regarding a particular ship, you have to first spend months or years trying to track down who actually owns the ship before you can even begin the process of suing them.

[@Ratciclefan]

Wow

[@tilerman]

When in fact it should be quite simple. Shouldn't matter who owns the vessel, or where the vessel is registered or where the sailors come from. The people responsible and who should be sued are the people who take final payment and profits for the cargo being carried at the time of any accident. Sounds a bit simplistic but surely that's what it should all down to.

[@wolphin732]

@@tilerman They don't want to take the liability, they just want the profits, that is why they have the big web, it's to try to dodge the costs for anything happening, and the on going taxing, usually.

[@guri256]

@@tilerman I don't really understand this. Let's say that I'm selling a chair on ebay, to you. You pay through Paypal. I ship using FedEx Air. Let's say that the FedEx pilot (Bob) delivering the chair were to crash the plane, causing several million in damages. In that case, I would be the person who took final payment, and are responsible for the plane crash? Would I be partly responsible? Or would that be Paypal, the payment processor who more literally takes the payment? I feel like Bob or FedEx should be at fault. Or are you saying that you think ship deliveries should work entirely different from plane deliveries?

[@Rapscallion2009]

Yet, strangely, it doesn't when it comes to hiring them...

[@Gkitchens1]

As always I think your ratings are spot on. I've only disagreed with one of your legacy scale ratings once. Never disagreed with your disaster scale. I think most people outside of the PNW have never heard of this disaster.

[@Panda-cute]

Which legacy scale rating did you disagree with if you don’t mind me asking? I also usually agree with his ratings so it’s just curiosity

[@TheOriginalDuckley]

Spill the beans!!

[@HappyBeezerStudios]

The legacy scale is probably more opinion based than the disaster scale. People will obviously feel stronger about stuff close to home than things at the other end of the planet. And small disasters can disproportionally huge effects within the field that are hardly known to outsiders.

[@windinthefirtrees8020]

As a fourth generation of this area you did a great job!! So many people came from around the world to see this! We rolled our eyes at the foolish people!!

[@bobdavidson8019]

I saw the removal back then. I remember being struck by just how big the barges and the wreckage were. I took a lot of photos, the hugeness was amazing.

[@ginger7344]

Great addition to the video. I enjoy personal tidbits about the story.

[@SwizzleDrizzl]

Do you still have the photos? :0

[@Nareimooncatt]

@@SwizzleDrizzl I second that, I think they could be of some historical significance.

[@Panda-cute]

@@Nareimooncatt I third that, I would love a link to the images!

[@horacysprzego2705]

That's what she said...

[@joez.2794]

"Poor watch keeping" is an understatement., Even a cheap marine GPS from 1999 came with an "anchor drag alert"" feature.

[@P_RO_]

Most ships have only the required equipment on-board and GPS isn't on that list except as SOLAS-required safety equipment. And shipowners are too cheap to pay for anything they aren't forced to. Most shipwrecks and loss incidents are because of this clinging to past ways of doing things still being allowed by Maritime authorities.

[@h2o2go141]

@@P_RO_ I doubt the ship lacked GPS. The only thing more important to transport companies than cutting costs around equipment is cutting costs around operation. GPS would allow ships to hold course much more efficiently and save not only time and fuel but reduce the chances of navigation errors causing missed appointment times at port. My guess is rather than lacking GPS, they either had a generic GPS system that only gave course and position, or they didn't have the equipment on/monitored during the time at anchor.

[@moosecat]

@@P_RO_ By that time, the New Carissa should have had GPS; they very well may have still had LORAN units board, too. What I can guarantee is that the ship had at least two radar units. When at anchor, the expectation is for the mates to ascertain their position, either by GPS, LORAN or radar. Considering the weather conditions during the night of the grounding, it was reckless to utilize only one anchor.

[@P_RO_]

@@moosecat Always two anchors with a long rode in a storm- even casual sailors know that much. As with so many wrecks better crew performance gotten from a better Captain could have prevented this; the outcome was foreseeable and preventable.

[@AnimeSunglasses]

@@moosecat No LORAN watchkeeping in a storm like that concerns me more than the possible lack of installed GPS!

[@samuelb6960]

As a side note oregon has some of the most dangerous harbor entrances anywhere. And some of the most unpredictable and intense weather 50' waves and 100+mph winds are not unheard of.

[@DistendedPerinium]

Can confirm. Even inland, Oregon can see some intense winds, especially at the west end of The Gorge

[@arialydia8095]

What makes the entrances dangerous? Idk much on the topic

[@samuelb6960]

@@arialydia8095 almost all of the rivers on the Oregon coast have very small bays or deltas so fast moving river water can't spread out and slow down which causes it to create very turbulent conditions and standing waves that mixed with the unpredictable weather makes it very dangerous. The Columbia River bar is known as "the graveyard of the pacific" over 2000 large boats have wrecked there and countless small boats.

[@triciac.5078]

@@arialydia8095 look up sneaker waves here on YT. For some reason, the last couple of weeks they had been on my recommend list. Watching them is scary. Normal waves, calm-ish seas and then BAM! a wave all the way up the beach and over the land.

[@samuelb6960]

@@triciac.5078 a couple on there honeymoon was killed by a sneaker wave while they were standing on the jetty in newport.

[@JoshuaR.Collins]

I'd love to see you do a video on the Damascus Missile Explosion from 1980. the tldr of it is that during routine maintenance work an accidentally dropped socket wrench punctured the hydrazine (a very nasty and corrosive fuel) tank witch (over the next 12 or so hours) ultimately lead to the complete destruction of a gigantic Titan II missile carrying a nuclear warhead. The 740-ton silo door, witch was closed at the time, was sent flying as was the nine-megaton W53 warhead on board. The warhead landed about 100 feet (30 m) from the launch complex's entry gate, and thankfully did not explode. 1 person was killed and 21 other people were injured.

[@zorktxandnand3774]

Good suggestion. But at least we know where the 10mm socket went 😋

[@Page5framing]

@@zorktxandnand3774 I believe it was that ever elusive 110 mmsocket. 😂

[@Page5framing]

But he already did it. kzbin.info/www/bejne/eKrPZKmOntF4oqc

[@Battleship009]

Nuclear warheads won't go off unless certain conditions are met.

[@tapewolf]

I think you'll find he did. kzbin.info/www/bejne/eKrPZKmOntF4oqc

[@rynngrey3722]

While in Port Angeles, WA, my uncle was told by crewmen from the Deadliest Catch series in Alaska that he was insane for regularly sailing out of New Port, OR. Here if the weather is even mildly bad, no one crosses the bar; We've known people personally who've died doing so in Bandon and Gold Beach. I can't believe the crew put down one anchor for a 640 ft vessel - there was readily available maps and, charting equipment, which plot the depths of the Oregon coastline. This is the captain's fault because they're in charge of checking a ship's course and schedule.

[@KB4QAA]

One anchor is fine if sufficient length of chain is used. It's the weight of the chain that provides the holding power, not the hook. Again, bad seamanship from Captain and crew. (old salt)

[@markdavis8888]

Your talking about 30 years of my life on the USACE Dredge Yaquina. We worked hard to make these ports safer and I always took it personal if an accident occurred at one of my ports. Stay safe.

[@mikebrase5161]

@@markdavis8888 I work for Sheffield Marine we are working on a set for the Essayons at the moment. I did the props for the Salvage Chief after the New Carissa was pulled of back in the day. They were all sawtoothed on the edges.

[@markdavis8888]

@@mikebrase5161 I watched this salvage for years and of course Titan Marine came in to remove the stern in a professional manner. A jack up rig and helicopters removed the pieces.

[@stazeII]

Good job on this one. As an Oregon native, can also say perfect pronunciation of Oregon, Coos Bay, etc. :) remember all this happening, and saw the ship remains and when it was removed.

[@jamesdillard3930]

I was in coast guard public affairs back then back then and my supervisor was offered the opportunity to lead the public affairs response to this issue I advised him no happily he listened to the advice and about a month later the person that took the job in his place was ready to shoot themselves because of how big a cluster it became. You ought to do a video on the ship that struck the Houston ship channel bridge on I 610 twice in early 2000

[@LilAnnThrax]

I love never sleeping on Friday nights so I'm always up for your new uploads

[@LTZxGOD]

For me here it is Saturday 5pm. Where do you live girl?

[@carelhaasbroek1575]

@@LTZxGOD 4pm for me, was about to ask the same thing.

[@plainlyjohnssidehustle8429]

It’s 2pm here in London

[@davekonert956]

At 10 am for me lol

[@LTZxGOD]

@@carelhaasbroek1575 it must be America or smth

[@jeremyr722]

I was there. My friends and I used to sit on the bluff above the site and watch. For awhile that was a pretty common pastime in the Coos Bay area

[@PlainlyDifficult]

I can imagine it would have a interesting sight to behold!

[@pckldplmfshcm]

Dude, the Carissa running aground was the BIGGEST DEAL to us in school in North Bend. It was insane.

[@johnladuke6475]

I assume there's a logical reason, but I find it strange that it wasn't an option to just pump the oil off the ship. Removal would seem like a better option than big clouds of black smoke.

[@AaronShenghao]

It's the 90's, environmental protection is kinda... Meh at the time. They probably don't have equipment to suck it out anyway. The entire rescue is butchered...

[@pjp_renaissance]

That was a initial thought I had myself but kind of assume the risk of a second ship getting beached was just too high given the location and weather conditions

[@SudrianTales]

The pumps would also be subject to the winds and rains which could spray oil everywhere if it beached

[@HappyBeezerStudios]

Weather was probably the biggest issue. My first thought was to reduce the weight (like by pumping stuff off) and waiting for high tide. One to reduce the draft of the ship, the other to increase the water depth. That might be enough to get the ship off ground.

[@kenbrown2808]

the fact that nothing around the ship was doing anything resembling sitting still was a factor. it was discussed, but it was determined the vessel was already starting to break up, and they just couldn't wait for decent weather to attempt it.

[@jacekatalakis8316]

Not sure I like the hissing and dead air at the start before the music kicks in, but as good a vid as ever. Man, 1999 was a wild year for disasters. This, the Bellingham pipeline blast, everything else...wild, wild year for disasters both man made and natural

[@PlainlyDifficult]

Thank you!

[@XcRunner1031]

I lived in CA at the time of the pipeline explosion in Bellingham and had no idea it happened until I moved there in 2021! I followed the City of Bellingham KZbin and watched a documentary on it. I was shocked! A coworker of mine lived on Whatcom creek at the time. They started smelling the gas right before they heard and saw the explosion. A few of their windows were blown out. She was on maternity leave with a new baby, they had to stay with in-laws until some of the damage was surveyed and fixed.

[@JeffKopis]

I lived in Bellingham from 1983-2018. I was there when the pipeline blew, driving a cab. I was 20 miles north, in Blaine, when it happened. I saw the smoke and assumed a gas station had blown up. I wasn't far off.

[@beefgoat80]

"New Carissa, what is your status?" "Balls" "This is gonna be a disaster"

[@MannoulaZ]

Lmao

[@vthegoose]

I think it’s incredible that a vessel that big can be manned by only 26 people

[@HappyBeezerStudios]

There isn't much daily work to do. No sails to maintain or oars to row or cannons to load. Most is pretty well automated. I mean a long-haul truck can be manned by one person. A modern plane by two, and those have computer systems for basically everything.

[@kenbrown2808]

@@HappyBeezerStudios exactly. most of the ship is just big boxes. you need a group to drive, a group to navigate, a group to check the oil in the engines, and a cook.

[@FlatBroke612]

^both these guys are morons t. a Marine Engineer

[@anhedonianepiphany5588]

The confident smoothness of your narration belies the incredible effort it’s taken to get to this point. Not that I haven’t always enjoyed your voice, but it flows so much more naturally than in your early days. Bravo (oh, and another great presentation).

[@starbomber]

I remember hearing about this on the news when it happened! People were harkening back in panic to Exxon Valdez up in Alaska waters (which was also an oil spill disaster but it was much worse, since, that ship was a *tanker* and thus carried a lot more oil.)

[@stephenbritton9297]

Well, I remember the media portrayed this ship as a tanker frequently… guess they didn’t care about getting the facts right, then or now.

[@wolphin732]

it was a tanker, and full. And in full contravention of the promise of only double hulled tankers going in they made with the locals for the agreement to permit the construction of the pipeline and terminal.

[@notthatcreativewithnames]

The "flag of convenience" practice is quite ubiquitous in maritime industries, from cargo shipping sealiners to cruise ships. Hasan Minhaj has made an episode about this in cruise ship industries, and even Brooklyn Nine-Nine made a joke about this.

[@P_RO_]

Flagging by convenience is the original "race to the bottom" where shipowners choose whichever nation or "Flag" will maximize their profits while allowing them to crew their ships with near-slavery economics and limiting their uninsured liabilities to nearly nothing. It's just a system designed to create wealth for the wealthy and it needs to be brought to an end. But that won't happen because the system is run by the wealthy who will never do anything that might reduce their profits.

[@nadelvincejalmasco7124]

I'd like to suggest a documentary about a Philippine Ferry disaster - The sinking of Princess of the Orient (1998) - The SuperFerry 14 bombing (2004) - The capsize of Princess of the Stars (2008)

[@kringe700]

How about the sinking of the Doña Paz? That one is the deadliest peacetime maritime disaster ever, yet I haven't seen anyone cover it yet.

[@comradeelectric2601]

@@kringe700 There's a pretty good video (in my opinion) by Maritime Horrors that might satisfy your interest :) kzbin.info/www/bejne/rX22dqyFnpagf7c

[@potato1907]

The MS Sea Diamond sinking should be covered as well

[@poiXquared]

As a Fellow Pinoy and subscriber to this channel, The crew on this video and your documentary suggestions should say "BAYAG" 😁

[@Wolfshead009]

@@kringe700 It has been done. kzbin.info/www/bejne/rX22dqyFnpagf7c

[@spookyufo98]

this is is the earliest i’ve ever been to your newest upload because i’m always asleep when they’re published, but i’ve never missed any video of yours

[@PlainlyDifficult]

Thank you!

[@TheIcyWizard705]

having lived near the Oregon coast and visiting it often my whole life I can say that some of the storms that roll in are something nasty. I remember one time when I was vacationing there the wind was so strong it was blowing the rain *around* the window seals of the place I was in

[@jimvick8397]

Excellent production... I live in Washington and this one always made me laugh... That is recollecting the constant local news updates where it was described in technical terms the next stupid thing being done with that doomed ship. Day after day, week after week... The surf tearing is apart, outdated plans were being employed while newer outdated plans were being made. Only to have the tow cable break and redeposit the bow, and finally the navy coming blow it away... If Captain Phillips could be made into a thriller, this should be made into a comedy...

[@Daydreaminginmono]

Nothing like long format plainly content on a saturday afternoon, thanks again dude

[@johnnyjoseph1389]

I lived just outside of coos Bay back when this happened. I remember it being a pretty big deal and people came from relatively far away just to see it... In some small way I bet it actually had some economic positives just from the tourism. That whole Central area of the oregon Coast was pretty bad off back in the 90s mostly logging towns with a nearly dead logging industry.

[@XcRunner1031]

Now, I feel like I know someone up her in WA going to Bandon or Coos Bay for vacation every other week lol. It really is a lovely area, but beachcombers and ships alike gotta be careful on the coast in the PNW!

[@barrydysert2974]

Well i remember those depressed years !:-) 🙏

[@WalterDiamond]

My family moved to Coos Bay in 1986, which was right when the spotted owl lawsuits eviscerated timber harvesting. I recall McCullough Bridge being hit by a ship around that time, and Sunset Middle School being torched. Even a rare murder on my paper route. By 1999 I was living in Eugene but would visit my parents and friends in Coos Bay, and the ship sitting off Horsefall Beach was quite the site.

[@maxhill7065]

That's a sturdy bow, I bet the separated cargo compartments inadvertently resulted in a lot of airgaps as a "pseudo" armor

[@RCAvhstape]

I also imagine wood chip cargo beimg good at absorbing damage and increasing bouyancy maybe.

[@maxhill7065]

I was thinking the same thing but I believe it was empty on the way to be filled, I had thought if it had the wood chips it might have bought them some time before the ship fractured/broke up because of a more even weight distribution possibly?

[@caveofskarzs1544]

I wonder how much more could have been done if the fuel had been pumped out, to decrease weight and increase possibilty of refloating, as well as reducing the risk of oil spillage.

[@OADINC]

I agree, but I'm pretty sure they would have thought about it. They carry a lot of fuel so pumping would have taken a long time.

[@airplanemaniacgaming7877]

@@OADINC better to try and remove it than just let it sit there and burn. even a small amount salvaged from the tanks would've been less burnt, and also less spilled.

[@The_Modeling_Underdog]

@@OADINC What he said. You have add the weather factor to that, a suitable tanker to take the fuel on board and how long would it take for said tanker to arrive on site and start the pumping operation. As somebody else said, it was a shite-show. But not the worst kind of shite-show. Cheers.

[@Damien.D]

It happened in the USA. "Bomb first, think later."

[@ashkebora7262]

@@Damien.D Nono, "bomb first, think about never cause it's blown up!"

[@Kyrkby]

Wait, a Plainly Difficult video where someone does not die? What a time to be alive.

[@gorillaau]

Everybody lives, this time. Everyone lived.

[@bos2pdx2yvr]

Oh, man. As a former Oregonian, I remember this well. What a disaster all around. Thanks for the trip back in time!

[@thejudgmentalcat]

Got up to snow, wind (cat refused to go outside and then complained to me), then a PD video. It's a good day, no matter what the cat says 👍

[@tinkhamm7251]

Haha snow here in southern Ohio too

[@jrmckim]

I see your cat is judgemental

[@garryej]

I lived in Coos Bay at the time. Our church car park was jammed with media trucks! One thing I remember is that, in Coos Bay, there are several tug firms in Coos Bay with powerful ocean going tugs that were willing to get to work immediately, but the owner insisted on a a tug that had to spend many days arriving from New York, by which time the NC was even more firmly esconced in the sand.

[@JeffKopis]

That completely contradicts what John says in this video.

[@justgonnagetbetter1037]

I think I'll ask the question on everybody's mind. What happened to the Old Carissa? Lol, great video as usual!

[@Tequila_atTheJazzbar]

I heard about this daily as a child growing up in Oregon at the time.

[@Hansengineering]

A pretty chill disaster story as your channel usually goes!

[@PureSniperWolf]

I'm an Oregonian born and raised. How have I never heard of this at all?! Thank you for this video!

[@kl8062]

I was looking for the details of this accident recently, and I was kind of surprised it hadn't been covered much. I grew up pretty close to Coos Bay, and this was such a huge deal at the time. I was a kid and didn't care about the details, but I remember how dramatic the whole thing was.

[@reinasherman8009]

I grew up around the Corvallis area and I remember what a huge deal and cluster f this was back then.

[@ingvarhallstrom2306]

Is there any way to outlaw flags of convenience? The only reason to flag a ship in Bermuda or whatever is to avoid responsibility and lower the cost by lax security, cheaper wages, and using uneducated staff. It's a recipe for disaster and I can't understand how it is still allowed.

[@PinkAgaricus]

I was thinking this too. Maybe there should be a more specific international version of the Jones Act that just targets these particular ships that use flags of convenience by taxing/fining them and just make it cheaper for it to sail from where it was built with only the banner of the country of origin, not where they want to get a flag/banner of convenience.

[@Panda-cute]

Great upload as always! Very informative and non dramatic. I love the look of the video and the formatting. Keep being great and letting me learn in a concise and interesting way!

[@PlainlyDifficult]

Thank you panda!

[@ausnorman8050]

Gotta say I really enjoyed this topic, nice to see you trying new things (disasters) again and mixing it up. Cheers John.

[@Napswhilewatchin]

"Sir. A ship ran aground at our cost, what should we d..." "Napalm"

[@solandri69]

Diesel and bunker oil are like cooking oil - they aren't volatile. They don't spontaneously evaporate into large quantities of a flammable vapor, like gasoline does. You can dunk a lit match in them and they'll just put the match out. So it takes some... encouragement to get them to start burning. (Engines are able to get them to burn by vaporizing them into tiny droplets, greatly increasing the surface area and exposure to oxygen.)

[@trentgay3437]

Oregon blew up a whale one time too hehehe

[@StriKe_jk]

Thank you for the regular weather updates!

[@HEDGE1011]

I saw another viewer recommend Ocean Ranger as a video subject, and I couldn’t agree more. If you haven’t done it yet, you definitely need to do Piper Alpha. Thanks for all you do!

[@PokemonHaloFan]

I remember reading about a large number of bulk carriers just like thr New Carissa going down in the 80s and 90s due to poor loading and cargo storage. Truly fascinating.

[@ginnyjanisse1220]

Good job pronouncing Oregon! Thanks for another great story

[@PlainlyDifficult]

Thank you

[@carlrossi7989]

Great video. FYI, and perhaps this has already been mentioned, in your video where you show the distance from "Astoria to Coos Bay", you are actually measuring the distance from Newport to Coos Bay-Astoria is much farther up the coast on the Columbia River, which explains the transit time of the Salvage Chief once they could get her ready for sea. Greetings from Florence, home of the infamous exploding whale.....

[@Beercat96]

I remember seeing the wreck of the stern during a roadtrip as a kid. Must have been the year before it was removed

[@mogwaifan7094]

Interesting story there. Might I suggest the Betelguese tanker explosion, Whiddy Island, Ireland. January 1979. 50 people killed in the explosion and 2 salvage divers killed during the salvage. Thanks again PD

[@WizelBalan]

Sea salvage needs to be improved, and easier and more efficient ways of removing fuel need to be looked into; it just seems like such a waste burning thousands and thousands of gallons like that. Of course, I have no ideas or knowledge of the salvage business. So maybe it just was not feasible in this case.

[@krissteel4074]

Yeah I dunno, they might have been able to run pumps or something out there from the shore or get something else in the area to take on the load, but heck- it just seemed to turn from being one major screw up into basically a 3 ring circus of continuing screw ups for the better part of many years.

[@P_RO_]

Many ships use "bunker oil" which is more like a goo than a liquid. It has to first be heated before it can be pumped. That's why it forms "tar balls" when it washes ashore after a shipwreck. Quite a bit of the raw petroleum pumped out of the Earth can't be economically refined into anything better; it's almost a waste product and thus cheap which is why it's used in ships which require huge amounts of fuel. It's also one of the most highly-polluting petroleum-based fuels there is, and many nations now do not allow it to be burned in their territorial waters, requiring ships to burn cleaner fuels there. But the ships visiting those ports will still have mainly bunker in their tanks which is still a problem when wrecks occur.

[@teamidris]

It has now, there are basically oil vacuum ships. Assuming they get there in time. The latest salvage kit is amazing.

[@jrmckim]

​@crassgop same thought I had as well.

[@EATSLEEPDRIVE2002]

Awesome video as always, sir. We have a similar thing here in New Jersey, at Sunset Beach down in Cape May, the southernmost tip of the state. It’s the remains of the USS Atlantus, a CONCRETE ship that ran aground and sunk there. Thankfully it’s too far gone for any hope of it being removed, plus it’s already been there for 80 years. Part of the hull still sticks above the surface just 100 feet out from the beach. Definitely one of the most unique “land”marks I know of.

[@alextaylor9778]

Video recommendation Granville train disaster, new south wales, Australia, 83 dead plenty others injured.

[@PlainlyDifficult]

Thank you for the comment and the suggestion!

[@VanessaScrillions]

I just want to say, I absolutely love your channel!!! Thanks for all your hard work

[@trinalgalaxy5943]

Congratulations on saying Oregon correctly! And claiming the Beaches are state property is actually true by Oregon law. brilliant.

[@PlainlyDifficult]

Thank you

[@matthewwukitch3735]

technically its not the beach unless its hull is at the mean low water level, but the state does own the seabed out to 3 nm regardless of state with some minor exceptions.

[@spiritmatter1553]

@@matthewwukitch3735 So, no private beaches? 🤔

[@trinalgalaxy5943]

@@matthewwukitch3735 Oregon law specifically claims the Beaches (up to a certain distance in the water) as part of the land owned by the state of Oregon specifically.

[@trinalgalaxy5943]

@@spiritmatter1553 By Oregon law, private beaches cannot exist in the state. I believe we are the only state that this is true.

[@stevenkramer6217]

I live in Portland, and was in first grade when this happened. I remember this being on the news a lot.

[@mace732]

I live in coos bay and we watched all the original attempts to free it then to burn it and then when titan finally got the contract my older brother was hired on with them and still has a new carissa challenge coin from titan

[@eric31or]

I remember seeing the wreckage when I 1st moved to the Oregon coast. I’m glad you did a video of the history this

[@phillip5505]

Sounds like Oregon got bailed out for having inadequate rescue infrastructure, classic

[@mattteee2973]

Yeah. Trying to claim fees for trespassing is a bit ridiculous too- it was only there because of Oregon's own industry, they weren't some poor bystander!

[@rrknl5187]

@@mattteee2973 I was born in Oregon, lived there for 34 years. Oregon is one of the most money-grubbing greediest states ever. Always looking for new ways to screw people. Its government and court system is owned by enviroterrorists and nature nazis whose sole reason for existence is to dominate the citizens. One of the best things I ever did was get out of that communist state.

[@phillip5505]

@@Stevie-J if a corporation doesn't sue it basically equates to admitting fault in a situation like this. The amount is intentionally high, if they'd asked for 10 mil the govt would've been awarded 8 figures instead of 7 most likely.

[@johnjephcote7636]

It is the weight of chain on the sea bed, not the actual anchor that does the holding. If the chain is too short, then there is insufficient lying on the sea floor to prevent the vessel dragging her anchor. Why only one was deployed is incredible.

[@quietdignityandgrace]

The diagram of the ship... why does it need 3 large sewing machines on the deck?

[@PlainlyDifficult]

for extra speed

[@SkepticalTeacher]

Sew it can speed along at a rate of knots, threading its way into sandbanks, before its seam bursts...

[@Galfrid]

🤫Ssh... Trade secrets...Those are for sewing up the wood pulp to make plywood 🤣

[@brianharris2408]

This has probably been the most well informed and thoughtful comment section I have ever seen.

[@Curbsidecrafters]

You should definitely cover the Sea Empress if you think that is a disaster

[@JimmysSpeedShop]

Another great work John! Thank you!

[@PlainlyDifficult]

Thank you

[@stefaneer9120]

This is not only a ship catastrophe. (9:10) It called like a Jackass movie on a beach, taking out by the government.

[@davebrunker3399]

Thank you so much for pronouncing the names right. You'd be amazed how hard that is for Americans who don't live on the Pacific coast.

[@PlainlyDifficult]

Thank you!

[@antlerman7644]

Really interesting story, not what I expected at all.

[@PlainlyDifficult]

It did escalate quickly!

[@faceless360]

Thank you for all your work! I've gained a great deal of both entertainment and knowledge from your channel I discovered somehow recently. It must be a huge amount of research to produce all that. I especially love that we get to see the whole picture of how the aftermath is handled in catastrophes, and the different people and jobs involved. Cheers mate !

[@Auriorium]

So when will you get to Costa Concordia?

[@jimmyduncan7650]

I'm amazed you can point to the numbers with such tiny wrists!! Love the channel John. Thanks

[@evilchaosboy]

First and third officer get nailed. The second officer must have snitched! \m/

[@Spencer481]

I remember watching the coast guard catch the boat on fire when I was a kid. This video brought all those memories back

[@Iconoplastt]

Flags of convenience is one way is one reason I won't likely go on a cruise, the laws of the flag of registration often applies to international waters. Your ship is registered to a crappy country, better hope no one needs to investigate your disappearance or murder.... many a disappearance has been botched by a crappy "local" police department

[@P_RO_]

Cruise Ship companies are the best in the world at selling a pretty picture while hiding the ugly truth behind the scenes. Sailing on a seagoing cruise ship is to support near-slavery or human beings, and I couldn't live with myself if I knowingly did that.

[@Cara.314]

kinda neat learning about some local history on this channel! Well done, most Americans dont pronounce Oregon correctly.

[@spiloFTW]

"A locally brewed napalm mixture" sounds like some beer for millennials.

[@95mudshovel]

I can't stop watching videos about disasters.

[@gordoncomstock2459]

Thank you John, any naval disasters in mind? Yes please - the Torrie Canyon disaster. The first wreck of a SuperTanker. She hit the Seven Stones reef in 1967 taking a short cut around Lands End. The pollution and environmental damage was appalling and still evident on the Cornish Coast 50 years later. She too was bombed with HE and Napalm in a futive attempt to destroy the oil. I was a boy then, I still remember the appalling tide of crude oil flowing two foot deep into our village. The clogging stench of oil was everywhere rasping our throats for weeks. The deaths of wildlife is indescribable - sorry I can't find words. The environment still bears the scars. Good in your case here that the owners were made to pay by Oregon. Quite right. The owners take the profit. The owners cut the corners to increase the profit.

[@visnichba]

And the Argo Merchant a few years later. Several Liberian-flagged tankers had disasters in a short time period in the 1970's, if I remember correctly.

[@AlohaChips]

Nice work! I really like learning about lesser known events like this (oil spill discussions involving the Pacific NW are usually dominated by the Exxon-Valdez spill in Alaska.) Oregon coastline is quite beautiful and worth seeing if you're ever in the area. There are dense pine forests, sheer cliffs, lighthouses ... and the life on those shorelines is rarely just birds and the random crab + washed up seaweed, shells, and jellyfish that characterize the US beaches that are warmer and more popular for beach vacations. Tidal pools are a famous attraction there on the Oregon coast, though even the vertical, exposed rock faces of the shoreline show off the many barnacles, oysters, and starfish that cling to them, too, when the tide goes out. P.S. for the Japanese company name Taiheiyo Kaiun, pronunciation like this: TAI (like "tie" in "black tie") HEI (like "hey" in "hey, you") YO (like "yo" in "yo, what's up?") KAI (like "tie" again, but with a k) UN (similar to the "oo" in "food", and add "n" like in "no")

[@SRFriso94]

Having a ship being officially tied to so many countries is something that it sometimes done to cover up any potential dirty dealings and evade sanctions. The New York Times has an excellent video detailing this, where they explain how Kim Jong Un got his Mercedes, despite there being bans on shipping luxury goods like that to North Korea.

[@krzysztofflorjanski251]

I acutally remember watching it's dismantling in 2009 on National Geographic documentary when i was 10. Thanks for reminding me about it, now I will remember it better

[@ihatemondays6969]

“Babe hurry up Plainly Difficult uploaded again!”

[@pswooley]

Hi from Portland OR, USA. This was a fantastic documentary.

[@PlainlyDifficult]

Awesome, thank you!

[@RCAvhstape]

This disaster rates a 3 on the "Balls!" scale. Drinking game: binge PD vids and every time you see Balls! in a thought bubble take a drink!

[@ZGryphon]

Less dangerous than using the Two Hazmat Guys as a drink trigger. In the episodes about radiation accidents, that could get a person hospitalized! (n.b. this is not a criticism, I love the Two Hazmat Guys)

[@RCAvhstape]

@@ZGryphon We all love the Two Hazmat Guys.

[@takeandbakejake3271]

I remember going and visiting this as a kid. It was extremely interesting and I wanted to explore it so badly.

[@kpturn42]

May I suggest doing a video on the Oregon Highway Division (now the Oregon Department of Transportation) blowing up a beached whale carcass with dynamite in 1970?

[@Panda-cute]

They did what?? How was that considered a better option than dragging it back into the water? Sorry if I sound ignorant I’ve just never heard of that being done

[@P_RO_]

@@Panda-cute It was as bad as you can imagine...

[@Panda-cute]

@@P_RO_ well my mental image is just horrific.

[@ZGryphon]

@@Panda-cute The biggest piece crushed a Buick.

[@Panda-cute]

@@ZGryphon when they blew it up I assume? Just… I would like to speak to whoever thought this was a good idea. Did anyone die in the buick?

[@russcrawford3310]

Oregonian here about 40 miles from Coos Bay ... rain and storms all the time ... nothing but gray skies September through June ...

[@Tequila_atTheJazzbar]

And you pronounced Oregon correctly! There’s people that have moved here that can’t say it. Respect!

[@Ms.HarmonyJ]

I love your videos and your voice is amazing keep up the great job my friend

[@izzieb]

Registered in Panama. Tells you all you need to know really.

[@iwaswrongabouteveryhthing]

they all are

[@NorainuVR]

I remember watching this as a kid. I had always thought it had caught fire when it ran aground, and also remember watching the sides of the ship melt from the fire.

[@jigwignibs]

1am. Time for my bedtime story.

[@PlainlyDifficult]

Sleep well!

[@LilyStarstrider]

2 years and I didn't realize y'all had made this. As an Oregonian, born and raised, this is probably the fourth most memorable thing to happen in the state's history, after the Following: Mt St Helens (Yes, over the border, but close enough that there was Ashfall in Portland), The Exploding Whale (which wasn't too far north in Florence), and the Oregon Trail.

[@prinzeugenvansovoyen732]

they could have pumped most of the oil off and just burn the remains imagine publicly saying oils free , come get it - it would have been pumped empty within a few hours

[@P_RO_]

Look up "bunker oil" to understand the problem. It's neither easily pumped or worth anything for any other use.

[@ZGryphon]

@@P_RO_ This ship was diesel-powered. Marine diesel oil is more viscous than highway diesel, sure, but it's not exactly Bunker C.

[@CheapCreep]

Excellent work, as always.

[@PlainlyDifficult]

Thank you

[@daviddavidson2357]

Was I the only person who laughed at "lube oil"?

[@LTZxGOD]

Yes

[@PlainlyDifficult]

As Did I!

[@tinkhamm7251]

I like the 1.5 gallon KY eze carry pump jugs

[@Panda-cute]

@@LTZxGOD no 😂

[@mellowbear6817]

You should check out the MV Prestige disaster, one of the, if not the worst, environmental shipping related disasters of modern Europe. It didnt just destroy marine life, but a lot of fishing jobs (one of the primary industries in Galiza). Add to that damage the incompetence of the government at the time (both during and after the disaster), as well as the uncooperative neighboring countries and you get the perfect recepy for a highly destructive disaster.

[@ivegotheart]

A beached whale, a beached ship, we sure love our explosives.

[@PlainlyDifficult]

And long may it continue