Waterman Steamship Corporation v. Gay Cottons, United States of America and Shalom Baby Wear

Caution

414 F.2d 724

United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth CircuitAugust 5, 196921767California8,794 words

Opinion

Duniway, J.

On February 7, 1962, the S.S. CHICKASAW ran aground on Santa Rosa Island, off the coast of Southern California. The island is 40 miles long and 400 feet high. The ship had left Yokohama for Los Angeles on January 27, 1962. No celestial fixes had been obtained after noon on February 5, because of stormy weather. The crew took several fixes with the radio direction finder, which had no recent compensation card, but obtained “wildly divergent” results. The vessel’s mechanical sounding device had been pried off the deck in Japan and sold for scrap. The fathometer was not used because Third Mate Jensen thought it was inoperative. He had last tried, to use it while the ship was on Japan’s Inland Sea on December 25, 1961, when he obtained red flashes all around the dial. He had told the master, Capt. Patronas, that the fathometér was inoperable, but the master did not have it checked at the next port. And the radar was broken, having stopped operating just before the ship’s arrival in Japan. It had not been fixed because the repair company in Yokohama could not obtain the necessary part in Japan.

The stranding resulted in total loss of the vessel and substantial loss of cargo. Waterman…

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Parties

WATERMAN STEAMSHIP CORPORATION
Plaintiff
GAY COTTONS, United States of America and Shalom Baby Wear
Defendant

Judges

Jertberg
Duniway
Taylor

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