Originally published at: https://boingboing.net/2018/07/20/11-dead-in-missouri-duck-boat.html
…
1 Like
The UK Marine Accident Investigation Branch has published reports into various DUKW-related incidents.
Essentially, they are only used on relatively sheltered waters in the UK- nothing like the size of this lake, so no room for waves to build up. EDIT: They are classified as “Category C” vessels, so only allowed to operate on waters where waves are never expected to exceed 1.2m, rather than the 5ft waves in this incident.
The first incident was a sinking after the propeller was fouled, the other two were fires- at least one caused by the buoyancy foam installed to prevent a repeat of the first sinking incident. Apparently there isn’t space to install enough foam to make a DUKW unsinkable without having some dangerously close to hot and/or moving engine parts, although after the second incident that operator modified its fleet to make them unsinkable by a combination of reducing weight (replacing steel with aluminium) and fitting underseat buoyancy tanks.
8 Likes
The “Sudden intense storm capsizes a tourist boat” reminds me of the sinking of the water taxi Lady D in Baltimore. It wasn’t a DUKW, but sudden storms like this are a hazard to many kinds of small craft. https://www.ntsb.gov/investigations/AccidentReports/Reports/MAR0601.pdf
7 Likes
That low canopy appears to be all but designed to trap the passengers inside in case of capsizing.
I’ve ridden the duck boats at Wisconsin Dells where they operate on a sheltered river and I’d do it again. Never get me out on an open lake in one though…
7 Likes
That, and originally they only have about 30cm (~1 foot) of freeboard (distance between the waterline and deck). I’ve read plenty of stories about these swamping and sinking in only moderately choppy water during the war, so given DUKWs known shortcomings with weather I wouldn’t be surprised if the operators are found to be negligent for setting out with a storm forecasted.
3 Likes
I am alone in hearing the news story and imagining that a “duck boat” was like something out of the Penguin’s arsenal in Batman (despite me being aware of DWKs).
5 Likes
That’s really tragic. Wouldn’t the passengers be wearing a life jacket by any chance?
4 Likes
It’s hard to tell exactly what happened in this case regarding that. Any type of commercial vessel with passengers would have to provide enough life vests for everyone on board. Regardless, it’s one thing to have enough life vests available, it’s another thing to be able to get ahold of one and then be able to egress before it’s too late. Of course it always gets more complicated when kids are involved.
1 Like
Yeah there’s any number of factors that could’ve happened, people wearing them incorrectly or getting stuck/trapped on something as the vehicle was sinking.
2 Likes
The captain should have, and possibly did, have everyone wear one as soon as the weather turned foul. With that enclosed canopy, people could still be trapped.
4 Likes
I can’t even imagine how scary something like this would be 
6 Likes
Still true. Few months back I took a tour on one in Miami. You can basically reach over the side and touch the water–and people did, hoping maybe they’d be able to pet a Manatee coming up for air.
2 Likes
Yeah, after a boat capsizes, life jackets can sometimes be counterproductive. They make it more difficult to escape through small openings and nearly impossible to swim DOWN to escape if that is necessary.
4 Likes
“Someone oughta help theyem…”
If only there were some way you could call the coast guard and tell them where you were or something…
Maybe someday we’ll have the technology ( and or the brains ).
1 Like
OH man that sucks. Aren’t they supposed to have flotation devices for everyone?
Table Rock is a gorgeous area with water sooo clear.
2 Likes
The franchise in Seattle was closed for nearly a year after a Duck collided with a charter bus on a narrow bridge and killed several college students. NTSB ruled that the Duck was improperly maintained. I’ve always kind of wanted to take the tour but they do seem astonishingly unsafe.
5 Likes
Regular maintenance is important. Especially because lasting for 70 years was never part of their design brief.
5 Likes
For folks not familiar with Wisconsin Dells, the duck boats have been an attraction there since WWII ended. The river they run on is sheltered by tall sandstone cliffs. This is an area of Wisconsin that I spent a ton of time in as a kid, as my grandparents lived 15 miles from the Dells (they moved to the area on purpose to lure us grandkids there as frequently as our parents could manage).
It’s been reported that children are among the dead; may the survivors eventually find peace. May the operators be dealt with as necessary.
6 Likes
This definitely breaks my heart. I mean any death is tragic but damn… that’s heart wrenching.
3 Likes
I had the great displeasure of being on a ~50 passenger boat that went down on a moderately sized lake. No one died thankfully, waters were calm and water temps were fairly warm. But Jesus did people turn into animals. I saw one 60+ year old man rip several child life preservers from the storage area and swim off. People were pushing, shoving, fighting, etc… I can’t even imagine what it would have been like in conditions like this. Not surprised at all that people died here.
11 Likes
