Researched and written by Tom O'Grady
While
most of the posts on this blog feature aspects of the locks and grounds
themselves, or historical events, this post will mark a decided
departure from past posts. This is an article where the Ballard Locks
are really just part of the backdrop of one of the more dramatic stories
we've come across. But the fact that the locks were involved in even
the slightest fashion, is all the excuse needed to share a great story.
This is not a drill!
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| Crystal S crew being rescued by the Bering Sea |
The above photo was taken by the cook aboard the Bering Sea as it reached the 5
crew members from the now sunken Crystal S after they had spent the last 3
hours sitting atop their overturned lifeboat after abandoning ship.
Although the text accompanying the photograph mentions that they had
spent 9 hours adrift, 3 hours seems more accurate, although it might
well have been 9 hours until they were landed safely back on shore after
the incident.
Before
going into what's known of the details of the boat's sinking, let's
look into the development of the most crucial piece of equipment which
was the primary reason for this story to have had the best of all
possible outcomes, given the boat's failure.
