Death Toll Climbs to 19 U.S. Sailors in Ferry Capsizing

The death toll rose to 19 and an investigation got under way Saturday after a chartered ferry capsized while carrying more than 100 American sailors in the Middle East as part of Operation Desert Shield.

Survivors said the Israeli ferry Tuvia went under almost instantly in heavy seas just after midnight Friday while ferrying crewmen back to the aircraft carrier Saratoga from holiday shore leave in the Israeli port of Haifa.

“All of a sudden, I saw water just come flying in. It was maybe two seconds, and the boat rolled right over,” said Chief Petty Officer Lance Vickery, 33, of Jacksonville, Fla.

Israel and the United States launched investigations, but in a preliminary check, Israeli divers said there were no signs of sabotage against the vessel. Senior military officials said they were waiting for the Tuvia to be towed to shore to complete their investigation.

“It’s clear that it’s an accident,” said Israeli Defense Minister Moshe Arens. “The lives of many were in danger. We did from our side all that was possible--maybe one can say beyond that--to rescue the lives of the American sailors.”

Divers retrieved six bodies from the sunken craft in 65 feet of water. The other victims were found dead on the surface or died of injuries after being picked up, officials said. Three dozen sailors were taken to hospitals, but all but six were released by Saturday afternoon.

At that time two men were still reported unaccounted for. But U.S. Navy officials said they believed they would be located as all 1,920 crewmen who began liberty Friday returned, under orders, to the carrier and its three escort ships.

The 16,000-ton Saratoga and its escorts were on leave in the Mediterranean Sea. The ships had been deployed in the Red Sea in the aftermath of Iraq’s invasion of Kuwait on Aug. 2.

Several sailors rescued from the Tuvia said the craft may have been overloaded. One of the two Israeli crewmen said he believed too many sailors were crowded into the ferry’s stern.

But Maj. Gen. Micha Ram, the commander of Israel’s navy, said on Israel radio that the Tuvia had been licensed to carry 130 passengers but took only about 100 because the seas were running high.

“Until the boat is retrieved and can be examined . . . we cannot point to any negligence,” he said.

Ram said the craft went down in 15 or 20 seconds, adding: “I have never known a vessel to sink so fast.”

The 57-foot-long, double-deck ferry capsized about 200 yards from the Saratoga, which was anchored outside the harbor’s breakwater about a mile offshore. The waves were reported at three to four feet and winds at 35 m.p.h. when the craft keeled over.

Late Saturday the Navy released the names of 14 of those killed; the remaining five were withheld pending the notification of relatives. The 14 were:

--Airman Apprentice Christopher B. Brown, 19, Leslie, Ga.

--Airman Apprentice Darrell K. Brown, 19, Memphis, Tenn.

--Seaman Monray C. Carrington, 22, North Braddock, Pa.

--Airman Larry M. Clark, 21, Decatur, Ga.

--Signalman 3rd Class Delwin Delgado, 26, Jacksonville, Fla.

--Fireman Wilton L. Huyghue, 20, St. Thomas, Virgin Islands.

--Fire Control Technician 3rd Class Timothy J. Jackson, 20, Anniston, Ala.

--Airman Brent A. McCreight, 23, Eminence, Ky.

--Airman Apprentice Randy L. Neel, 19, Albuquerque, N.M.

--Data Systems Technician 3rd Class Matthew J. Schiedler, 20, Hubbard, Ore.

--Disbursing Clerk 3rd Class Timothy B. Seay, 22, Thomaston, Ga.

--Mess Management Specialist Apprentice Jeffrey A. Settimi, 25, Fort Wayne, Ind.

--Fire Control Technician Chief Jeffrey W. Shukers, 28, Union, Iowa.

--Mess Management Specialist 2nd Class Philip L. Wilkinson, 35, Savannah, Ga.