Fire at Sea

Below is the public service function that Amatuers in Alaska provided for the cruise ship Prinsendam fire at sea in 1980. The report was written for the ARRL by Don Bush KL7JFT, Emergency Coordinator of Juneau and edited by John Wyatt KL7HBV, Public Relations Manager of the Juneau Amateur Radio Club (at that time).

         In the early-morning hours of Saturday, October 4^th, the Dutch cruise ship Prinsendam caught fire in the Gulf of Alaska. After failing to control the flames which started in the engine room, the captain passed word to abandon ship. The vessel was 150 miles northwest of Cape Spencer, Alaska, at 57 38”N latitude, 140 25”W longitude.

         Five hundred thirty-three (533) passengers and crew, many of whom were still dressed in night clothes, boarded the lifeboats.  Personal items, including medicine and eyeglasses, were left on the ship; this especially endangered some individuals.  Sea conditions were poor with 12 to 20-foot waves and high winds, but U.S. Coast Guard (U.S.C.G.) C-130’s and helicopters were soon overhead.  The closest ship, the oil tanker Williamsburgh, was diverted to the scene as were the U.S.C.G. Cutters Boutwell and Mellon.  Amateur radio operators monitoring the incident quickly realized that after the passengers were rescued and reached shore, there would be a flood of reassuring messages to families and friends as well as many incoming inquiries concerning the survivors’ well being.

          The passengers had to be lifted one at a time from the overcrowded lifeboats which had either run out of fuel or were unable to maneuver alongside the rescue ships.  Many were suffering from exposure, a reminder that the prompt rescue had prevented loss of life; another hour would have been too late for some.  A few individuals were immediately airlifted to Sitka via Yakutat, and the Boutwell headed there with 82 others.  However, Valdez was the only port which could berth the 1,000-foot tanker, so the Williamsburgh headed north.

           During the rescue, hams were organizing health-and-welfare nets and preparing for the communications crunch to come.  Liaison with the Red Cross, Alaska State Troopers, and the Coast Guard was initiated.  Plans for transportation were considered.

          At 0800 Saturday morning, WB6ILD, Rich Dobbs of Santa Cruz, California, contacted KL7JAW, Hal Hogberg, in Juneau.  KL7JAW alerted KL7JFT, Don Bush, the Emergency Coordinator (EC) for Southeast Alaska.  A listening watch was immediately established on 14.292, and KL7JFY, Ken Smith of Soldotna, used VHF to alert AL7AW, Bob McKinnie, the Anchorage EC.  As usual, 20 meters did not provide reliable contacts between Anchorage and Juneau, so relays through California were required.  The situation was quickly assessed, and the Amateur participation was planned.  KL7GQ, Roy Hansen of Anchorage, volunteered to go to Valdez because the local hams could not be located.  While he was enroute via a chartered bush plane, other hams were joining the effort, and the emergency network came to life.

          After the U.S.C.G.’s course of action was known, hams in the Sitka area were made aware that passengers were heading their way by air and sea.  KL7BLZ, Rocky Gutierrez, came up on 14.292 in Sitka to provide a local contact on that net, and alternate frequencies were identified as 7.250 and 3.900 MHz.

          KL7JIG, Herb Brasseur, the assistant EC from Anchorage, contacted the American Red Cross, which set its operation into action.  KL7C, Ray Morris, began checking into possible transportation systems to evacuate the passengers from Valdez.  Valdez has a small airport prone to closure by bad weather.

          KL7JFY and KL7JFT set up communication control points for the various nets.  Because of the poor condition of 20 meters, KL7JFY and KL7JFT shifted to 40 meters; and later, as 40 also failed, they moved to 75 meters for instate communications.  KL7HBV, “Little John” Wyatt of Juneau, KL7JAW and his XYL Pat, kept the 20-meter net growing with the able help of W6JZU, Smitty in Los Altos Hills, California, and W7KIC, Ed Cook in Myrtle Creek, Oregon.  A number of the northern California net members stood by all day waiting for any opportunity to contribute the services of their fine group.  KLCXJ/MM, John Swapp, along the Oregon coast on the U.S.C.G. Cutter Plantree; WA6DSB, J. Coats in Flint, Michigan; WA6TAV; WB6JYH/Aeronautical Mobile; K7YGX; and many others were of great help.

          KL7JFT, Don Bush of Juneau, who operates a C.G. Auxillary Radio Station, coordinated with that agency’s Rescue Coordination Center, keeping them aware of the amateurs’ efforts and capabilities.  KL7HRN, Ed Luteran, kept the same coordination going with the Air Force Rescue Center at Elmendorf Air Force Base in Anchroage.

          KL7GQ was on the air in Valdez by Saturday night transmitting from the Copper Spike Travel Agency and using a unique 20/40/80 antenna designed for use with the famous 1,049-mile Iditarod Dogsled Race between Anchorage and Nome.  Roy coordinated his efforts with the C.G. and Corporal Polk, the Alaska State Trooper’s officer in chare of evacuating the passengers who were brought to Valdez.  During this time, much of the Sitka-Juneau-Valdez-Anchorage traffic was relayed through stations in California or shifted between bands.

          N7BJN, Bill Morrow in Skagway, helped W6SFF, Ed Shilling in Juneau, in relays to Sitka.  KL7JDG, Jack Diebag in Sitka, worked outbound traffic on 75 and 40 meters; and KL7BLZ, limited to 20 in Sitka, coordinated incoming messages.  KL7AW, Marwood Harris, and his YL KL7JBC, Mary Claire, helped W6SJJ on 40.  Juneau maintained frequency liaison on the HF frequencies via local VHF, with KL7JFT and his YL Wl7ALT, Judy, moving among the frequencies keeping everything working smoothly.  KL7RU, Jim Kemp in Juneau, and KL7IBG, Hank Prentice in Ketchikan, relayed between 20 and 40 and assisted in the increasing volume of messages.

          The National Traffic System was notified; KL7L, Patty Olson, and TCA Representative for Alaska, and WB7WOW, Bob Roesner in Oak Harbor, Washington, the Region-7 Manager, were both on frequency to assist in traffic handling.  Once KL7IZA and KL7IZT, Doug Lockwood and Doug II, were found, they immediately set up a second station in the Copper Spike to aide KL7GQ with the anticipated flurry of messages from the nearly 400 passengers and crew arriving on the Williamsburgh.  The nets were poised; hams everywhere were set; the system was ready.

          Many inquiries were coming in from the “Lower 48” and Canada concerning the passengers and the ship.  KL7JFT, in close contact with the Coast Guard, kept the nets aware of the situation and ETAS’s of the two ships.  KL7JKW and KL7JAW, following the story via other media, also helped keep the net aware of developments.  Although the nets were not news outlets and did not attempt to serve as news agencies, those basic reports cheered the hams standing by as they heard of the superb rescue efforts of the U.S. Coast Guard.

          KL7IQQ, Lawrence Nudson of Kenai, checked in and assisted KL7JFY with HF relays and 2-meter coordination between the nets.  In Sitka, KL7JDG and AL7AH, Bill Reich, handled communication.  They were aided by WL7AMC, AL7AME, and WL7AFZ.  AL7AH set up a 2-meter network between the HJ stations and himself in order to get the traffic to and from the passengers who were spread throughout Sitka.  When the Boutwell arrived, KL7BLZ obtained the passenger manifest and passed it to the many stations waiting to see which port the individual passengers would be in to allow correct routing of incoming traffic.  Every hotel, motel, and spare room in Sitka was filled.  Merchants opened their stores, and restaurants put on buffets and smorgasbords in the “grand ole” Alaskan tradition.  Sitka’s pharmacy filled more prescriptions for the passengers in one hour than in an average day’s business.  Since all passengers except one had been able to walk off the Boutwell, everyone was in good spirits, and the feeling of celebration was in order.

          Eventually the wait was over in Valdez,  too—the Williamsburgh arrived. Several messages from Sitka and elsewhere had already arrived requesting the location and condition of individuals from the Prinsendam.  Priority was given to messages from families and married couples separated during the rescue and who ended up in different ports.  With so many arriving so late and being housed in various places, locating individuals became a task in Valdez.  As in Sitka, every available bed  was taken, but true Alaskan hospitality prevailed, and everyone was cared for in splendid fashion.  Even in port, however, the medical teams continued to provide their special and especially necessary services.

          The bands continued to shift, but there was always a ham in the right place to assist.  WL7AKP, George Page in Petersburg, KL7JL , John in Homer, and K6ITL, Nock Knochenhauer in San Mateo, California, were on hand and helped.  Again the California stations provided the necessary relays.

          One of the greatest problems which had to be overcome concerned traffic to foreign countries with which the U.S. has no third-party agreement.  Foreign passengers on the Prinsendam came from Belgium, Holland, England, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Austria, and Tasmania.  VE6ALI, Jim Lawerence in Calgary, British Columbia, and W6JZU, Smitty, came to the rescue and were able to route much of the foreign traffic through the consulates or Embassies of the nations involved.  Although a little friendly “backmail” was required in the case of one consulate, this method of moving 3^rd party traffice seemed to be successful.

          Monday brought continued traffic out of Valdez and Sitka, as the evacuations began.  Because of the limited runway in Valdez, only Wien Airwy’s 737 was able to ferry passengers to connecting flight to Anchorage.  The final passengers from Sitka were flown south on Alaska Airlines.  W6SJJ, KL7AW,  and KL7RU continued to pass traffic during the day on Monday.  KL7HBV relayed traffic between 40 and 20 meters during the day from the high school classroom where he teaches.  KL7JFT WL7ALT, and KL7JAW concluded the traffic during Monday Evening.  Many others helped.  The Alaskan hams only got the ball rolling, and in the true spirit of ham radio, lots of help was available; everyone did his duties well.  The old-timers contributed their experiences, and the newcomers were willing to learn.  Consequently, the nets were fully manned and orderly.  Good training and practice paid off.  Even the contesters were cooperative and stayed away from the working frequencies.  The job of guarding and the sidebands was always covered; this thankless task made passing traffic under poor conditions possible, and those who helped in this way are to be commended.  By the time the last messages were filed, 52 hours had passed, and another Public Service Communication Event was completed.

          I would like to especially thank KL7GQ for his contribution during this incident.  Roy, who arrived in Valdez with only $7.00 in his pocket, provided solid and reliable contacts throughout the two days.  Incidentally one unnamed hero is the charter pilot who flew Roy to Valdez.  When he heard that Roy (and Amateur Radio) was doing, he refused to accept payment for the flight as his part in helping.  Thanks to both.

          As EC in Juneau, I would like to thank all those who helped with the rescue, the communications, or in support of others involved in some phase of the Prinsendam situation.

          It was a job well done………………

KL7JFT

Don Bush, EC Juneau, Alaska

As a final note on the incident; thanks to the heroism of the USCG and all the others involved in the rescue, there wasn't a single fatality. Over 300 pieces of traffic were handled and delivered quite expeditiously. The vessel iself, being watched by the Coast Guard, although unable to be salvaged safely, sunk off the coast of Sitka without any difficulties or hazards at approximately 0841, October 11th.

The USCG and the State of Alaska later awarded Certificates of Appreciation to many of the Ham Radio Operators involved. While we did not do this for the recognition or the certificates, it was very nice to be recognized. Amateur Radio is all about Public Service.

It's always cool to hear from others who remember this, and here's a couple of them:

Very interesting to read, I had not read this before in "QST" but I am happy to read it now. As an interesting point, 500 kHz Morse coverage included Juneau to Kodiak and beyond - I recently received an email from a USCG radioman who was stationed next to the RCC in Juneau - he tuned a radio to 500 kHz and picked up the morse communications and walked it into the RCC office. It puzzled RCC how he could beat the teletype from Kodiak. He beat it because he copied it directly from the source. To all of you who helped during this distess, my thanks and appreciation. I had no idea there was so much ham traffic, if I hadn't been involved on 500 kHz with the Prinsendam, I would have enjoyed taking part in that portion of the communications also! Thanks again for all the good work. 73 David J. Ring, Jr., N1EA Radio Officer, T/T WILLIAMSBURGH/WGOA 4 October 1980

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