Flooded passageways may have prevented escape from Cheonan

Posted on : 2010-03-29 12:10 KST Modified on : 2019-10-19 20:29 KST
Experts say that the rapid submersion of the ship reduces likelihood that the missing crew members survived
 March 28.
March 28.

The accident that befell the navy Patrol Combat Corvette (PCC) Cheonan took place near land, at a location 1.8 kilometers southwest of Baengnyeong Island. However, the rescue of 58 survivors by the National Maritime Police Administration rafts took place at around 10:40 p.m. on Friday, seventy minutes after an explosion rocked the Cheonan at around 9:30 p.m. This is indicative of the poor level of the military’s initial response following the explosion.

To be sure, the military did deploy four high-speed vessels that were in the vicinity of Baengnyeong Island in the immediate wake of the accident. These vessels arrived at the scene at around 9:58 p.m. Navy Lynx helicopters arrived at the scene at around 11:20 p.m., about one hour and 50 minutes after the explosion. However, the high-speed vessels did not provide much assistance during the rescue, nor did the belatedly arriving helicopters carrying out any rescue efforts.

Based on the accounts of military officials, the survivors were rescued by maritime police rafts a full 70 minutes after the explosion because it was difficult for navy vessels to approach the Cheonan, which was already largely submerged. Generally, when navy vessels pull alongside one another in the sea, they approach horizontally. According to the accounts of survivors, the stern was underwater two minutes after the explosion, and twenty minutes later about 60 percent of the boat was submerged. A military official said, “When the rescue forces arrived, the Cheonan’s hull had lost equilibrium and was inundated, so it was impossible for the navy vessels to pull alongside.” The official added, “The maritime police patrol boat was also unable to approach the vessel and rescued the survivors using rafts.”

The late deployment of helicopters, and the fact that the high-speed vessels were dispatched but did not actually take part in the rescue activities, however, indicates problems in the military’s initial response to the disaster. The navy barely managed to rescue 58 sailors who had fortunately been able to escape to the deck from the front portion of the ship, but it was impossible to even attempt to rescue the sailors trapped in the cabin in the immediate aftermath of the explosion.

The military said that the initial response of the Cheonan’s command was “under investigation” and did not give any clear explanation as of Monday. But observers are questioning whether one of the navy’s regulations, “Emergency Evacuation Procedure,” was properly followed. The captain themselves must initiate this procedure. If the captain orders an evacuation during an emergency, the crew members are to gather the necessary materials, go to their positions and board the designated lifeboats. At the time of the explosion, the captain of the Cheonan saw that the stern was underwater, determined that the ship could not be sustained, and immediately issued the evacuation order. Since the Cheonan was unable to make an announcement or use the ship’s telephone due to a lack of power, however, it was not confirmed how the evacuation order was transmitted.

For this reason, analysts suspect that most of the 46 missing crew members were likely inside the ship, in locations such as the engine room, and were unaware of the emergency evacuation order. A military official said, “Given the fact that the stern was submerged two minutes after the accident, there is a chance that the personnel in the stern area were trapped when the water instantaneously flooded in and either suffocated or drowned.” The official added, “After twenty minutes, sixty percent of the vessel was underwater, so it appears that there was no time to seal off the compartments.”

The Cheonan contained thirteen compartments within its hull, preventing it from taking on water easily, but a large amount of water rapidly entered the vessel due to the explosion. When asked why sailors were unable to come out despite sufficient time to escape, a military official said, “If water enters the passageways when the cabin doors are submerged, it may be impossible to open the doors due to the water pressure.”

While some have suggested the possibility that the 46 missing sailors may have survived, experts say that there is little chance of survival if they were trapped inside the vessel and unable to escape when the boat went under.

Please direct questions or comments to [englishhani@hani.co.kr]

Most viewed articles