Capsize of M/Y BAADEN at Launch: NTSB Report

[jimh]

The National Transportation and Safety Board has issued a report on the capsize of the recreational motor yacht BAADEN that occurred on the launching of the vessel at the Fidalgo Marina ramp in Anacortes, Washington. As a result of the unfortunate capsize, the vessel was declared a total structural loss, representing an estimated $10-million claim against the insurers, and was shortly followed by the builder going out of business.

The NTSB report makes for interesting reading and offers insight into the cause of the capsize. See

http://www.ntsb.gov/investigations/Acci ... AB1514.pdf

A motion picture recording of portions of the disastrous launch is included in this presentation on youTube:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lEBJjsdTyWY

[JRP]

From the report:

Vessel and Builder
New World Yacht Builders began construction of the Baaden in December 2011, working from an existing 80-foot-hull mold built in 2002 by Northern Marine. Like other large Northern Marine yachts, the vessel was custom designed. The 80-foot mold was lengthened in the midsection and stem, the bow was given more flare, and a swim platform was added. The resulting 85-foot vessel was designated Northern Marine model 8501 and was the first of its kind. New World described the Baaden as having commercial fishing vessel roots in an 85-foot European-style, luxury, long-range, oceangoing expedition yacht. The builder, the buyer’s representative, and an interior design firm collaborated on the vessel design and styling. Several sister vessels built to the 80-foot-hull design were completed and are in operation.

Note that there is no attribution of the design to any naval architect. Not surprisingly:

Probable Cause

The National Transportation Safety Board determines that the probable cause of the capsizing of the yacht Baaden during its initial launch was the vessel’s low margin of stability due to the combined effects of a recording error during the final vessel weigh, which resulted in an incorrect assessment of the vessel’s center of gravity, and an overestimation of the weight of installed ballast.

[jimh]

The yacht just looks top-heavy to me. It was projected to have a draft of about 7-feet, but it has a towering superstructure. One might speculate how seaworthy the vessel would have been if it had only survived the launching process. I don't know that I would want to be aboard in a Pacific Ocean storm, when one might find out that the stability calculations were--just like for the launching--incorrectly done.

[JRP]

The yacht just looks top-heavy to me.

I had the same impression. It's possible the extensive modifications to enlarge and stretch the design are the root of the problem. But if I owned one of the smaller sisterships, I would still have my doubts.

[jimh]

A corollary incident, problems with stability of a large vessel, was described in a prior article in The Old Forum. See Maritime Casualty: HOEGH OSAKA. A prudent master put the vessel aground on a sand bar before the list progressed into a complete capsize. That incident is still being investigated.

An interesting observation in the BAADEN case is the design of the launching trailer. The NTSB noted that during the launching on the ramp, the stern of the vessel became buoyant while the forward portion was still resting on the forward carrier of the tailer. The forward carrier had no lateral supports, and it permitted the vessel to roll or list as it pleased. If the forward part of the vessel while still on the trailer had been rigged with lateral supports, it may have survived the launching process without the fatal capsize roll.

[JRP]

If the forward part of the vessel while still on the trailer had been rigged with lateral supports, it may have survived the launching process without the fatal capsize roll.

To my way of thinking, they lucked out when it rolled over at launch. If it had survived the launch, there is a good chance the operators would have met a tragic end somewhere on the high seas. This may not be much consolation to the owner, but a capsize in safe harbor at the dock is the best place for it to happen.

[jimh]

Many years ago (c.2003) we were cruising the Inside Passage behind Vancouver Island in the Pacific northwest. We were spending a night at a resort's dock and across from us was a 90-foot expedition yacht. About 3 a.m. I was awakened when the yacht fired up its big diesel engine and got underway. At first I thought the guy was perhaps departing in the middle of the night to skip out on his dockage bill, but by the time I got up the next morning the yacht was back at the dock.

I asked the captain what was going on at 3 a.m. with getting underway. He said the tide was unusually low that night, and his depth alarm went off when they had less than 2-feet under the keel. He had to move away from the dock and get into deeper water before low tide. The big yacht drew 9-feet of water. It had much lower topsides than the BAADEN. It was missing about one entire deck of superstructure compared to the BAADEN. And it had a draft of 9-feet. That sounds more like the proportions you'd want in an ocean-going expedition yacht. Not a three-layer wedding cake superstructure on a hull that drew 6-feet.

[Dutchman]

I would have stopped the launch when it was going in and it was listing as much as it did.

The local news channel shows a picture of one of the under(or over depends how you look at it) rated dollies with 4 flat tires on one side under the boat.

Sad for all parties involved but as mentioned better there in the harbor than out on the ocean.

[Don SSDD]

Looks to me like the ballast was all wrong, she didn't really try to right herself all all, that hull was floating from the start. Unless they had no water under the trailer and boat and it just laid over?

When you launch a boat, it floats off the trailer eventually, that hull's ballast was too light.

Don

[jimh]

The NTSB report explains the cause of the capsize and deficiencies in the ballast, the launching method, and the trailer.