Clipper Sank Quickly, Mate Tells Inquiry

A sunburned survivor of the clipper Pride of Baltimore testified Friday that the tall ship sank so quickly in a sudden violent squall that the 12 crew members did not have time to put on life jackets.

John Flanagan, first mate of the sailing ship, told a Coast Guard board of inquiry that the vessel sank in less than a minute on May 14 north of Puerto Rico. Two crew members drowned and two others, including the captain, are missing.

The Coast Guard said six aircraft and a ship are continuing to search for Capt. Armin Elsaesser and crewman Vinney Lazaro.

Without Preservers

Flanagan said the crew members, including four women, were not wearing life preservers when 80-m.p.h. winds struck.

“Life preservers don’t help you stay in the boat and you don’t plan to leave the boat when you are on it,” he said. “If it’s blowing really hard, they might put them on.”

However, Flanagan said that the ship had the necessary safety equipment. The eight survivors managed to get into an inflatable life raft, in which they drifted for 4 1/2 days before being rescued by a Norwegian freighter.

Flanagan said the crew had had ample time to check the ship’s equipment during a layover in Malaga, Spain, in December.

‘Hurry, Hurry, Hurry’

“This was a luxury for all of us. This was one time when we were able to plan the schedule . . . . It’s usually hurry, hurry, hurry,” he said.

Flanagan, who has been a sailor for seven years, said he reminded himself during the ordeal that “you never leave the boat until the boat leaves you.”

He testified at an inquiry that Coast Guard Cmdr. John Maxham said was called to “determine the cause of the casualty to the fullest extent possible . . . and to obtain information for the purpose of preventing or reducing the effects of similar casualties in the future.”

The hearing is also expected to focus on the design of the city-owned vessel, which served as a good-will ambassador for Baltimore.