Eastcliffe Hall
History | |
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Name | Eastcliffe Hall |
Operator | Hall Corporation of Canada |
Builder | Canadian Vickers Ltd. of Montreal, Quebec, Canada |
Christened | Eastcliffe Hall |
Completed | 1954 |
Fate | Wrecked in the Morrisburg , Ontario, 14 July 1970 |
General characteristics | |
Type | Bulk carrier |
Tonnage | 3,335 GRT |
Length | 342.5 ft (104.4 m) |
Propulsion | Diesel |
Eastcliffe Hall was a
History
Eastcliffe Hall was built by
Last voyage
On her last voyage, Eastcliffe Hall sailed southwest on the
Inquiry into sinking
On 26 August 1970 an official inquiry was begun to determine the cause of the ship's sinking. The inquiry was presided by Judge Francois Chevalier of Hull, Quebec, a justice of the Superior Court of Quebec. The inquiry was requested by Canadian Minister of Transport Don Jamieson.[5]
During the inquiry, it was revealed that blood tests from the body of the captain revealed a high blood alcohol content, 360 milligrams per 100 millilitres of alcohol or 0.36 percent weight by volume. This was concluded by chemist John Howes, employed by the Centre for Forensic Sciences, University of Toronto, who conducted the testing and informed the inquiry of the high alcohol content in the captain's body. Howes was quoted as saying, "There would be every indication of mental and physical drunkenness in the average person. The average person would be nearly unconscious. They would have difficulty walking, talking, muscular coordination and seeing... He wouldn't be able to act immediately to an emergency. It is possible he might not react at all."[6]
The inquiry concluded with a 49-page report wherein Justice Chevalier concluded that the sinking of Eastcliffe Hall was due to the captain's "state of plain drunkenness". Justice Chevalier also noted, "That the ship and all its contents, cargo, and human beings were in the hands of a blind man who did not know where he was nor what he was doing."[7]
Shipwreck
Following the sinking, Eastcliffe Hall's protruding
References
- ^ McCormick, Christy (27 August 1970). "Captain Wouldn't Believe Eastcliffe Hall was Aground". No. p.3. Final Edition. The Montreal Gazette.
- ^ "'We really hit hard': survivor". Ottawa Citizen. 15 July 1970.
- ^ Times Wire Services (15 July 1970). "9 Feared Dead as Ship Sinks". No. p. 3A Vol 86. No 356. St. Petersburg Times.
- ^ (CP) (21 November 1970). "Freighter 'In Hands of Blind Man'". No. p.35 Final Saturday Edition. The Montreal Gazette.
- ^ Ottawa Journal, 26 August 1970. p. 5 "Doomed Captain Thought Ship Safe"
- ^ (CP) (1 September 1970). "Captain's Alcohol Level that of Drunk -- Witness". No. 222. The Ottawa Journal.
- ^ (AP) (23 November 1970). "Captain's Drunkenness Blamed for Sinking". No. P. 3 32nd Year, Number 3. Ironwood Daily Globe.