Argo Merchant

The "Argo Merchant" was an oil tanker that ran aground southeast of Nantucket Island, Massachusetts, on December 15, 1976. Six days later, on December 21, the shipwreck broke apart, causing one of the largest oil spills in history.

History

The ship was built in 1953 and originally named "Arcturus". After eleven uneventful years at sea, she first exhibited problems in 1964, mostly with her engines, machinery, and crew. Between 1964 and 1973 the ship was involved in fourteen shipping casualties, including one collision in Japan and two groundings in Indonesia (under the name "Permina Samudra III") and Sicily (as "Vari"). In 1973 she was bought by Thebes Shipping, Inc., and renamed "Argo Merchant". In 1975 she received Bureau Véritas's highest rating, but following small oil spills at Philadelphia and Boston, the commander of the First Coast Guard District, Steven Rafferty recommended barring her from U.S. waters, which was, however, not legally possible.

The shipwreck

In December 1976, "Argo Merchant" loaded 7.7 million US gallons (29 million l) of No. 6 fuel oil at Puerto La Cruz, Venezuela, sailing for Boston under Captain Georgios Papadopoulos. It was later established that the ship carried two unqualified crew as helmsmen, a broken gyrocompass, inadequate charts, and an inaccurate radio direction finder. At six p.m. on December 15, in high winds and ten foot (3 m) seas, the tanker ran aground on Middle Rip Shoal in position coord|41|2|N|69|27|W| — about 25 nautical miles (46 km) southeast of Nantucket and more than 24 miles (44 km) off her intended course. The thirty-eight members of the crew were evacuated, but the shallow waters and weather conditions made it impossible to offload the oil or salvage the ship. On December 21, 1976, "Argo Merchant" broke apart and spilled its entire cargo of fuel oil, enough to heat 18,000 homes for a year. Fortunately, northwesterly winds blew the 60 by 100 nautical mile (111 × 185 km) oil slick offshore, and coastal fisheries and beaches were spared the worst.

References

* [http://response.restoration.noaa.gov/gallery_gallery.php?RECORD_KEY%28gallery_index%29=joinphotogal_id,gallery_id,photo_id&joinphotogal_id(gallery_index)=76&gallery_id(gallery_index)=3&photo_id(gallery_index)=25 NOAA Ocean Service Office of Response and Restoration - Major Oilspills]
* Hook, Norman. "Modern Shipping Disasters", LLP Limited, 1989 (ISBN 1-85978-110-1)
* Winslow, Ron. "Hard Aground: The Story Of The Argo Merchant Oil Spill", New York W. W. North, 1978