Diver Explains: Roxanne DLB269 Disaster 

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Lee Lloyd replaced me on the DB 269 after I wrote an extensive 2 page letter detailing the non-compliance letter concerning the diving equipment, including the Saturation system that was onboard. This document was given to Chuck Roundtree, the Diving Superintendent, and forwarded to the main office of McDermott Divers in Bayou Black, LA. They intern relieved me of my 90 day commitment the next day and replaced me with Lee Lloyd or I would have been on that vessel for that ordeal. The main divers onboard the DB 269 we’re all from a company just recently bought out by McDermott, and I was sent down to the DB 269 to give it a look over by Pat Behling, the then General Diving Manager of McDermott Divers. It was more than evident that the Diving Systems onboard the DB 269 would have never passed a U.S. Coast Guard inspection, and the reason it was only working in Mexico. The report I presented to Chuck Roundtree included details on their non-compliance to both the U.S. Coast Guard and McDermott’s own Diving Safety Manual, of which I was provided by O.P. Chavin during collection of information. The DB 269 was in such bad shape that the metal structure outer walls surrounding the Saturation System could be pierced with a human finger, they were that thin. I showed this to Chuck Roundtree during my survey, just to indicate how bad the general condition was. This vessel should have never been exposed to a major storm much less a hurricane. Those divers who stayed on that vessel knew the conditions concerning that vessel and the Saturation System, and decided to ignore those conditions. They all knew about my document and the reason for my departure and chose to ignore the writing on the wall.

The Algorithm has decided that I'm going to learn about maritime, diving and associated disasters this month.

You know what causes a major delay? A sunken barge.

"Hold her in position while laying pipe" I chuckled because I'm immature apparently.

That blows me away that someone could be at sea for years and never take the time to learn to swim. That is so sad, i cant imagine how he felt in those moments.

I've had the pleasure of working with Clay Horchell and Rob Boettger over the years. Heard their stories first hand about this incident and the heroic efforts they went to to survive. At one point, I believe Clay gave up his spot in a life boat to another injured crew member. He clung to the side of the life boat until they were eventually rescued by another larger vessel. The photo at the end of the video shows Clay (standing 3rd from left with mustache) and Rob (kneeling 3rd from left in white t-shirt).

I'm glad he explained it that feeling of "boredom" in a hurricane. Living on the gulf and being in multiple cat 2 and 3 and one cat 4, i remember one of the worst feelings was being in that moment of fear before an accident for hours at a time bc that accident didnt happen. I was waiting for the roof to rip off or the windows to shatter or the water to get past the sand bags.

A few years ago, I spent 12 hours on a 40ft launch in a Force 8 storm. You are right what you say about it seeming never ending. You hope and pray that the next wave doesn't capsize you, and you wish the boat would stop heaving, pitching and rolling as you struggle to keep your footing and not get swept overboard. Never have I been so glad to see the huge lock gates of the sea port and calm water.

I was terrified that the divers would be stuck in decompression when the barge sank. thank god they got out and survived. thank you for a good ending for those divers but sorry for those that were lost. great story telling 👍👍👍👍👍👍

I worked with the sat tech in the pic of the dive crew with his arms crossed near center of photo with a white shirt....he told me how the waves were so big that once in the water he would go underwater as the waves rose becuase they were so steep to near falling as they fell... he talked about so nonchalant that I was mesmerized by the story. He recommended the book "All the Men in The Sea" about the incident Hyperbaric lifeboats were a new thing then, this system was not by any means the only sat system without one.... I never had a desire to do sat though, only worked on 2 sat vessels In my dive career decade. The worst thing about this was the Company invited the survivors to a huge reception with a free and well stocked bar.. got them drunk as skunks, and talked many of them into signing waivers absolving the company of any liability....there was VhF home video of some signing these with drinks in hand stumblimg....used in legal proceedings later

At last, someone who takes a few seconds to explain the acronyms he uses!

Your ability to describe technical details for the layman is superb. Not just that your creative abilities at building a crescendo of tension is enthralling too. Coupled with the use of well-sourced, pertinent supplemental photography - and no unnecessary, superfluous imagery - your accounts are of exceptionally high quality. Please keep at it, because producing videos at this outstanding level will convert into subs by the thousand in due course, without doubt. Thanks for sharing your knowledge and expertise. 👍

I've become addicted to videos above maritime disasters. I find them fascinating, but I will not leave the shore! I live in the Pacific Northwest, and I love our Oregon coastline...but I stay on dry land. I have mad respect for those who put out to sea. I keep you all in my prayers. I wish you calm seas and good fortune 🌹⚓

This one absolutely gives. Goosebumps, and then to find people in the comments that were in some way part of the story? Wow!!

The cost of oil is far more than what we see at the gas pump. This industry consumes men, wildlife, land, and lives at a rate we chose too ignore.

I love this channel I don’t even have to open my eyes and I can see the pictures clearly he’s so good at describing what’s happening

I just found your channel a day ago. Watched all your videos immediately lol. You do an an job explaining everything and provide a wealth of photos and information to go with your story. Amazing job and keep it up and your channel will take off in no time.

Recently found this channel via YT randomness and have to say the presentation and story telling skills are exceptional and quite probably the best I’ve experienced. Usual there is an irritating voice over and/or poor quality visuals but this is very well presented and I very much enjoy seeing the narrator who tells the story with no frills and promos. Love it ❤️👊🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿👍

Great channel. I'm a retired paramedic and lost a friend in a diving accident.

As someone else said, you do a great job of making these scenarios easily digestible for those completely unfamiliar with the technical aspects The more you assume the audience knows nothing, the better the videos get. E.g. it may seem blindingly obvious to you why a hurricane struck such fear into these men, but taking 7 seconds to spell it out plainly can really help people understand, and the more little details you include, the better the picture you paint.

Love your channel…your script writings and factual narration really help smooth these traumatic events with calm and assurance. These are awesome tales of really courageous men . Subscribed.

Poor Jim if only he had jumped his friends could have saved him, but he was just so terrified he was not thinking rationally.

Your scripts are absolutely amazing and well paired with the visuals, I feel like I'm there and experiencing it all happen. You also do an AMAZING job balancing the technical information. I've found a lot of channels spend a compressed block before the story describing the technical information. For me it stays too abstract and comes too fast so I can't absorb it all. You do amazing dispersing it throughout the story tying it to the events occurring making it easy to comprehend while enhancing story flow versus interrupting it. Your knowledge and passion for the topic is also obvious.

I have listened to far too many of these stories. I fell asleep listening to one the other night and actually ended up having a dream about being caught up in one of these scenarios 😮😮 That was a bad night 😂😂

You are a very gifted storyteller. Thank you.

Incredible storytelling! I can't even imagine how terrifying this would have been

Most sinking ships wont pull you under unless they're still filling with water, like a lot of water. Everyone seems to think this is the case because the titanic did this when it snapped in half. Its not super common.

Pressure scares the living crap out of me. I've watched too many documentaries about submarines and submersible going past their crush depth. The ensuing implosion turns people into red soup 😱

Talk about an unappreciated job title, Tugboat captain or crew member. They are true hero's.

EXCELLENT job narrating and explaining what those men went through! Especially Jim. That really broke my heart...why someone who can't swim would take a job where they'd have to be on the ocean aboard a boat is beyond me...but it's still so sad. RIP to those that lost their lives.

You explain a storm as it is. Very true .

So they decided not return to safe water, in order to avoid fines for delays, but ended up losing the entire boat and 5 peoples lives?

I love your Channel. Thank you for making these in depth and visually appealing videos. It's quite eye opening.

These videos are incredibly informative and engaging. You’ve hooked me in!

Astounding that only 5 out of 243 died. Remarkable!

I've been rewatching these. Amazing work. Thank you for giving a peak into this side of life.

This stuff is facinating and educational. Fast becoming my favorite channel.

Watching your videos is way scarier than any horror movie. I can't imagine the terror those people felt,

I would really like to see your channel popping off, the quality of your videos is great. Good format!

My father gave his life so that the barge could be rescued, but there was no help from the coast guard, only a few small tug boats. My father was the radio operator on that barge, he really didn't want to go but it was his job, I think deep down he knew there was a huge risk when the alert for Hurricane Roxana was still in effect. They found the body by his life jacket with the radio strapped to him.

I can't even imagine - God bless the hard working men and women who put their lives at risk for the rest of us.

I think this is my first time watching your channel- You've got a great way of telling the story, and describing the dangers. Really good stuff👍

How on earth was Jim allowed to do this job if he can't swim ?? I would have thought that was the most basic basic qualification for any seafaring person..

Who allows someone to work on a ship when they can't swim? And why would anyone take that job? It's crazy.

Love the stories where logic says this but greed says ignore that. How much did it cost to replace that boat and or bribe ppl to not investigate??? Pro alot more than a day at port!

Brilliant channel, I'm currently binging my way through the videos, although I've heard about some of these events before having them told by somebody that has a deep understanding of the profession definitely adds something to them 👍👍👍

I've just found the channel really enjoyed the story and the way it was told

What an incredible channel! Great find

Corporate greed killed these men, too bad the shareholders and the corporate heads will never face the consequences for their actions.

One thing that confuses me here? Why didn’t they evac everybody to the tugboats once the divers were out? It would have been cramped but at least they had power to maintain orientation in the Storm.

Captivating - extremely well told. Glad to have discovered your channel. Best of luck with its growth (subscribed).

I once stood on the beach just at the tail end of the hurricane . (Do not try this at home). You've never seen forces like that until you've seen them . I still remember exactly how it felt watching waves devastate everything around my elevated position . I felt like Merlin casting a spell for lack of a better descriptor . Literally awe inspiring

Wow, quality vs sub ratio is wack for how good this was. Not sure if I got the suggestion due to dive talk or engineering disaster follows, but subbing this one too.

Is it actually true though that a sinking ship will pull you under with it? If I recall correctly, one of the chefs who survived the Titanic said that as the stern he was standing on the tip of went under, he was able to step right off without even getting his hair wet.

I used to listen to cassette tapes, with spooky stories like this. Narrated by a good actor with a powerful and deep voice. F.ex the story of Baskerville's Hound

Safety Should always always come first my childhood friend got killed on a oil rig. I narrowed my missed getting killed several times the oil company’s need to be more liable then they would be more safety minded. Human Life cannot be replaced when are they gonna learn. RIP. Blaine W

Been on a water/diving/submarine/submersible kick and just found your channel. Looks like i'll be binging your videos for the foreseeable future

Amazing video, terrifying situation.

Maybe a better design would be to have a decompression habitat that is _not_ permanently mounted on the barge? Mayhaps it would be better to have it so that it can be lifted off and brought to safety (with all of its components) without having to screw around with the barge and all the anchors? I don't see why this could not be done - it's probably really expensive - too bad, that's the price of business.

That tugboat captain was a problem for the reapers plans on that day. All those men were.

I operated sat chambers on DSVs back in the 80s and we always had a hyperbaric lifeboat on the vessels, so I'm surprised that this was not the case on the barge. OF course this means more $$$ and companies winning these contracts are the cheapest bidders. Fortunately in UK / EU waters the regulations are probably more strict. Only once did we experience such bad weather that we had all of our divers in the hyperbaric lifeboat and start decompression, and fortunately we got to shelter without any issue. I was triple checking all my calculations on gas for the deco every 30 mins and topping up the O2 supply frequently to avoid the possibility of running out.

Phenomenal story teller 👍💙

I'm sorry to hear that I wish both gornments could do more to stop accidents like this

That whole story is absolutely horrifying. Made me anxious listening to it.

Amazing story telling - subbed!

what a story teller! great job

People who work on the ocean, and don't know how to swim give me a different kind of anxiety.

I was there , crapping my pants the whole time. I froze up ..utterly terrified, pants full of crap 💩

Good job. I’ve subscribed and am looking forward to watching your channel grow.

I don’t know if this is a stupid question but do you know why they couldn’t just try to transfer everyone from the barge to the tugs much earlier

Wow what a story such brave men these divers and all who sail at sea I fear the sea these men work in it take my hat off to them fantastic video rip lives lost 🇬🇧🇬🇧

Man versus money is far more horrifying than man versus man or man versus nature.

This is a story of operational ineptitude and poor operational decision making. Standard practice in the Gulf is to evacuate when a hurricane approaches. The DLB 269 was only 60 miles from shelter and should have been towed to safe harbor immediately, even if it required cutting the mooring lines rather than retrieving them. Construction contracts exclude downtime from hurricanes as part of the contractors responsibility. There was no excuse for trying to ride out the storm at sea. The men who made that decision should have been prosecuted.

Excellent storytelling!

I don't think a sinking ship 'sucks' us down, the air escaping the ship dramatically reduces the density and with it your buoyancy so you sink fast. But maybe it's both :)

I've been binging your videos and just thought of something: are there unions for commercial divers? I know it's a fairly rare profession but is there overlap with pipefitters or other kinds of construction unions?

I’m gonna have to use that line on my wife “Honey secure the anchors Why? I’m about to lay pipe” 😂

As someone who has spent a lot of time at see. I wouldn't say a Storm at sea is boring. I would say it's actually beautiful. Extremely dangerous, but beautiful (mother nature)

This entire incident seems unconscionable. I hope everybody at the decision-making level was fined or jailed into the next life.

16:50 I was in the US Navy in the late 90s. I reported to my ship (CVN-71 USS Theodore Roosevelt) in the latter half of 96 on a Friday. All ships were to sortie out on Monday to dodge a hurricane that was coming in. The theory is that the ships will beat the ever living hell out of the piers to which they are attached. Instead, we were going to go to sea and go around the storm. The worst it got for us was around 4 degrees of roll, which is a lot for a 1000 foot long 100K ton ship. I can't imagine how it was for the smaller ships that tried to dodge the storm. Oddly, there were still people getting seasick from 4 degree roll. 🤷‍♂

Those penalties for delay in the contracts need to be abolished and outline

This is an amazing video! Thank you!

At least Richard Lobb learned his lesson and tries to do better now.

what procedures or safety equipment do they use now to prevent these accidents? you would think taking such a long time to decompress with the risk of hurricanes/ cyclones in the area that there would be safety features to escape the barge and turn the chambers into life boats that they could quickly tow back to shore to decompress.

I worked on a Tug that that serviced. J. Ray mcDermot Derrick barge number 2 and number 16. They were Huge. Unreal huge. A half million dollars a day per Derrick barge

Can someone explain the last bit where he says, “Some of the divers were never able to dive again, due to their rapid decompression”. I’m just a little confused as to why, because earlier he said that the emergency deco was a success and that no one suffered ill effect and that it was a success. He does mention ptsd which could fit the narrative, but it does seem like he’s insinuating physical injury more so than mental health.

Just subscribed. I love anything to do with water. Very interesting channel.

Why couldn’t the divers ever dive again after the rapid decompression

Great content, very well done! Reminds me of working as a deckhand in the gulf in the 90s

Why dont they have a portable chamber in case they have to remove divers early considering they are in a hurricane prone region during hurricane season with storms I'm sure sprinkled across the gulf?

I KNOW it's not the same thing, but when I fill propane or climb ladders on my job, I follow the same steps every single time, and never rush.

There’s not been enough money printed to make me do that job, it’s no task for human beings same with mining. These are the exact jobs robots were developed for,surely?.

Full respect for anyone who works on the Sea, a different breed of men.

9:12 let yourself go for a second there mate, almost showed an emotion 😅

Stumbled upon this channel. Consider me hooked. Excellent narrative. I do wonder how people that can't swim work at sea. Seems as though it should be imperative. 🤷🏽‍♀️

You gotta think rationally in a life or death situation like this. Panic is only natural, but if you absolutely cannoy stop yourself from panicking then you need to be able to panic with purpose. You have to be able to see the likely conclusion of any options presented to you. Staying ON that barge was almost certain death. Staying on it when you KNEW you couldn't swim was suicide. The best course of action for that poor guy was to trust in his friends as he had originally planned. For them to even agree to help him in the water, knowing he can't swim, was an insanely selfless thing to agree to. Panicked people in the water are often far more dangerous than anything else. They won't be able to stop themselves from pushing and holding you under the water to keep themselves above it. They can accidentally strangle you in fear. All sorts of horrific shit. It's why rescuers sometimes actually knock the panicked person out cold, so they can't cost everyone their lives. Honestly, they shouldn't allow anyone to work on those things if they aren't capable swimmers at the very least, and in reality they should be extremely strong swimmers and not easily susceptible to panic.

Roxanne and Under Pressure are both great songs on their own, but they don't sound so good when played at the same time

Why couldn’t the divers never dive again? Was it because of ptsd or because of something inherent in the emergency decompression?

My arms were tired after this😢