Tragedy struck during the pre-dawn hours of Jan. 18, as a Seafarer and two officers from the Maritrans tugboat Valour lost their lives when the boat sank in high seas and gale-force winds off the coast of Cape Fear, N.C.Six other men aboard the Valour survived the ordeal. Three are SIU members and three are members of the American Maritime Officers.
Longtime SIU member Ron Emory, age 56, sailing as an AB/tankerman, died in the accident along with Chief Mate Fred Brenner, 53, and Chief Engineer Richard Smoot, 50. Brenner sailed with the SIU from 1971-1985.
The survivors are AB/Tankerman Earl Shepard, AB/Tankerman James Hamilton, Cook Jay Templett, Captain Michael Lynch, Second Mate Jim Garnett and Assistant Engineer Lou Gatto.
“On behalf of everyone in the SIU, I extend our deepest, most heartfelt condolences to the victims’ families and to the surviving shipmates,” stated SIU President Michael Sacco. “Words always seem inadequate at times like this, but we are all part of the ‘Brotherhood of the Sea,’ and we all share in this terrible loss.”
“We are deeply saddened by this incident and the related loss of life. Our primary concern is with the crew and their families,” said Jonathan Whitworth, president of Maritrans Operating Company L.P.
According to company and newspaper reports, the 135-foot Valour was towing the Maritrans tank barge M-192 (carrying 135,000 barrels of No. 6 oil, a thick oil used as fuel) when the tug began taking on water in heavy seas late in the evening of Jan. 17. The tug separated from the barge and sank at approximately 2:30 a.m.
Before the tug went down, Shepard was washed overboard while trying to secure an emergency door. His fellow mariners attempted to rescue him but were thwarted by the heavy seas. Shepard eventually was saved by a U.S. Coast Guard helicopter.
Another seagoing tug, the Justine Foss, reportedly was in the area after completing a long-distance assignment and answered a Coast Guard call for assistance as the Valour was sinking. The Justine Foss arrived in time to pick up the remaining survivors as the Valour went down.
Emory, wearing a survival suit, was lost at sea. According to unconfirmed reports, he likely was injured before the boat sank, possibly fatally. The Coast Guard dispatched a search team but later called off the search on Jan. 19.
Similarly, and also according to unconfirmed reports, one of the officers was badly injured and may already have perished before going down with the i>Valour.
Maritrans reported that the Coast Guard later in the day helped secure its drifting fuel barge and arranged for its tow to Wilmington, N.C. The barge apparently was undamaged and lost no cargo.
The Coast Guard is investigating the sinking. As this edition of the Seafarers LOG went to press, there had been no official report indicating whether the sinking strictly was due to the severe weather or if other factors contributed.
Shepard, who has sailed with the SIU for more than 30 years, was understandably distraught following the accident but quietly described Emory as “a great guy. I worked with him for 28 years. He was retired from the Navy—a great seaman and a loving family man…. The whole thing seems like a bad dream. It happened so fast.”
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