On February21, 2012, the uninspected fishing vessel Plan B was in the Gulf of Maine, en route to Gloucester, Massachusetts. The 2 crewmembers (captain and deckhand) were in the process of draining water from the fish tanks when a pipe broke, allowing water to flood into the engine room. Attempts to stop the flooding were unsuccessful, and at 0720, the vessel sank in about 290 feet of water 10 nautical miles southeast of Kennebunkport, Maine. The captain and the deckhand were rescued and sustained no injuries.
We determined that the probable cause of the Plan B sinking was the inability of the crew to control flooding from the broken PVC (polyvinyl chloride) pipe, which was in open communication with the sea.
