V.A. Fogg

V.A. Fogg

"V.A. Fogg" was a T2 tanker vessel built in Alabama, beginning January 1944, and launched as SS "Four Lakes'. It was renamed "V.A. Fogg" in 1971.

History

On February 1, 1972, the ship, commanded by captain John Edward Christy, Sr., sailed from Freeport, Texas to a point 50 miles off shore to clean its cargo tanks of remaining benzene residue, and then sail for Galveston to offload a cargo of xylene. The ship exploded during the cleaning operation, sending a column of smoke over 10,000 feet in height. A search found the ship lying in 100 feet of water in two sections. There were no survivors from the crew aboard the ship. However, the chief radio officer, William A. Shaw, had left the ship for an emergency medical procedure only a few hours before the ship exploded.

The Coast Guard investigation revealed a lack of proper training by the crew in venting and cleaning benzene, which can explode if residual fumes come in contact with an electrical charge; such a charge may have come from a "red devil" blower, a device used to ventilate spaces. Witnesses have seen red devil blowers lowered into the holds by the crew in the past, and one was recovered from the wreckage, in the hold and rigged to be used.

Within a year of her sinking, the "Fogg" was subject to the writings of Bermuda Triangle authors, some contending that no bodies were recovered except that of the captain, who was found sitting in his cabin still holding a coffee cup. The explanations were easily refuted by official United States Coast Guard records and photographs, as well as the recovery of several bodies. Most Triangle investigators agreed with the official line, with John Wallace Spencer (author of "Limbo of the Lost") being the only major investigator to claim the incident had any "paranormal" connections.

Currently, the wreckage of "V.A. Fogg" shares space with a number of sunken Liberty ships and barges in what has since been called the Freeport Liberty Ship Reef Site, an underwater park catering to scuba enthusiasts and fisherman.

External links

* [http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/landwater/water/habitats/artificial_reef/ships_to_reef.phtml?print=false Texas Parks and Wildlife (Ships to Reefs) ]
* [http://www.uscg.mil/hq/g-m/moa/boards/vafog.pdf United States Coast Guard report on the sinking]


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Поможем написать курсовую

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Fogg — ist der Familienname folgender Personen: George G. Fogg (1813–1881), US amerikanischer Politiker Josh Fogg (* 1976), US amerikanischer Baseballspieler Mieczysław Fogg (1901–1990), polnischer Chansonsänger Fogg bezeichnet als Name außerdem: USS… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Fogg Art Museum — Informations géographiques Pays …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Fogg — Fogg, Phil|e|as the main character in the book ↑Around the World In Eighty Days by Jules Verne. Phileas Fogg is an Englishman who travels around the world and has many adventures …   Dictionary of contemporary English

  • Fogg — Porté en Angleterre (variante : Fogge), c est un hypocoristique de Fulcher, nom de personne d origine germanique (voir Foulquier pour le sens) …   Noms de famille

  • Fogg — Real People named Fogg = * B.J. Fogg, psychologist * Mieczysław Fogg, Polish singer of the twentieth century * Martyn J. Fogg, terraforming researcher * George G. Fogg was the US Ambassador and United States Senator from New Hampshire. * Josh… …   Wikipedia

  • Fogg Art Museum — Das Fogg Art Museum Das Fogg Art Museum ist ein Kunstmuseum in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Das 1895 eröffnete Museum ist das älteste der Harvard University. Die Sammlung des Fogg Art Museum umfasst europäische Kunst vom Mittelalter bis hin zur… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Fogg Art Museum — Infobox nrhp | name =Fogg Art Museum nrhp type = caption = Fogg Museum of Art location= Cambridge, Massachusetts lat degrees = 42 lat minutes = 22 lat seconds = 26.51 lat direction = N long degrees = 71 long minutes = 6 long seconds = 53.2 long… …   Wikipedia

  • Fogg — This interesting name, with variant spelling Fog(h), derives from the Medieval English fogge (ultimately of Olde Norse origin) meaning grass left to grow after the hay has been cut , and was originally given either as a topographic name to… …   Surnames reference

  • Fogg Building — Infobox nrhp | name =Fogg Building nrhp type = caption = location= Weymouth, Massachusetts lat degrees = 42 lat minutes = 10 lat seconds = 28 lat direction = N long degrees = 70 long minutes = 57 long seconds = 7 long direction = W locmapin =… …   Wikipedia

  • Fogg Library — Infobox nrhp | name =Fogg Library nrhp type = caption = location= Weymouth, Massachusetts lat degrees = 42 lat minutes = 10 lat seconds = 28 lat direction = N long degrees = 70 long minutes = 57 long seconds = 4 long direction = W locmapin =… …   Wikipedia

  • Fogg Dam Conservation Reserve — The Fogg Dam Conservation Reserve is a wetland area approximately 70km east of Darwin in the Northern Territory of Australia. It attracts a wide range of local and migratory water birds and other wildlife, and includes a raised observation… …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
… Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”