Tall ship Irving Johnson on fire near Isthmus Cove

[Alan Gomes]

As some of you already know, the Irving Johnson is a tall ship based out of Los Angeles harbor. I am down at the boat, getting prepped for a Catalina trip next week, and heard over the VHF that there is a fire aboard that vessel, which is in the vicinity of Isthmus Cove. At this point I have no other details. I shall continue to monitor and report back any additional information.

 

[Alan Gomes]

Update @ 1:13 pm: the vessel has been assisted and the pan pan cancelled. Still don’t know any more than that, but it sounds like whatever happened is under control.

 

[bsangs]

Update @ 1:13 pm: the vessel has been assisted and the pan pan cancelled. Still don’t know any more than that, but it sounds like whatever happened is under control.

I'd have thought a fire on-board would necessitate a "mayday," not a "pan pan." Am I wrong?

 

[peaman]

I'd have thought a fire on-board would necessitate a "mayday," not a "pan pan." Am I wrong?

If no lives at risk, then pan pan is appropriate. If the ship was docked when fire was spotted, evacuation would not not require assistance.

If the fire is actually visible from other vessels, that, in itself, is considered a distress signal, per Rule 37 of the Navigation Rules.

 

[Alan Gomes]

I believe peaman is correct.

I never actually heard any transmissions from the Irving Johnson side; I only heard the broadcasts from our local CG. The first one was a pan-pan, asking vessels in the area to render assistance. (At that point I made my initial post to EYO.) Whether or not that had been an ongoing pan pan broadcast I can't say, because I had just turned on the VHF. Then, not quite 10 minutes later, the CG cancelled the pan pan. From that I concluded that the situation was in hand.