A GREAT LAKES SAILOR
Alan DeFrain - Part 3
by Janis Stein

Join in the continuation as our featured Great Lakes sailor recalls the Jupiter disaster of 1990.

During his days aboard the M/V Saturn, the tanker sometimes hauled liquid asphalt made in Detroit. The hot cargo needed to maintain its temperature of 300 degrees during the trip. Should the liquid asphalt cool, the material would harden, rendering it useless. In later years, the M/V Saturn would haul the same product from Montreal to Oswego, New York.

Time in port for the sailors working aboard the tankers varied, depending upon the dock, the size of the lines and the cargo carried. Loading might take up to 12 hours or it might take all day. When the tanks were located in close proximity to the ship and if the pipe was large, as was the case in some ports, load times were efficient with little time wasted in port. Should the tanker be loaded at a refinery with small piping running from the refinery to the ship, it would take a good deal longer for the tanker to obtain her cargo.

Along with sailing on the M/V Gemini and M/V Saturn, Alan also worked aboard the M/V Jupiter periodically. The M/V Jupiter boasted 12 tanks and, because of her piping, she was able to carry six different products at once. All three of Cleveland Tanker’s boats had been built with a double hull. With this additional barrier, the ballast tank between the two hulls provided additional environmental protection from the M/V Jupiter’s flammable cargo. The tankers hauled jet fuel, gasoline, a variety of oils, diesel and a heavy oil known as Bunker C.

On a few occasions, the tanker boats Alan worked aboard carried critical chemical cargoes. Because of the hazardous material, over the years, modifications needed to be made to reduce or eliminate a sailor’s contact with hazardous fumes. So constant were the changes, a sailor needed to work hard to keep up with it all. Alan even had one instance when the tanks needed to be purged with nitrogen, because the product would become contaminated should there be contact with air.

In his early days aboard the tankers and prior to achieving his license, Alan enjoyed year-round work with U.S. Steel, the tankers plowing their way through ice on the St. Clair River, back in the days when ice covered the waters. The tankers sought the assistance of the Coast Guard’s mighty icebreakers when the circumstance warranted a bit of extra help. The name given to tankers operating through the winter months had been dubbed Operation Oil Can.

In September of 1990, while Alan worked as Second Mate aboard the M/V Saturn, he received word the M/V Jupiter was in need of another crewmember. Alan or another sailor could fill the slot; the latter sailor gave Alan the chance to go, and Alan agreed. Driving all night, Alan arrived in Bay City at approximately 3 a.m. to join the crew, the M/V Jupiter docked at the Total Petroleum facility on the Saginaw River and in the process of unloading its 56,000 barrels of gasoline. The first mate offered to continue standing watch, telling Alan to go to bed since he’d likely be tired from driving for so long.

Alan awoke on September 16 to a misty morning with low-lying clouds hovering overhead. While the M/V Jupiter continued to unload, Alan quickly trekked into Bay City to purchase the Sunday paper, a bit of reading to entertain him later in the day. Upon his return, he and the first mate were reviewing the day’s agenda when mayhem on the M/V Jupiter erupted.

To Alan’s disbelief, gasoline arched through the air, streaming onto the boat. A popping sound on the dock reverberated in his mind as Alan’s survival training kicked into gear. The captain sounded the alarm Alan had only heard in drills: Abandon ship!

In haste, Alan donned his survival suit. Alan also quickly reminded the relief captain he was on board and might not yet be on the crew list lest they do a head count after the disaster and think all sailors on the list were accounted for. The loud bang told Alan’s ears what his brain already knew. The M/V Jupiter exploded.

Alan jumped from the stern of the M/V Jupiter into the Saginaw River. From his position in the water, he watched the fiery inferno in awe until a Coast Guard boat plucked him from the water. Oxygen, spark and fuel created the perfect fire triangle.

The staggering image of the burning M/V Jupiter haunts him still.

One by one, the sailors were pulled from the water until all were accounted for, all but one.

The surviving sailors were transported to Bay City’s downtown Holiday Inn where Alan and his comrades were left to contemplate the events leading up to the disaster. While the M/V Jupiter was unloading her flammable cargo, just prior to the explosion, the self-unloader M/V Buffalo passed. Allegations quickly arose, stating the M/V Buffalo had been going too fast, creating a surge that pulled the M/V Jupiter loose. But was the M/V Buffalo the only one at fault?

Be sure to look for the continuation next month as Alan DeFrain recalls how sailing on the Great Lakes changed as a result of the computer revolution. Computers were supposed to reduce the amount of paperwork, but the reality was far different.

© 2008 Stein Expressions, LLC