Arctic Directory: Crowley crew of Ocean Titan awarded for heroism

Crowley Maritime Corp. said Nov. 15 that officers and crewmembers of the M/V Ocean Titan were recently honored with a 2012 Admiral of the Ocean Sea Mariners’ Plaque for demonstrating heroism at sea during the United Seamen’s Service’s annual AOTOS awards ceremony in New York.

The mariners were recognized for their December 2011 rescue of the seven-member crew of the M/V Florece, which sank about 250 miles southwest of Land’s End in the Bay of Biscay, near the United Kingdom following a collision with the tanker M/V Afrodite. Accepting the award on behalf of the ship’s officers and crew was Capt. Christopher Hill, master on the M/V Ocean Titan.

The account of the incident provided by the USS said the collision caused the Florece to sink to the ocean floor within an hour, causing the crew of seven to take to lifeboats. Shortly thereafter, the crew of the M/V Ocean Titan received the distress call and, upon arriving on scene, launched rescue operations. The crew faced gale-force winds and 12- to 14-foot seas, and had a full load of cargo. To ensure the crew’s safety, Hill decreased the vessel’s speed to prevent broaching as he approached, and then idled near the life raft. He used the engines and rudder to block the swell and minimize roll, moving close enough to pull the survivors on board from the raft using a heaving line.