About AOS
Death onboard
Louise Carter is an AOS Port Chaplain in the South West of England. Ably assisted by volunteers, she provides chaplaincy services in numerous ports including Plymouth, a major cargo and ferry port, Teignmouth and Falmouth. Here she tells us about a deeply distressed crew who needed her help.
"I had a phone call to let me know that there were reports of a death onboard a ship about to arrive in the port of Teignmouth. I contacted the shipping agents who confirmed that, while at anchor, the crew had been moving pieces of equipment in preparation for loading and that one had fallen and crushed a crewmember.
At first, I could not approach the ship as it was designated a crime scene. The captain was taken to the local police station for interviewing. The next day, AOS ship visitor Jenny Gillett and I were able to go onboard. We found the Eastern European crew very shocked. It had taken more than twelve hours to extricate the seafarer’s remains from the hold. One seafarer seemed in particularly deep distress: he had been working with the crewmember who was killed. Following the accident he had been sedated and now looked calm, if haunted, silent and on edge.
Over the next five days Jenny and I visited the ship daily. The crew seemed to appreciate this. The first officer had only been with the ship for a week before the incident. He was a very open, communicative young man who recognised me from a ship visit when he was on a previous contract. However, following our first visit, three police squad cars arrived at 3.00am to take him for questioning. This further traumatised the remaining crew who were very fearful of what might happen next.
The crew expressed frustration that no one would tell them what was happening or what to expect. They truly felt themselves forgotten.
As the days passed, the crew expressed frustration that no one would tell them what was happening or what to expect. They truly felt themselves forgotten. We provided phone cards and other small treats to show the crew that we cared about them. Their gratitude for the sweets and DVDs showed just how desperate these men were for recognition, understanding and reassurance.
One day the seafarer who had been working with the deceased crewmember opened up to Jenny. He spoke to her for a long time of his feelings of guilt; that he should have been able to save his colleague or that he should have been killed instead. Her willingness to listen while he expressed his anguish was clearly beneficial to him.
As the captain and first officer were still being detained locally on bail, a new captain was appointed to the ship. We suggested to him that the crew might like to mark leaving the port as it was the place of their comrade’s death. Sadly, he refused to discuss it with them. However, just before the ship left port, we took some holy water and flowers to the crew. We suggested that they sprinkle the water in the cabin of the deceased man and say a prayer privately or drop a flower over the side. The crew seemed to appreciate the thought.
Two of our volunteer ship visitors continued to support the captain and the first officer while they were detained. They provided the two men with meals and took their clothes for washing. To help them relax, the ship visitors lent them a bicycle and arranged a visit to a pub. A Mass was said for the deceased seafarer which both crewmen attended and found deeply moving.
Eventually, the captain and first officer were released by the police and allowed to return to their home countries. Before leaving, they thanked AOS and said how glad they were that this had happened in a port with pastoral care on hand. Without that care, they might have felt totally abandoned".