The Seacor Power Disaster

TIMELINE AND SPECIFICS

On the afternoon of April 13, 2021, the liftboat Seacor Power, with a total of (19) crew onboard, encountered severe weather in route to an offshore project site in the Gulf of Mexico. The unexpected storm and severity of winds and waves were beyond a flat bottom, top heavy, liftboat's capability to remain upright. An emergency attempt was made by the Seacor Captain and Chief Mate to lower the boat's legs to the sea floor, just 55 feet below, for stabilization when the boat was flipped over onto its starboard side and began to sink on its side with the (2) men in the Bridge/Cockpit, (16) crewmen behind closed doors inside the living quarters and galley, and (1) crewman, Darren Encalade, behind closed doors inside the hull of the boat in one of the two engine rooms.

Some of the details below were obtained when we attended the joint USCG-United States Coast Guard and Seacor Marine search & rescue update meetings with families after the disaster from April 16 to April 22, some are from news reports, and many are from testimony and exhibits given during the August 2021 joint NTSB-National Transportation Safety Board and USCG public hearing of their investigation into the cause of the capsize. During the August public hearing is when family members heard many of the details for the first time, including complete testimony from a survivor. If you would like to hear gripping testimony from (2) of the (6) survivors, multiple search & rescue personnel, Seacor management, and from the national weather center, below is the link to all video recordings of the public hearing and the link to exhibits (photos, rescue video, emails, weather reports, etc). Unfortunately, their final investigative findings report could be another year away from being complete.

What we’ve documented below in the timeline are just highlights of what we thought were important for the casual reader wanting to know more, but the August public hearing by the NTSB and USCG contains much more detail, both gripping and mundane, but all pertinent. I highly recommend watching many of the videos and looking at the exhibits. If you have any comments or questions, please watch the videos and look through the exhibits at the evidence, search online for news reports, and search Facebook with #seacorpower , #seacor7 , #seacor13. What it does not include, and what we believe needs its own investigation, is the subsequent search and salvage efforts that continued the next day for many months.

To the 2 of the 6 survivors that were brave enough to give in-person public testimony at the August hearing, we want to thank you from the bottom of our hearts! We want to thank Bryan Mires for his attorney who stayed every day for the two week hearing as a party of interest asking questions of all witnesses and experts on behalf of not just Mr Mires but the whole crew, both living and lost.

Seacor Power USCG Investigation Hearing Questioning & Testimony

Seacor Power USCG Investigation Hearing Exhibits

NTSB Docket Containing Survivor Interviews and More

We also want to give a warm heartfelt thanks the LaFourche Fire Departments in Port Fourchon and Golden Meadow, plus area churches, for taking such good care and feeding of us during the twice daily family search and rescue meetings with the USCG and Seacor. As well as the nonprofit Lift Acadiana that stepped up to massively fundraise and to emotionally & financially support each and every one of the 13 families of the deceased and missing during the months following April 13th. They were and still are tremendous.

 
Seacor Power Liftboat in jacked up (lifted) position. Helicopter pad is off the stern (back of the boat). Four story accommodations/living quarters with the Bridge on top is in front of the heli pad. Bow (front of the boat) is facing the yellow oil platform. View is of the starboard side that the boat was flipped over onto sideways.
Boat specifications – https://intelligence.marinelink.com/vessels/vessel/seacor-power-328913

TIMELINE

*Most, but not all, of the timestamps are estimated based on multiple witness testimonies*

April 13, 2021

  • Shortly before disembarking the dock for their destination to a Talos project site 20-22 hours away, Captain and 1st Mate look at a weather report together, provided by Seacor’s office, and see the forecast for their journey is 2-4 foot seas with 12-17 mph winds (well within the limits of stability for the lift boat).

  • 12:20pm Cst Seacor Power pulls away from dock in the port of Fourchon Louisiana and Captain emails Seacor office that they have left. It is a standard requirement that all crewmen have to be inside, behind closed doors and not on the deck, during the transport. There is an internal stairwell that connects the bridge, bunkrooms, all the way down to the deck level galley.

  • 3:15pm approximately, sudden severe squall hits the Seacor Power, dropping visibility within minutes from 5-6 miles down to white-out conditions and winds from 20 mph to 95 mph sustained hurricane strength for the next hour.

  • 3:30pm approximately Seacor Power lift boat flips on its starboard side in only 55 feet of water, 8 miles from Port Fourchon.

 
Source: USCG exhibit 01 from joint NTSB/USCG investigative public hearing held August 2 through August 13.
 
Source: USCG exhibit 01 from joint NTSB/USCG investigative public hearing held August 2 through August 13.

  • 3:40pm USCG-US Coast Guard District8 Command Center receives Seacor Power’s boat's emergency beacon (EPIRB) alert along with a high volume of other EPIRB alerts. This first alert received did not have the boat’s location, so USCG called the phone number registered with the EPIRB, the Seacor dispatch office. USCG was told by Seacor dispatch that Seacor Power was definitely still moored in port and that the alert must be a mistake from some sort of maintenance being done on the Power in dock, but that the office would contact the liftboat to find out and call USCG back.

  • 4:00pm approximately (based on Dwayne Lewis survivor testimony) when water reached window sill of his port side, bow facing, bunk room.

  • 4:15pm approximately Seacor office calls USCG District Command Center back to confirm that the Seacor Power is in fact in distress and potentially capsized. When asked how many were on board, Seacor office told them incorrectly (7) crewmen (based on USCG District Command Lieutenant’s testimony). USCG had also received Seacor Power’s location data at this point.

  • USCG District Command Center determines no USCG air support is available in the area/sector to send to Seacor Power survivor’s aid so they contact Corpus Christi Texas and request a helicopter be sent from there, which can also approach from behind the storm.

  • 4:30pm Rockfish liftboat captain can now see Seacor Power on its side, after storm subsides just enough for clearer visibility, and he calls in capsize to channel 16 notifying USCG Sector command in New Orleans. Winds are now at 65 mph sustained.

  • 4:30pm approximately USCG Sector Command in New Orleans requests additional USCG assets and sends out a marine warning of the capsize and location which brings in more good samaritan rescue vessels.

  • 4:30pm living quarters structure estimated to have fully capsized (sunk under water). A small section, a hatch to a stairwell leading into the hull to the port side engine room, is sticking up above water when rescue resources first get onsite.

  • 4:46pm Jason's cell phone stops pinging.

Source: Seacor - during twice daily search & rescue update meetings with families of missing crewmen from April 16 to April 22. Diagram/Floorplan of Seacor Power hull interior, including location of submerged port side and starboard side engine rooms.

Testimony by the 1st mate, Bryan Mires, to the joint NTSB & USCG investigation hearing stated missing crewman Darren Encalade was alone in one of the engine rooms at time of capsize.

Source: Seacor - during twice daily search & rescue update meetings with families of missing crewmen from April 16 to April 22. Diagram of submerged lockers and utility compartment locations on the deck, location of deck level stairways leading into hull, and floorplan of galley/kitchen that is accessible directly from the deck behind water tight doors: (the Pink mark is made on outside stairwell leading to port side engine room where some crewmen who manaed to escape the galley and their bunkrooms after the initial capsize were found deceased.

Testimony by the 1st mate, Bryan Mires, indicates that at least Chef Anthony Hartford was in the galley at the time of the capsize and that two ABs, including missing crewman Chaz Morales, were sent down to the galley, just before the squall, through the internal stairwell that ends in the galley, to assist Mr Hartford with a leaking watertight galley door.

Source: Seacor - during twice daily search & rescue update meetings with families of missing crewmen from April 16 to April 22. Floorplan representing submerged Level 1 (immediately above galley) & Level 2 which are contractor quarters. Note the only windows are in the bunkrooms which all face the stern, the back, of the boat.

One year later, most of the families of the missing crewmen have no idea which bunkroom their loved one was assigned to or where their loved one was at time of capsize other than they were required to be inside. Families of the missing men had only seen witness statements from 2 of the 6 survivors, and that was from watching the August 2021 public hearing, until the NTSB finally published their docket, more than one year later, containing the remaining survivor interviews.

Source: Seacor - during twice daily search & rescue update meetings with families of missing crewmen from April 16 to April 22. Floorplan of submerged top Level 3 Seacor Employee living quarters (located directly under the Bridge/Wheelhouse). Note that windows are located in rooms facing both the bow and the stern of the boat.

Survivor Dwayne 'Steve' Lewis’ testimony to the joint NTSB & USCG investigation hearing stated he and survivor James Gracien escaped by breaking the window of his 2 Man VIP stateroom. 

Source: USCG exhibit 141 from joint NTSB/USCG investigative public hearing held August 2 through August 13. Picture of Seacor Power bridge/cockpit/wheelhouse located at the very top of the accommodations/living quarters structure.

Based on 1st Mate Bryan Mire’s public hearing testimony, Captain Ledet and he were the only ones in the bridge at time of capsize.

  • 5:00pm Bolinger noncommissioned training cutter, the Glen Harris, arrives on their own accord at capsized Power with both Bolinger and USCG crew onboard, having already rode out the worst of the squall themselves during training of the new boat by Bolinger. Per USCG Sector Commander’s testimony, the USCG crew onboard became the USCG designated on-scene coordinator.

    • Glen Harris counted (5) crewmen clinging to parts of the deck of the boat that is above water, the enclosed stairwell and black pipes.

    • Glen Harris infrared video of capsized boat with barely visible survivor(s). Keep in mind, the crewmen would appear tiny against the huge boat – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L0srusFaZlM

  • 5:20pm approx the cutter launches their smaller boat and determines they cannot get safely close enough to get crewmen off the boat without the crewmen jumping into the water first, so they returned to larger cutter vessel.

  • Glen Harris cutter positions itself close to the Power and deploys its jacob’s ladder off of its bow in hopes it encourages crewmen to jump in. Survivor Zack Louviere gets in the water and the crew of the Glen Harris are able to rescue him.

  • 7:00pm USCG RBM1 and RBM2 rescue boats out of USCG Grand Isle station arrive onsite. Waves were sustained at 10-15 feet at this time.

    • Second of five survivors on boat gets in the water and RBM2 rescues them. Due to severity of injuries, RBM2 delivers survivor to emergency personnel in port fourchon and then returns to the Power.

  • 8:00pm The hero civilian rescue helicopter company Bristow, out of Galliano Louisiana, arrives on their own accord after hearing through the grapevine of overturned vessel in distress. They saw 3 survivors visible on the boat. Their emotional testimony during NTSB & USCG investigation’s public hearing describes how storm conditions and the boat deck listing at an angle towards the water did not allow them to physically grab any crewmen clinging under deck railing to airlift them off boat, so they lowered their rescue swimmer in front of the deck and made multiple attempts to coax survivors into jumping into storm water for rescue.

    • Video of Bristow rescue personnel's one of multiple unsuccessful attempts to rescue remaining men clinging to boat deck under railing - https://www.news.uscg.mil/Portals/11/Headquarters/Investigations/Seacor-Power/Exhibit%20156%20-%20Bristow%20Video%2020210413_200839.mp4?ver=BUcDKtbOzbQ_nYpl3Kqezw%3d%3d&timestamp=1628191463280

    • Notice in that Bristow video how much more of the boat is above water at this point than the very next day. The three black pipes are an indicator in subsequent pictures. Right next to the pipes is the covered stairwell with doorway/hatch that leads to the port side engine room within the hull where multiple crewmen were found deceased. Crewmen who would not have been in the engine room at time of capsize, including Jason’s coworker and bunk mate. In the above video, the pipes and doorway are above water. In photos from the following day, the pipes are further underwater and then they completely disappear which clearly indicates the boat was settling/shifting.

    • Based on Bristow testimony during public hearing, the rescue swimmer was able to hand life jackets and a radio to a crewman, for the remaining 3 they could see, through the boat railing, but unable to safely pull an individual through the railing to rescue. The rescue swimmer did not get the name of the individual but they thought it looked like Captain Ledet based on pictures seen in subsequent news stories.

    • Bristow begins flying patterns over open water looking for any other survivors for approximately 20 minutes while the Glen Harris tries to make contact with crewmen remaining on the boat. They then return to attempt to coax terrified crewmen into the churning storm water before they have to depart to refuel.

    • Here is a one way recording of Glen Harris crewman speaking to a survivor named Jay on the radio – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TbkNa88kQAY . Jay Guevara is one of the seven missing crewmen.

  • A third crewman, of the original five seen on the boat by the Glen Harris, ends up in the water. USCG RBM1 and RMB2 rescuers report that even with an inflated life jacket on it was difficult to see him but RBM1 rescue boat does, finds him unresponsive face down, and attempts to pull him into their boat but is unsuccessful. They experience their own crewman going overboard during the rescue attempt which causes them to lose sight of the Seacor Power crewman. They then get permission to leave the scene to treat the USCG crewman that went overboard and they never returned to the Power.

  • 9:00pm approximately Bristow returns to the Power after refueling in Galliano.

  • 9:30pm while Bristow rescue swimmer is making fourth attempt to coax remaining 2 crewmen on boat into the water, as they indicated via the radio that they would try this time. Bristow is told to cease rescue attempts and leave as the USCG Corpus Christi helicopter was on its way. They departed and began flying patterns over open water looking for additional survivors to no avail.

  • 10:00pm last two crewmen on outside of boat, Jay (with radio) and unknown companion communicate they will wait out the storm for rescue inside the hatch and stairwell and likely down in the hull in the engine room where other non-engine room crew were found deceased.

  • 11:00pm USCG helicopter out of Corpus Christi Texas arrives onsite to scene.

  • 11:15pm USCG helicopter determines they cannot safely pluck crewmen off the boat and instead leaves the scene to perform open water searches for any additional survivors.

  • 11:00-11:30pm last radio communication with remaining two crewmen on boat that went into stairwell hatch.

  • 11:00-11:30pm USCG BM2 rescue boat leaves the scene to return to base.

  • 12:00pm Glen Harris cutter depart the scene back to port leaving no rescue boats or aircraft at the Seacor Power for the rest of the night.

Source: unknown. Taken the very afternoon of April 13 after capsize. Note the part of the structure circled in red is just above water at this time.

Subsequent pictures taken the following day, on April 14th, this is no longer above water indicating the boat settled or shifted overnight. We were told that this is an enclosed stairwell, with a door accessible from the deck, that leads into the port side engine room. See deck and galley floorplan above for the pink mark indicating 'engine room access'.

 
Source: USCG exhibit 158 from joint NTSB/USCG investigative public hearing held August 2 through August 13. Snippet of Bristow video showing location of doorway/hatch that we know is to a stairwell leading into port side engine room down in the hull of the boat where 3 crewmen, who would have never otherwise been in the engine room, were found deceased during diver vessel search.
 
Source: USCG exhibit 202 from joint NTSB/USCG investigative public hearing held August 2 through August 13. Pre-accident picture of port side enclosed stairwell that leads down into the hull of the boat, not into galley or other living areas but into the port side engine room within the hull.

This is the area of boat where some survivors who had escaped the sinking accommodations were seen taking shelter after capsize and hatch that remaining crewmen seen on boat took went into.

April 14, 2021

  • 6:00am Bristow rescue helicopter with new crew returns to Seacor Power on their own accord, lowers a rescuer to the railings, and finds the boat further submerged with the stairwell hatch now underwater. Exhibit 167 Bristow Photo

    • The Bristow rescue person lowered to railing found the three black pipes are nearly submerged and hatch to engine room stairwell completely under water at this point, indicating the boat sunk/shifted/settled overnight after all Coast Guard resources had left the scene with crewmen inside the stairwell/engine room. Public hearing testimony states this rescuer could not safely go completely under water himself to search the hatch and stairwell but he unhooked from the helicopter to put his arm into the hatch opening and search around the to see if he felt anyone. USCG repeatedly made it clear during family meetings that they never search underwater for the living or the dead, only for the living on the surface of the water and it took several days before Seacor’s contracted divers, Don Jon, made entrance into the stairwell and engine room where they did eventually find numerous deceased who had originally escaped the galley and living quarters, but they never found Jay.

 
Source: USCG exhibit 167 from joint NTSB/USCG investigative public hearing held August 2 through August 13. New Bristow rescue crew the morning after, 6:00am April 14th.

  • (7) Crewmen Never Found/Presumed Dead

    1. Chaz Morales - Seacor AB & crane operator

    2. Christopher 'Cooper' Rozands - Major Equipment contractor

    3. Darren Encalade - Seacor Chief Engineer

    4. Dylan Daspit - Cardinal contractor

    5. Gregory Walcott - OSSA galley contractor

    6. Jason Krell - Fugro contractor

    7. Jay Guevara - Cardinal contractor

  • (6) Crewmen Recovered Deceased

    1. Anthony Hartford - Seacor galley Chef found in port side engine room

    2. David Ledet - Seacor Master Captain found in open water

    3. Ernest Williams - OSSA galley contractor found in open water near Cocodrie, LA

    4. James 'Tracy' Wallingsford - Seacor crane operator found in port side engine room

    5. Lawrence Warren - Seacor second engineer found inside living quarter’s 2nd level lounge and only individual found inside living quarters

    6. Quinon Pitre - Fugro contractor found in port side engine room (Jason’s coworker and bunk mate)

  • (6) Crewmen Rescued the night of the incident; (3) out in open water, (3) that were clinging to hull of boat with other crewmen that are now deceased or missing. Families of the missing crewmen have only gotten full witness accounts from the two survivors that gave testimony during NTSB & USCG August public hearing.

    1. Brandon Aucoin - Cardinal contractor rescued by good samaritan boat after being washed off from clinging to boat hull with other crewmen

    2. Bryan Mires - Seacor 1st Mate(Chief Captain) rescued by the Cap Cod good samaritan boat hours after escaping from bridge and washed away by storm. Mr Mires volunteered to give his full account and be questioned by multiple parties for hours during the public hearing.

    3. Charles Scallan - Seacor AB & crane operator picked up by BM2 Coast Guard boat after being washed off boat hull while clinging to it with other crewmen

    4. Dwayne 'Steve' Lewis - CCA Consultant for Talos Energy (the ‘company man’) to supervise well site cement, rescued by Talos commissioned boat hours after escaping from his 3rd floor, port side, 2 man VIP stateroom window, with James Gracien, and washed away from boat by storm

    5. James Gracien - Seacor secondary 1st Mate rescued by good samaritan boat hours after escaping from Dwayne Lewis’ 3rd floor stateroom window and washed away from boat by storm

    6. Zack Louviere - Cardinal contractor picked up by Coast Guard cutter Glen Harris after clinging to boat hull with other crewmen

If you have further interest, questions, or comment, please watch the videos and look through the exhibits of the NTSB/USCG investigation public hearings, at the links found at the top of this page, search ‘Seacor Power’ in your browser to find numerous news articles with search details, and search for #seacorpower , #seacor7 , and #seacor13 on Facebook which will bring up many posts as well.

Source: Nola.com news staff writer Sophia Germer. Taken in the days following April 13. The black pipes and enclosed stairwell into the hull, that were visible the night of the capsize are no longer visible above water indicating the boat settled/broke down/sunk/shifted even further the following day.

Can you believe the bulk of the boat, including the accommodations/living quarters that the majority of crewmen were inside of when the boat flipped over on it’s side, is still underwater at the disaster site, just a few miles from the mouth of Port Fourchon, in 55 feet depth of water? Since April 13, 2021, with very possibly the remains of one or more of the missing seven crewmen still inside. Despite the NTSB being involved in the investigation, it’s been left completely up to the boat company, Seacor, to search for men trapped in the boat and raise it out of the water, which they’ve failed to do.