A person who survived the capsizing of a elevate boat off the coast of Louisiana testified at a Coast Guard listening to on Monday that he needed to break a window with a hearth extinguisher to flee the vessel and that he prayed to God as he drifted in storm-driven seas for greater than three hours.
The person, Dwayne Lewis, was one in every of six survivors from the elevate boat, referred to as the Seacor Energy, that capsized throughout a storm on April 13, killing 13 folks. A elevate boat is a piece vessel with legs that may jack up and switch the boat right into a platform above the water.
Mr. Lewis recalled his expertise, starting with going to his cabin to take a nap, at a Coast Guard Marine Board of Investigation listening to into the episode.
“I laid down on the blanket, dozed off, and the boat rolled,” Mr. Lewis mentioned. “Once I felt it roll, I jumped up, and I grabbed my life jacket.”
As Mr. Lewis put his life jacket on, the tv and the cabinets in his room fell at him off the wall, he mentioned.
“I appeared out the window, and I may see the deck, which I shouldn’t have been capable of see the deck,” Mr. Lewis mentioned. “However I noticed the deck — it was sideways.”
As he tried to flee, Mr. Lewis mentioned, he recalled his security orientation, the place he had realized that in an emergency, a window could be the best way out.
“I pushed on that window as exhausting as I may,” Mr. Lewis mentioned, “and it might by no means budge.” Mr. Lewis mentioned he then used a steel-toed boot to attempt to break open the window, and “nothing occurred.” He was lastly capable of break the window through the use of a hearth extinguisher.
As quickly he had damaged the window, Mr. Lewis mentioned, he was sucked into the ocean, and began to drift away. He mentioned he tried to seize a rope from the boat and be a magnet for one other boat close by to no avail.
“I simply made myself right into a ball,” Mr. Lewis mentioned. “You’re getting beat up, and then you definately’re simply begging God to please calm the seas, please calm the seas. You then speak to your useless mama, and also you inform her you’re not able to see her.”
After drifting for 3 to 4 hours in seas of 10 to 12 ft, with driving rain and lightning, Mr. Lewis was rescued by the crew of one other vessel. 5 extra crew members had been discovered within the hours after the capsizing.
Within the following days, the Coast Guard searched greater than 9,268 sq. nautical miles for greater than 175 hours in hopes of discovering extra survivors.
Ted Duthu, who had captained a elevate boat referred to as the Rockfish, additionally testified at Monday’s listening to.
The Seacor Energy was seen from the Rockfish that day, and there have been few indicators of dangerous climate earlier than it capsized, Mr. Duthu mentioned. Earlier than the Seacor Energy capsized, it had began to rain, he mentioned.
“That’s when all hell broke unfastened,” Mr. Duthu mentioned, including that winds had kicked as much as 95 miles per hour, that are as sturdy as a Class 1 hurricane.
Earlier than the rain started, Mr. Duthu mentioned, he lowered the Rockfish’s legs to the ocean ground and raised the ship, a choice that more than likely saved him and his crew.
“Fifteen minutes later, the Rockfish would have been laying on its facet subsequent to the Seacor Energy,” Mr. Duthu mentioned.
One other survivor is anticipated to testify on the listening to in Houma, La. A while after the listening to, the Coast Guard is anticipated to share a report in regards to the Seacor Energy capsizing.