Korean Ship Blamed in Yacht Deaths

Police on Tuesday blamed a South Korean freighter for ramming and sinking an American yacht last year, killing three members of a California family.

The 46-foot Melinda Lee sank off the northern tip of New Zealand on Nov. 24. Judith Ann Sleavin, 43, of Santa Clarita was the yacht’s sole survivor. Killed were her 9-year-old son, Benjamin; her 7-year-old daughter, Anna, and her husband, Michael, 42.

Police said previously that the South Korean log carrier Pan Grace might have been involved, but Tuesday was the first time they made the accusation.

Han Sang-yoon, 26, a second mate of the Pan Grace, faced possible indictment on charges of neglecting safety measures on the night when the 27,000-ton ship crashed into the yacht in rough seas, officials said.

Officials in the district prosecutor’s office in the South Korean city of Inchon said they have not decided whether to indict Han. Prosecutors earlier had rejected a police request to arrest him, police said.

“Mr. Han saw a red light and altered his ship’s course to avoid it, but he should have taken more safety measures,” police investigator Son Jae-seo said Tuesday. Han was the ship’s duty officer at the time of the accident.

Police booked him Monday for accidental homicides arising out of his duties and asked the prosecution to indict him. If convicted on such charges, Han could face a maximum of five years in prison.

The Melinda Lee was sailing from Tonga to New Zealand when the tragedy occurred.

Judith Sleavin washed ashore on New Zealand’s North Island after drifting for a day and a half on a life raft. She fractured two vertebrae as she scrambled onto rocks.

No Pan Grace crewmen admitted seeing the accident. But they testified that because of bad sea conditions, their ship could have hit the yacht without their knowing it.

Son said that although circumstantial evidence strongly suggested the ship’s involvement, police waited for the results of scientific analysis of paint chips found on the bow of the freighter.

The state-run National Institute of Scientific Investigation said the blue paint chips were identical to the paint used on the American yacht.

In California, a San Diego boating newspaper, The Log, quoted the chief U.S. Coast Guard investigator as saying it took five minutes before the course correction ordered by Han took place. The investigator also criticized the Sleavins for having their yacht on automatic pilot in heavy weather and not maintaining a deck watch, The Log said.