Back Draft Is Blamed in 2002 Ship Sinking
A back-draft explosion caused when crew members opened hatches before a fire suppression system had been activated apparently sank the fish processor Galaxy in 2002 near St. Paul Island in the Bering Sea, the Coast Guard said in Anchorage.
Oxygen reintroduced to a fire burning in the ship’s engine room probably caused the explosion and accelerated the engine room fire, the Coast Guard said.
Three men died, including one blown off the ship in the explosion. Two days later, a fourth was swept off a vessel as it searched for survivors.
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