More details have been released about the ill fated trip of the Queen of the North in March of 2005. And with those details, there is even more intrigue about what really happened in the minutes prior to the sinking of the Queen of the North.
The latest revelation to be made public, was in the form of an addendum to the BC Ferries Divisional inquiry into the incident.
BC Ferries was quick to put out a press release explaining their understanding of the
The suggestion from Wednesday's release, was that contrary to her earlier testimony, the Quartermaster of the Queen of the North, a relatively new person at that particular job, was left alone on the bridge of the ferry as it made its fatal approach to rocks off of Gil Island.
The contradiction was made public after details from two BC Ferries employees stated that they have testified they overheard the ship's quartermaster say she was alone on the bridge at the time of the sinking.
If true, it would be a major violation of BC Ferry procedures and an unconscionable error in judgement by those working on the bridge on March 22nd. An error that led to a tragic loss of life and a near disaster of historical proportions.
It also highlights the need to have a full and public accounting of the events of that night, there are still far too many unanswered questions that the residents of British Columbia should receive answers for. Two years after the sinking, we still don't have a clear understanding of what happened, hopefully soon, there will be a definitive answer to the questions and a reassurance that something like this will never happen again.
Quartermaster alone on bridge of ill-fated ferry, inquiry told
2 employees testified officer said she was alone when Queen of the North sank
Last Updated: Wednesday, October 3, 2007 5:04 PM ET
CBC News
Two people told BC Ferries they overheard the quartermaster saying she was the only officer on the bridge of the Queen of the North when the ferry sank in 2006 — contradicting her earlier testimony that she was not alone.
The ferry struck Gil Island off the West Coast and sank on March 22, 2006, killing two people. The inquiry examining the sinking released a statement Wednesday morning saying it had published an addendum to its original report, released on March 26, 2007, because new information had come to light.
According to the statement, since the original report was published, two BC Ferries employees have testified they overheard the ship's quartermaster say she was alone on the bridge at the time of the sinking.
"I saw [the quartermaster] on the deck near the lifeboats where we were both assisting. Just prior to us both getting into one of the rafts [the quartermaster] said: 'It is not my fault, it was not my fault, I was left alone,'" one of the employees told the inquiry.
"When we watched the Queen of the North disappear under the water, I heard [the quartermaster] say again: 'It was not my fault' and repeat it."
The second employee testified: "Once our raft was away, it started to drift towards the stern of the vessel.… At that time, I heard [the quartermaster] say, 'It's not my fault, I was alone, I was alone.'"
The inquiry panel was reconvened as a result of the new information. The addendum concludes:
"The divisional inquiry panel (with one dissent) finds these declarations to be credible. The quartermaster has denied that she was left alone on the bridge and the fourth officer has refused to provide evidence to the divisional inquiry panel regarding the period of approximately 14 minutes prior to the grounding."
However, it stops short of concluding that the testimony proves the quartermaster was alone on the bridge at the time of the sinking.
The ferry corporation also said the new evidence does not change the inquiry's original finding that the deck watch on the Queen of the North failed to keep a proper lookout.
The latest revelation to be made public, was in the form of an addendum to the BC Ferries Divisional inquiry into the incident.
BC Ferries was quick to put out a press release explaining their understanding of the
The suggestion from Wednesday's release, was that contrary to her earlier testimony, the Quartermaster of the Queen of the North, a relatively new person at that particular job, was left alone on the bridge of the ferry as it made its fatal approach to rocks off of Gil Island.
The contradiction was made public after details from two BC Ferries employees stated that they have testified they overheard the ship's quartermaster say she was alone on the bridge at the time of the sinking.
If true, it would be a major violation of BC Ferry procedures and an unconscionable error in judgement by those working on the bridge on March 22nd. An error that led to a tragic loss of life and a near disaster of historical proportions.
It also highlights the need to have a full and public accounting of the events of that night, there are still far too many unanswered questions that the residents of British Columbia should receive answers for. Two years after the sinking, we still don't have a clear understanding of what happened, hopefully soon, there will be a definitive answer to the questions and a reassurance that something like this will never happen again.
Quartermaster alone on bridge of ill-fated ferry, inquiry told
2 employees testified officer said she was alone when Queen of the North sank
Last Updated: Wednesday, October 3, 2007 5:04 PM ET
CBC News
Two people told BC Ferries they overheard the quartermaster saying she was the only officer on the bridge of the Queen of the North when the ferry sank in 2006 — contradicting her earlier testimony that she was not alone.
The ferry struck Gil Island off the West Coast and sank on March 22, 2006, killing two people. The inquiry examining the sinking released a statement Wednesday morning saying it had published an addendum to its original report, released on March 26, 2007, because new information had come to light.
According to the statement, since the original report was published, two BC Ferries employees have testified they overheard the ship's quartermaster say she was alone on the bridge at the time of the sinking.
"I saw [the quartermaster] on the deck near the lifeboats where we were both assisting. Just prior to us both getting into one of the rafts [the quartermaster] said: 'It is not my fault, it was not my fault, I was left alone,'" one of the employees told the inquiry.
"When we watched the Queen of the North disappear under the water, I heard [the quartermaster] say again: 'It was not my fault' and repeat it."
The second employee testified: "Once our raft was away, it started to drift towards the stern of the vessel.… At that time, I heard [the quartermaster] say, 'It's not my fault, I was alone, I was alone.'"
The inquiry panel was reconvened as a result of the new information. The addendum concludes:
"The divisional inquiry panel (with one dissent) finds these declarations to be credible. The quartermaster has denied that she was left alone on the bridge and the fourth officer has refused to provide evidence to the divisional inquiry panel regarding the period of approximately 14 minutes prior to the grounding."
However, it stops short of concluding that the testimony proves the quartermaster was alone on the bridge at the time of the sinking.
The ferry corporation also said the new evidence does not change the inquiry's original finding that the deck watch on the Queen of the North failed to keep a proper lookout.
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