Former Captain of Tanker Indicted in Fatal Collision

The former captain of the oil tanker Golden Gate was charged Friday with criminal negligence and inattention to duty during the ship collision that resulted in the deaths of the captain and two-man crew of the fishing vessel Jack Jr.

David C. Hilger, 31, was charged in a federal grand jury indictment with negligence in the Memorial Day, 1986, ramming of the Jack Jr., which sent the vessel to the ocean floor seven miles off Point Reyes.

He faces a potential 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine on each of three counts if convicted.

U.S. Atty. Joseph Russoniello told a news conference that Hilger’s purported negligence was based in part on his failure to return to the bridge at the time of the incident and failing to reduce speed in the foggy weather or post a lookout on the bow.

Now on Leave

Hilger is now on leave from Keystone Shipping Co., which owned the tanker. He is a first-year student at Harvard Business School, according to Russoniello.

Hilger’s attorney, Gregory Stout, insisted that Hilger was not negligent and that his actions had been completely proper.

Jack Jr. skipper Jack Favaloro and crew members Vincenzo Ingargiola and Thomas McCarthy died in the May 26, 1986, collision.

The Jack Jr. was rammed on Memorial Day while dead in the water, with its crew hauling in its nets, a Coast Guard investigation showed.

Hilger admitted during testimony at the Coast Guard hearing on the sinking that at the time of the ship’s collision, a warning alarm was turned off and that one of two lookouts was not at his post.

He also said the heavily laden oil tanker was steaming at high speed in foggy weather.