Another Boat Sunk In A Lock

[bizzard]

The bang might have been a dynamite charge to scuttle it on purpose, like Cpt Langsdorff and his Graf Spee.

[Horace42]

If it was a weed-hatch or prop-shaft problem then sinking in the lock was just a coincidence.

What is needed is a detailed explanation of the events leading to the sinking.

Knowing the facts will be much more useful to help prevention than rules and regulations..

A few warning signs and advance notice at strategic places would be better.

Accidents very seldom have serious consequences unless accompanied by a number of associated incidents (none of which in themselves are capable of serious harm) that conspire to synchronise where any one of them can tip the balance collectively to cause a catastrophic outcome.

 

I am not speculating what caused the Fobney accident, but used as an example to prompt some thought on the subject based on my logic of a series of events building up over time to contribute to a sinking.

 

For instance, blocked scuppers, the weed hatch cover loose or missing. It obviously allows water to enter the stern bilge when the prop is turning (unlikely whilst waiting in a lock) - coupled with a blockage or failure of the bilge pump - together with going too far forward when top gates leak badly to pour water into the bows when going up, or worse catching the bows under the gates. The steerer and lock operator not paying attention.

In this scenario, if unnoticed long enough,the bow water runs to the stern bulkhead,tipping the balance of the boat so that the weed hatch is submerged allowing water to pour in the engine compartment, lowering the stern - and soon the water floods over the rear gunnel - the engine bulkhead prevents water levelling out making the tilt worse, and suddenly the whole back end is underwater. There is now nothing to stop the whole boat instantly filling with water and sinking completely.

 

.......all this traceable to the bilge pump inlet being blocked by a leaf.....

 

In a closing note, why did it take 6 days to open Fobney lock to navigation?

That is shameful.

Edited August 19, 2016 by Horace42

[RLWP]

 

Essentially, if we are talking about canals, rather than deep rivers, then when not in a lock, as the boat starts to take on water, and trim down by the stern, it is very likely to start to drag in the mud.

 

This limits the angle of trim, and increases the time until a major hull opening is submerged.

 

This is true. On our very first hire boat holiday, we bounced along the bottom coming out of Chirk tunnel. The stern gland had come apart and the engine was half submerged

 

Richard

[mark99]

I spent this weekend next to a lock. Let me just say that that some of the standards of boatmanship witnessed was appalling.

[magnetman]

Do the MAIB do reports on these accidents? I have read quite a few of their reports regarding boat accidents (out of interest) and they are quite educational.

 

I don't think they do canal boat incidents unless there are fatalities. It would be good if all the circumstances could be made public by a professional body

[alan_fincher]

Do the MAIB do reports on these accidents? I have read quite a few of their reports regarding boat accidents (out of interest) and they are quite educational.

 

I don't know what MAIB's criteria are for getting involved in accidents or canals and river, but I can't I think remember seeing a report other than in cases where there was a loss of life.

 

And I think even where there is, the MAIB may still not hold an investigation.

[Paul C]

I spent this weekend next to a lock. Let me just say that that some of the standards of boatmanship witnessed was appalling.

 

Nail on head

[J R ALSOP]

I think the loud bang was the engine saying water up my inlet manifold means a hydraulic lock, possibly piston outside of block. which I have seen before I have a photo of a national con-rod bent like a u bolt after suffering the same problem.

[MtB]

 

If we are talking about the K&A sinking, rather than the River Lee one, (the subject of this thread), it has been suggested that the very strong flow of water from the gate paddles can pull the boat very rapidly forwards towards the top gate, and, (if not held on ropes) large amounts of reverse at high power might be necessary to pull you back.

 

 

I think this will turn out to be close to the truth.

 

Given the massive jets of water that blast from the above-water-level gate paddles in that lock combined with possibly a strong draw forwards, I suspect the lady gave it full revs in astern to get the boat away from the waterfall.

 

With a missing weedhatch or unsecured weedhatch that caused no trouble pootling along, the full power in reverse powered a cubic metre or two of water up into the back of the boat through the weedhatch hole under the deckboards, and the rest was inevitable. (The loud bang as already mentioned was the engine wrecking itself as it sucked in a bucketful of the water.)

 

(As an aside I wonder if the boat could have been saved if the stern line someone on the bank was holding had been made fast to a bollard. This might have supported the stern of the boat while the lock was drained by a fott or two, then the boat pumped out.)

Edited August 19, 2016 by Mike the Boilerman

[bizzard]

In bad light and you've forgotten your specs the push buttons for the gates and paddles on those electric lock control consuls are confusing. Sometimes if you happen to press two at once it blows a fuse and everything stops. You have to telephone Enfield H/Q headquarters Q to call out the bloke with the keys to the locks central cabin where the fuses are.

This happened to me and my cousin at Tottenham lock at 11pm on a Saturday night. We were stuck in a full lock with all gates closed. We were delivering a boat from Springfield to B.Stortford. I sent my cousin to the garage in Ferry rd to phone Enfield H/Q headquarters Q to call the stand by chap out. Whilst he was gone a bunch of oiks started throwing beer bottles at me and the boat from the road bridge. I leaped ashore with the boat pole accompanied by my cousins white minature white poodle Sophie to protect me The plan was, if they were to come down the steps onto the lock island I would have whirled the boat pole around and around with such tremendous velocity that it'd swipe the lot of em into the river, plop! Plop! plop! plop!.

Luckily my cousin returned from the garage at that moment with two coppers who had been attending to a till cashier hold up, robbery at the garage. The oiks ran away then. The police kindly phoned up Enfield H/Q headquarters Q for us via their portable phone. That chap turned up at about 2AM and fixed the fuse.

Dawn was breaking and the birds were all atwitter by the time we reached Enfield lock.

[David Mack]

Some sort of timewarp here?

 

This happened in the days when only the Police had mobile phones,yet the birds were already using social media?

[bizzard]

Some sort of timewarp here?

 

This happened in the days when only the Police had mobile phones,yet the birds were already using social media?

This was about 1992. My cousin had a useless big Vodaphone (Avoidaphone) mobile phone but couldn't get a signal. I also believe at the time you couldn't phone BW with a mobile phone anyway, you had to use a landline BT phone, hence most people took note of pubic phone boxes during their travels and kept a pot full of change to use them.

[MtB]

This was about 1992. My cousin had a useless big Vodaphone (Avoidaphone) mobile phone but couldn't get a signal.

 

 

We called 'em voodoofones back in them days...

[jonathanA]

Back to the topic (sort of) I read a report suggesting the fobney lock sinking might have been due to the rudder getting caught in the gates ? Would explain the stern down aspect on the video I suppose ?

[David Mack]

Back to the topic (sort of) I read a report suggesting the fobney lock sinking might have been due to the rudder getting caught in the gates ? Would explain the stern down aspect on the video I suppose ?

 

Unlikely, given that the lock was nearly full before the boat went down, and the back of the boat was nowhere near the bottom gates.

[RLWP]

Back to the topic (sort of) I read a report suggesting the fobney lock sinking might have been due to the rudder getting caught in the gates ? Would explain the stern down aspect on the video I suppose ?

 

That was the recent Droitwich lock incident

 

Richard

[cuthound]

We called 'em voodoofones back in them days...

Ah, so that's how they work ☺

[sueb]

I love all the theories which have little basis on the real reasons.

[Sea Dog]

I love all the theories which have little basis on the real reasons.

What, you mean on how mobile phones work?

[Paul C]

I love all the theories which have little basis on the real reasons.

 

What were the real reasons the boat sunk in the lock?

[GUMPY]

 

What were the real reasons the boat sunk in the lock?

that's easy.

 

It filled with water to a point where its bouyancy was not enough to keep it afloat.

[spadefoot]

that's easy.

 

It filled with water to a point where its bouyancy was not enough to keep it afloat.

Spot on.

[Paul C]

that's easy.

 

It filled with water to a point where its bouyancy was not enough to keep it afloat.

 

Brilliant. But.....why did it take on water?

[GUMPY]

 

Brilliant. But.....why did it take on water?

You didnt ask that you asked why it sank.

[MtB]

I love all the theories which have little basis on the real reasons.

 

 

How do you know the theories have little basis on the real reasons?

 

Just a post designed to stir up trouble, in my opinion.