34 people, including 33 passengers and one crew member, lost their lives
Captain Jerry Nehl Boylan found guilty of seaman's manslaughter for failing to warn occupants and attempt to fight the fire or post a night watchman
Cause of the fire never established but authorities blame Truth Aquatics Inc. for lack of oversight
Commercial scuba diving vessel Conception caught fire near Santa Cruz Island in September 2019
In a tragic incident that unfolded in September 2019, the commercial scuba diving vessel Conception caught fire while anchored near Santa Cruz Island, off the coast of Southern California. The blaze claimed the lives of 34 people on board, including 33 passengers and one crew member. The captain of the vessel, Jerry Nehl Boylan, was found guilty of seaman's manslaughter and sentenced to four years in prison for his role in the disaster. Prosecutors claimed that Boylan failed to use the public address system to warn occupants about the fire and did not attempt to fight it with onboard equipment or post a night watchman. However, defense attorneys argued that Boylan stayed aboard until he made the mayday call and only jumped when he was sure he would not survive otherwise. The cause of the fire was never established, but authorities blamed Truth Aquatics Inc., the company that operated the vessel, for a lack of oversight.
The captain of the Conception, a 75-foot wood and fiberglass ship, has been sentenced to four years in prison.
Jerry Nehl Boylan, 70, of Santa Barbara was the captain of the Conception when it sank near Santa Cruz Island on Labor Day in 2019.
Boylan abandoned the ship instead of helping rescue passengers during the fire.
Before the fire, Boylan failed to create a safe environment by not properly training his crew and passengers on emergency procedures and not having a night watch in place.
Accuracy
The captain of the Conception has been sentenced to four years in prison.
Jerry Nehl Boylan was the captain of the Conception when it sank near Santa Cruz Island on Labor Day in 2019.
33 passengers and one crew member died in the fire. One crew member also died.
Deception
(100%)
None Found At Time Of
Publication
Fallacies
(85%)
The article contains an appeal to authority and a potential example of a dichotomous depiction. The appeal to authority is found in the quote from U.S. Attorney Martin Estrada: 'The victims' families will be forever devastated by this needless tragedy... While today's sentence cannot fully heal their wounds, we hope that our efforts to hold this defendant criminally accountable brings some measure of healing to the families.' This statement is used to emphasize the severity of the situation and the impact on the victims' families, but it doesn't provide any direct evidence or reasoning. Additionally, there might be a dichotomous depiction in 'he did not properly train his crew and passengers on what to do if a fire broke out, and he did not have a night watch in place.' This statement presents two negative aspects of the captain's actions without providing context for any positive or mitigating factors.
The victims' families will be forever devastated by this needless tragedy... While today's sentence cannot fully heal their wounds, we hope that our efforts to hold this defendant criminally accountable brings some measure of healing to the families.
he did not properly train his crew and passengers on what to do if a fire broke out, and he did not have a night watch in place.
Captain Jerry Boylan was sentenced to four years in prison for his role in the deadly fire aboard the dive boat Conception in 2019.
A total of 34 people, including 33 passengers and one crew member, died in the fire.
The fatal fire occurred while the boat was anchored off the shoreline of Santa Cruz Island.
Captain Boylan faced a maximum sentencing of ten years in federal prison.
Boylan was found guilty of misconduct or neglect of ship officer, also known as seaman’s manslaughter.
The fire happened in the early morning hours and those who were asleep below deck were still alive but unable to escape.
Prosecutors claimed Boylan failed to use the public address system to warn occupants about the fire and did not attempt to fight it with onboard equipment or post a night watchman.
Defense attorneys argued that Boylan stayed aboard until he made the mayday call and only jumped when he was sure he would not survive otherwise.
The cause of the fire was never found, but officials blamed Truth Aquatics Inc. for a lack of oversight.
Accuracy
Jerry Nehl Boylan, the captain of a commercial scuba diving vessel named Conception, was sentenced to 4 years in prison for seaman’s manslaughter.
The cause of the fire is not determined, but lack of a night watch and smoke detectors were contributing factors according to NTSB report.
Before the fire, Boylan failed to create a safe environment by not properly training his crew and passengers on emergency procedures and not having a night watch in place.
