33 Years Ago: Reflections on the Wreck of the Bahia Paraiso

 

On January 28, 1989, arrogance sank the Bahia Paraiso. Arrogance sank a 420', Argentinian-flagged, Class A icebreaker. A ship with a 4 inch thick plated steel hull; a reinforced double hull so strong that it could steam at 5 knots thru sea ice 3 feet thick.

Arrogance sank a flagship military vessel that had survived the Falklands war before becoming the guardian of the Argentinian people's claim to territory in Antarctica. 

Yes, it was the arrogance of the captain that sank the Bahia. 

Not the granite pinnacle that tore a 50 ft gash down the length of the ice strengthened outer hull. 

Not the incompetence of the first mate who took the helm and drove the 10,000-ton vessel onto a charted rock going 8 knots. 

Not the ineptitude of the scared 18 year old Argentinian oiler who had forgotten to secure the engine room floor hatch and who frantically tried to hold back the freezing cold seawater that gushed into the engine room from the ruptured box keel. 

It took world class arrogance for the Bahia's captain to completely disregard the ardent warnings about the dangerous rocks and pinnacles given to them just days earlier by Mike Rentel, the resident manager of Palmer Station. 

Palmer is the United States' research station on the Antarctic Peninsula, located barely a mile from where the Bahia hit the rock.  

The Bahia hit the rock so hard it sat uplifted and impaled for 3 days, battered by the ocean waves and the tide before it broke free, rolled over and sank on January 31, 1989. 

Mike, an experienced boat skipper himself, described the events of that day, Tuesday, January 31st, 1989, in his station log:

TODAY THE SHIP SANK. THE PLAN WAS TO HAVE BEEN FOR CREW TO GO BACK OUT TO THE SHIP THIS MORNING TO CONTINUE EFFORTS TO SAVE IT. THIS NEVER HAPPENED SINCE THE ACTION OF THE SHIP WAS SO SEVERE DUE TO WIND WAVE AND TIDE. 

THE CAPTAINS OF BOTH LAS PALMAS AND PARAISO CAME TO PALMER FOR MEETINGS. I WAS QUITE APPALLED AT THEIR ATTITUDE OF ACTING OFFENDED AT US FOR NOT HAVING MADE A FORMAL INVITATION TO THEM TO VISIT OUR STATION. ALL THIS MACHO BULLSHIT SEEMS TO GET IN THE WAY OF EFFECTIVE CLEAR THINKING AND WORK ON SOLVING PROBLEMS. 

CAPTAIN SAMPIETRO WAS BREAKING DOWN TO TEARS AND SOBBING ON SEVERAL OCCASIONS DURING OUR MEETINGS. THEY SEEM TO BE MORE CONCERNED ABOUT DAMAGE TO THEIR REPUTATIONS THAN ABOUT DAMAGE TO THE SHIP AND ENVIRONMENT. IT IS NOW VERY APPARENT THAT STRAIN AND LACK OF SLEEP HAVE EFFECTED THEIR JUDGEMENT. THEIR BASE OF COMMAND IS ABOARD LAS PALMAS SINCE ABANDONING SHIP.

THE SHIP HAS BEEN TAKING SOME WILD EXCURSIONS, FISHTAILING ON THE ROCK. IT FINALLY BROKE LOOSE ABOUT 1300 AND DRIFTED OVER A QUARTER MILE. I CALLED LAS PALMAS TO TELL THEM IT WAS FREE AS I WAS HOPING THEY MIGHT BE ABLE TO TOW THE SHIP OUT. THEY ANSWERED MY CALL BUT DID NOTHING. 

THE CHILEAN SUPPLY BOAT CRUZ DE FROWARD ARRIVED AND LOTS OF RADIO TALK BUT NO ACTION. I HAD SOUNDINGS DONE BY OUR BOATS TO SEE HOW THE SHIP WAS RIDING IN THE NEW LOCATION AND THESE SHOWED THAT THE SHIP SEEMED TO STILL BE FLOATING ON THE RISING TIDE, HELD AGAINST THE CURRENT BY THE ANCHORS WHILE RESTING AGAINST A LEDGE ON THE PORT SIDE. THE ANCHORS BEGAN SLIPPING AGAIN AND THE SHIP SWUNG BROADSIDE TO THE CURRENT WHERE IT CAME TO REST. WITHIN TWO HOURS THE STERN KEPT SLIPPING LOWER AND LOWER AND FINALLY QUITE SLOWLY THE SHIP ROLLED ONTO ITS STBD SIDE AT ABOUT 2030.

 

EIGHTEEN OUT OF 26 OF THE STATION PERSONNEL JUMPED INTO ZODIACS AND BY 2100 WE WERE BEGINNING TO ROUND UP SOME OF THE HUNDREDS OF PROPANE CYLINDERS AND FUEL DRUMS FLOATING LOOSE FROM THE WRECK. 

WE INFLATED SIX LIFE RAFTS WHICH WERE DRIFTING AROUND AND USED THESE AS RECEPTACLES FOR THE FLOTSAM, WE COLLECTED AN ESTIMATED 80 PROPANE CYLINDERS AND A HALF DOZEN 55 GAL DRUMS OF DIESEL, ALSO COLLECTED WAS GARBAGE, MATTRESSES AND ALL KINDS OF FLOATING WRECKAGE. THE CLEANUP CREW WORKED UNTIL IT BEGAN TO GET DARK AND WERE CALLED OFF BY NSF MOUTHPIECE RON LACOUNT WHO SAID "IT IS ONLY A TOKEN EFFORT YOU PEOPLE ARE DOING AND YOU SHOULD QUIT IMMEDIATELY". 

Mike Rentel, Palmer Station Manager alongside sunken Bahia Paraiso, 1989

EVERYONE HAD QUIT AND WAS BACK ON STATION BY MIDNIGHT AND ALL SUPPORT EFFORTS ON SHORE WERE DONE BY 0100, THE DOUBLE WATCH IS STILL IN EFFECT BECAUSE OF THE NUMBER OF PEOPLE STILL ON STATION.

THE WRECK SEEMS TO BE LYING IN 20 TO 30 FT OF WATER STBD SIDE DOWN AND ABOUT 3/4 UNDER WATER AT 150 TO 300 FT FROM DELACA IS. IT IS OOZING FUEL SLOWLY AFTER THE INITIAL HEAVY SPILLAGE THAT OCCURRED WITH THE ROLL OVER.

NO HELP WAS RECEIVED FROM LAS PALMAS OR CRUZ DE FROWARD AFTER BEING ASKED TO ASSIST. THEIR RESPONSE WAS THAT IT WAS UNCHARTED WATER AND TOO DANGEROUS.