| The Transportation Safety Board of Canada reports that "On the morning of 1 March 1999, the herring seiner Westisle was experiencing rough seas off the west coast of Vancouver Island. Seawater shipped on deck, down flooded past an improperly secured aluminum fish-loading deck scuttle cover leading to the forward starboard cargo tank, causing a starboard list. Down flooding into the compartment increased when the cover became dislodged. When the unsecured deck cargo shifted suddenly to starboard, the vessel was reportedly heeled to an angle of about 70 degrees. By ballasting and moving weights, the crew was able to return the vessel to a near upright position. Damage to the vessel was limited to seawater contamination of the main engine fuel injectors and fuel system. No injuries or pollution resulted from this occurrence." "The Westisle is a conventional, steel-hulled, West Coast herring seiner. Below decks forward are crew quarters followed by a machinery space with the main engine on the centerline and main fuel tanks to port and starboard. Each fuel tank is fitted with a float-type air vent located on the weather deck adjacent to the bulwark. A centerline tunnel extends aft from the machinery space between the longitudinal bulkheads of port and starboard cargo fish tanks (cargo tanks) to a watertight door leading to the lazaret. On the weather deck forward, a short foredeck is followed by an enclosed superstructure comprising the wheelhouse and crew accommodations. On the port side of the superstructure's aft and transverse bulkhead is a watertight door leading to the main working deck. A pursing winch is fitted on the centerline near midships. The hatch coamings of the four cargo tanks are divided into port and starboard compartments. Fish-loading deck scuttles are fitted into and flush with the deck plating between the hatch coamings and bulwarks to port and starboard in way of the after end of the forward cargo tanks. Directly abaft the hatch coamings is a raised, athwartships-mounted net drum followed by a short after deck and transom stern fitted with a horizontal net roller. An inflatable liferaft and cradle is fitted to port atop the superstructure." Tad Roberts, (British Columbia Nautical History Facebook Group 31/12/2017) states that "This vessel capsized and sank in 200+' of water in Pylades Channel, maybe December of 2008. Food fishing for herring at night in a gale, Pat Alfred of Alert Bay drowned. The boat was raised, stripped of equipment by the owner's Pattison Enterprises, and sold to Marine Link. She's currently ashore at Menzies Bay for extensive rebuild." |
