L'Acadien II
Encyclopedia
L'Acadien II was a Canadian
-registered fishing vessel
that capsized and sank on March 29, 2008. The vessel was being towed by Canadian Coast Guard
Ship (CCGS) Sir William Alexander
off Cape Breton
, Nova Scotia
at the time of the incident. Two of the crew of six were rescued and four men were killed in the incident. Recovery efforts have not located the sunken trawler nor the missing crew member who is now presumed dead. Canadian authorities have launched independent investigations into the incident.
the morning of March 28, 2008 to take part in the 2008 Canadian commercial seal hunt
. She lost its rudder later in the day in the ice floes northeast of Neil's Harbour, Nova Scotia
on Cape Breton Island
.
She radioed for help from the Coast Guard and Sir William Alexander came to assist the tow.
The Transportation Safety Board (TSB) investigation report released later that year found that the clutch was likely engaged in the ahead position with the engine running as it left the centreline track. Combined with the deflected rudder, this would have caused L'Acadien II to sheer to port, whereupon it struck the ice.
Once the vessel struck the ice, the combined effects of the towline force and direction, the fishing vessel's ahead propulsion, and the inertia of the CCGS Sir William Alexander propelled L'Acadien II partially onto the ice and then back into the water on its starboard side, whereupon it subsequently capsized.
Navy diver
s searched the waters for four men, who had been sleeping in the lower decks of the vessel. When the vessel had capsized, a Cormorant helicopter
and a Hercules aircraft
came to aid the rescue. The vessel had since been secured to the side of the Coast Guard's vessel.
The search was scaled back by late afternoon on March 29 and the local Royal Canadian Mounted Police
(RCMP) has since been handling the case.
Fisheries and Oceans Canada
(DFO) has recommenced to find missing crewmember Carl Aucoin and recover L'Acadien II on April 3 and since then has provided daily updates in its media releases on its website. CCGS George R. Pearkes
, CCGS Edward Cornwallis
and CCGS Terry Fox
were engaged in the search based on the last known coordinates of the vessel, drift patterns and ice conditions. Canadian Forces Aurora and other patrols provided aerial support and surveillance. Canadian Forces divers were on stand-by once the vessel is located. The operation would be accompanied by officials of Transportation Safety Board.
Poor visibility due to fog and low ceiling hamperred the recovery operation, and on April 10, DFO has announced that CCG would call off the recovery effort. According to DFO, the search has covered an area of approximately 9,800 square nautical miles
.
was quoted in the same release: "One of the sealers was quoted as saying that he felt absolutely helpless as he watched the boat sink with sealers onboard. I can’t think of anything that defines helplessness and fear more than a seal pup on the ice that can’t swim or escape as it is approached by some cigarette smoking ape with a club. This is a seal nursery and these men are sadistic baby killers and that might offend some people but it is the unvarnished truth – they are vicious killers who are now pleading for sympathy because some of their own died while engaged in a viciously brutal activity."
Because of these quotes, the leader of the Green Party of Canada
Elizabeth May
decided on April 3 to resign from the advisory board
of the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society.
The TSB report detailed the cause of the capsize and that the L'Acadien II was not designed, constructed, or adequately modified to navigate in ice.
The TSB report found the following risks that may cause similar incident to occur:
The Canadian Coast Guard has no comprehensive safety policies, procedures, guidelines, or practices that address the risks associated with towing small vessels in ice.
Numerous small fishing vessels continue to operate during the seal hunt in ice conditions for which they were neither designed nor constructed.
The TSB also reported the following findings:
The emergency position-indicating radio beacon (EPIRB) signal from L'Acadien II was never received.
The language used posed no barrier to communication between the vessels.
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
-registered fishing vessel
Fishing vessel
A fishing vessel is a boat or ship used to catch fish in the sea, or on a lake or river. Many different kinds of vessels are used in commercial, artisanal and recreational fishing....
that capsized and sank on March 29, 2008. The vessel was being towed by Canadian Coast Guard
Canadian Coast Guard
The Canadian Coast Guard is the coast guard of Canada. It is a federal agency responsible for providing maritime search and rescue , aids to navigation, marine pollution response, marine radio, and icebreaking...
Ship (CCGS) Sir William Alexander
CCGS Sir William Alexander
CCGS Sir William Alexander is a Canadian Coast Guard Ship classed a "High Endurance Multi-Tasked Vessel -Light icebreaker, which includes task such as major navaids tender"...
off Cape Breton
Cape Breton Island
Cape Breton Island is an island on the Atlantic coast of North America. It likely corresponds to the word Breton, the French demonym for Brittany....
, Nova Scotia
Nova Scotia
Nova Scotia is one of Canada's three Maritime provinces and is the most populous province in Atlantic Canada. The name of the province is Latin for "New Scotland," but "Nova Scotia" is the recognized, English-language name of the province. The provincial capital is Halifax. Nova Scotia is the...
at the time of the incident. Two of the crew of six were rescued and four men were killed in the incident. Recovery efforts have not located the sunken trawler nor the missing crew member who is now presumed dead. Canadian authorities have launched independent investigations into the incident.
Mechanical trouble
L'Acadien II and her crew of six set out from Magdalen IslandsMagdalen Islands
The Magdalen Islands form a small archipelago in the Gulf of Saint Lawrence with a land area of . Though closer to Prince Edward Island and Nova Scotia, the islands form part of the Canadian province of Quebec....
the morning of March 28, 2008 to take part in the 2008 Canadian commercial seal hunt
2008 Canadian commercial seal hunt
Canada's 2008 annual commercial seal hunt in the Gulf of St. Lawrence and around Newfoundland, Quebec and Nova Scotia began on March 28. The hunting season lasts from mid-November to mid-May, but the hunt mainly occurs in March and April...
. She lost its rudder later in the day in the ice floes northeast of Neil's Harbour, Nova Scotia
Neil's Harbour, Nova Scotia
Neil's Harbour is a small fishing village in northern Cape Breton Island, in Victoria County, Nova Scotia, Canada. It is located between Ingonish and Dingwall, just south of the Cape Breton Highlands National Park.- Points of interest :*Neil's Harbour Beach...
on Cape Breton Island
Cape Breton Island
Cape Breton Island is an island on the Atlantic coast of North America. It likely corresponds to the word Breton, the French demonym for Brittany....
.
She radioed for help from the Coast Guard and Sir William Alexander came to assist the tow.
Capsize and sinking
Witnesses say the Sir William Alexander was going too fast and failed to realize L'Acadien II had swerved into a large cake of ice and capsized.The Transportation Safety Board (TSB) investigation report released later that year found that the clutch was likely engaged in the ahead position with the engine running as it left the centreline track. Combined with the deflected rudder, this would have caused L'Acadien II to sheer to port, whereupon it struck the ice.
Once the vessel struck the ice, the combined effects of the towline force and direction, the fishing vessel's ahead propulsion, and the inertia of the CCGS Sir William Alexander propelled L'Acadien II partially onto the ice and then back into the water on its starboard side, whereupon it subsequently capsized.
Navy diver
Diving
Diving is the sport of jumping or falling into water from a platform or springboard, sometimes while performing acrobatics. Diving is an internationally-recognized sport that is part of the Olympic Games. In addition, unstructured and non-competitive diving is a recreational pastime.Diving is one...
s searched the waters for four men, who had been sleeping in the lower decks of the vessel. When the vessel had capsized, a Cormorant helicopter
CH-149 Cormorant
The AgustaWestland CH-149 Cormorant is the Canadian Forces designation for the AgustaWestland AW101 , a helicopter used for air-sea rescue in Canada...
and a Hercules aircraft
C-130 Hercules
The Lockheed C-130 Hercules is a four-engine turboprop military transport aircraft designed and built originally by Lockheed, now Lockheed Martin. Capable of using unprepared runways for takeoffs and landings, the C-130 was originally designed as a troop, medical evacuation, and cargo transport...
came to aid the rescue. The vessel had since been secured to the side of the Coast Guard's vessel.
Rescue and recovery
Two men, who were at the upper decks during the incident, were rescued by nearby fishing vessel Madelinot War Lord and transferred to Sir William Alexander. A Coast Guard helicopter subsequently transported them to Magdalen Islands. The bodies of three crewmembers died in the incident were recovered by navy divers and brought oboard Sir William Alexander. They have been identified as Bruno Bourque, the boat's owner and captain; Gilles Leblanc (in his 50s); and Marc-Andre Deraspe (in his early 20s). Crewmember Carl Aucoin remains missing and is presumed dead.The search was scaled back by late afternoon on March 29 and the local Royal Canadian Mounted Police
Royal Canadian Mounted Police
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police , literally ‘Royal Gendarmerie of Canada’; colloquially known as The Mounties, and internally as ‘The Force’) is the national police force of Canada, and one of the most recognized of its kind in the world. It is unique in the world as a national, federal,...
(RCMP) has since been handling the case.
Fisheries and Oceans Canada
Fisheries and Oceans Canada
Fisheries and Oceans Canada, frequently referred to as DFO , is the department within the government of Canada that is responsible for developing and implementing policies and programs in support of Canada's economic, ecological and scientific interests in oceans and inland waters...
(DFO) has recommenced to find missing crewmember Carl Aucoin and recover L'Acadien II on April 3 and since then has provided daily updates in its media releases on its website. CCGS George R. Pearkes
CCGS George R. Pearkes
The CCGS George R. Pearkes is a light icebreaker and buoy support vessel in the Canadian Coast Guard.George R. Pearkes is a High Endurance Multi-Tasked Vessel Light Icebreaker and Buoy tender. She was built in 1986 by Versatile Pacific Shipyards Limited of Vancouver, BCGeorge Pearkes' home port is St...
, CCGS Edward Cornwallis
CCGS Edward Cornwallis
CCGS Edward Cornwallis is a High Endurance Multi-Tasked Vessel Light Icebreaker and Buoy tender. She was built in 1986 by Marine Industries of Tracy, Quebec....
and CCGS Terry Fox
CCGS Terry Fox
CCGS Terry Fox is a Canadian Coast Guard Heavy Gulf icebreaker.Named after the late cancer research activist Terry Fox, the vessel was built in 1983 as MV Terry Fox by Burrard Yarrows Corporation in Vancouver, British Columbia. Terry Fox, along with her sister ship MV Arctic Kalvik supported Gulf...
were engaged in the search based on the last known coordinates of the vessel, drift patterns and ice conditions. Canadian Forces Aurora and other patrols provided aerial support and surveillance. Canadian Forces divers were on stand-by once the vessel is located. The operation would be accompanied by officials of Transportation Safety Board.
Poor visibility due to fog and low ceiling hamperred the recovery operation, and on April 10, DFO has announced that CCG would call off the recovery effort. According to DFO, the search has covered an area of approximately 9,800 square nautical miles
Nautical mile
The nautical mile is a unit of length that is about one minute of arc of latitude along any meridian, but is approximately one minute of arc of longitude only at the equator...
.
Sea Shepherd Conservation Society
A release from the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society on April 2, said that it "recognizes that the deaths of four sealers is a tragedy but Sea Shepherd also recognizes that the slaughter of hundreds of thousands of seal pups is an even greater tragedy." Paul WatsonPaul Watson
Paul Watson is a Canadian animal rights and environmental activist, who founded and is president of the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, a direct action group devoted to marine conservation....
was quoted in the same release: "One of the sealers was quoted as saying that he felt absolutely helpless as he watched the boat sink with sealers onboard. I can’t think of anything that defines helplessness and fear more than a seal pup on the ice that can’t swim or escape as it is approached by some cigarette smoking ape with a club. This is a seal nursery and these men are sadistic baby killers and that might offend some people but it is the unvarnished truth – they are vicious killers who are now pleading for sympathy because some of their own died while engaged in a viciously brutal activity."
Because of these quotes, the leader of the Green Party of Canada
Green Party of Canada
The Green Party of Canada is a Canadian federal political party founded in 1983 with 10,000–12,000 registered members as of October 2008. The Greens advance a broad multi-issue political platform that reflects its core values of ecological wisdom, social justice, grassroots democracy and...
Elizabeth May
Elizabeth May
Elizabeth Evans May, OC, MP is an American-born Canadian Member of Parliament, environmentalist, writer, activist, lawyer, and the leader of the Green Party of Canada. She was the executive director of the Sierra Club of Canada from 1989 to 2006. She became a Canadian citizen in 1978.May's...
decided on April 3 to resign from the advisory board
Advisory board
An advisory board is a body that advises the board of directors and management of a corporation but does not have authority to vote on corporate matters, nor a legal fiduciary responsibility...
of the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society.
Investigation
The RCMP was engaged in reviewing the incident and the Transportation Safety Board (TSB) also conducted its own investigation. Coast Guard undertook an incident review, including its current towing policy. A final report was presented to the DFO minister and the Commissioner of the Coast Guard on 26 November 2008.The TSB report detailed the cause of the capsize and that the L'Acadien II was not designed, constructed, or adequately modified to navigate in ice.
The TSB report found the following risks that may cause similar incident to occur:
The Canadian Coast Guard has no comprehensive safety policies, procedures, guidelines, or practices that address the risks associated with towing small vessels in ice.
Numerous small fishing vessels continue to operate during the seal hunt in ice conditions for which they were neither designed nor constructed.
The TSB also reported the following findings:
The emergency position-indicating radio beacon (EPIRB) signal from L'Acadien II was never received.
The language used posed no barrier to communication between the vessels.