# 17 die in Branson, MO duck-boat drownings



## waltky (Jul 20, 2018)

*Even on duck-boats, life preservers should be worn...*
*




*
*'Duck boat' capsizes in Missouri, kills at least 11 - police*
*July 19, 2018 - At least 11 people drowned on Thursday when an amphibious “duck boat” capsized and sank in stormy weather on a lake in Missouri with 31 people, including children, on board, as divers searched for other possible victims, police said.*


> *Seven people were taken to hospital following the incident on the “Ride the Ducks” amphibious vehicle on Table Rock Lake, near Branson, Missouri, Stone County Sheriff Doug Rader told reporters.  At least 11 people were killed in the incident as divers finished their search effort for the night and will start again in the morning, the sheriff said later in a news conference. *
> 
> *Emergency crews responded to the incident shortly after 7 p.m. (0000 GMT) after thunderstorms rolled through the area, the fire district said on Twitter.  Video footage shot by an eyewitness who was on shore showed strong waves tossing two duck boats side to side. The video clip was posted online by KY3. *
> 
> ...


----------



## Picaro (Jul 20, 2018)

Man that is bad news. They shouldn't run those boats in bad weather, obviously, or any boats at all. It's not like there isn't 24/7 weather reporting, free on TV, these days.


----------



## strollingbones (Jul 20, 2018)

and yesterday i was fussing with momma bear about the new baby taking 'survivor swimming for infants'
not so much now.....they teach the infant to right itself and float till help comes...one of my biggest regrets in life is being a non swimmer


----------



## asaratis (Jul 20, 2018)

strollingbones said:


> and yesterday i was fussing with momma bear about the new baby taking 'survivor swimming for infants'
> not so much now.....they teach the infant to right itself and float till help comes...one of my biggest regrets in life is being a non swimmer


You still take a course in drown proofing.  You don't need to be a swimmer to survive.

noun

a survival technique, for swimmers or nonswimmers, in which the body is allowed to float vertically in the water, with the head submerged, the lungs filled with air, and the arms and legs relaxed, the head being raised to breathe every ten seconds or so.


----------



## harmonica (Jul 21, 2018)

..it is my understand that LVTs/LCAs were the primary landing craft in WW2--and I've been reading WW2 for over 40 years...especially Pacific Theater


> The Ducks did amazing work during the war shipping over 1 million tonnes of mixed supplies into the troops on the front lines like no military had ever seen before. The Ducks were used extensively in the Pacific and even later in the war were used for landings including the D
> 
> 
> 
> ...


they were used a lot for resupply, but  I don't recall reading much about them--or their losses...one of those statistics that was not published much
...
...I've been in amtracs AAV7s and got to drive one  on the beach
...these amphibious vehicles do not have much freeboard at all--most of the vehicle is under water
once trouble starts, there is not much time to get out even if the sides are open
..we had swim training from the AAVs...we would jump over the side and swim to the beach


> The vehicles were never actually put through the sea trials!


A Brief and Easy to Understand History of the DUKW - Rotorua Duck Tours
AAV




and the recent


----------



## asaratis (Jul 21, 2018)

It takes a really stupid son of a bitch to advise people not to put on life preservers.  I hope the tour company is sued out of existence.


----------



## Moonglow (Jul 21, 2018)

The storm blew up rather quickly as it formed at Missouri, OK, Kansas lines, we got high winds and rain and the ducks had no chance to exit the large lake due to their slow speeds..I've been caught in Beaver Lake in NW Ark when a storm like this blew up in no time and luckily we were grounded onshore with the pontoon boat, least we be swept over..arrrrggghh, and I bitched because the wind blew down my trellis..


----------



## harmonica (Jul 21, 2018)

Moonglow said:


> The storm blew up rather quickly as it formed at Missouri, OK, Kansas lines, we got high winds and rain and the ducks had no chance to exit the large lake due to their slow speeds..I've been caught in Beaver Lake in NW Ark when a storm like this blew up in no time and luckily we were grounded onshore with the pontoon boat, least we be swept over..arrrrggghh, and I bitched because the wind blew down my trellis..


but I read where there were warnings well beforehand ?


----------



## harmonica (Jul 21, 2018)

> S - After damaging thunderstorms and tornadoes, people often say “it came without warning,” but nothing could be further from the truth regarding the storms that hit Branson and the Table Rock Lake area Thursday evening.





> In total, there was 32 minutes of warning ahead of the storms and several hours of heads-up given by the watch.


Severe weather alerts issued ahead of Table Rock Lake boat accident


----------



## harmonica (Jul 21, 2018)

> By that time, southwest Missouri had already been under a severe thunderstorm watch for more than seven hours, which meant that people were warned that conditions were coming together for a potential severe thunderstorm.
> 
> The actual warning, Angle said, means: "Take action because life and property area in danger."


Two St. Louis County residents among 17 dead in Table Rock Lake boat disaster


----------



## harmonica (Jul 21, 2018)

considering how slow the DuKW is, that makes the decision to go out even worse/''more'' stupid


----------



## harmonica (Jul 21, 2018)

...we had emergency evac training for choppers--they teach you to know your exits--without sight 
..remember, it is confusing/chaos/etc in these incidents 
...once the vehicle/chopper goes under, you can't really see/move well/etc --very tough to get out


----------



## strollingbones (Jul 21, 2018)

I am drown proof ...I am a Terra firma girl
..I am paying for the three year olds swim lessons at the y and will pay for the baby..my son learned to swim at the y...I hope non swimmers like me become extinct..everyone should learn a life saving skill...but me


----------



## Mr Natural (Jul 21, 2018)

strollingbones said:


> I am drown proof ...I am a Terra firma girl
> ..I am paying for the three year olds swim lessons at the y and will pay for the baby..my son learned to swim at the y...I hope non swimmers like me become extinct..everyone should learn a life saving skill...but me



You’re missing out on one of life’s greatest pleasures.

Swimming is as natural as walking and you’re never too old to learn.


----------



## Remodeling Maidiac (Jul 23, 2018)

They are raising the boat this morning


----------



## strollingbones (Jul 23, 2018)

i hardly think it takes a year long investigation....they should have never gone out with the winds and the waves


----------



## Moonglow (Jul 23, 2018)

strollingbones said:


> i hardly think it takes a year long investigation....they should have never gone out with the winds and the waves


It wasn't until the afternoon that the storm hit, there was no real warning on the radar all it showed was light showers but when it hit the OK/MO line over me it was developing rapidly.


----------



## waltky (Aug 2, 2018)

*Duck Boat Violated Inspection Terms...*
*



*
*Coast Guard Document: Tourist Boat Violated Inspection Terms*
*2 Aug 2018  — A tourist boat was on the lake despite wind speeds far exceeding allowable limits when it sank last month in Missouri, killing 17 people, according to a certificate of inspection made public Wednesday.*



> *The Coast Guard announced that it has convened a formal Marine Board of Investigation into the July 19 accident involving a Ride the Ducks of Branson duck boat. The vessel sank at Table Rock Lake near Branson during a storm.  A news release announcing the investigation included a link to the certificate of inspection issued by the Coast Guard on Feb. 7, 2017. The document shows that the boat passed inspection but also establishes rules and limitations for the vessel, known as Stretch Duck 7.  The certificate of inspection states the boat "shall not be operated waterborne" when winds exceed 35 mph and/or wave heights exceed 2 feet.*
> 
> *Video and audio from the boat, recovered by divers, showed that the lake was calm when the boat entered the lake. But weather suddenly turned violent and within minutes the boat sank.  The National Transportation Safety Board has said the wind speed at the time of the accident was more than 70 mph, just short of hurricane force. Weather forecasts had warned of an impending storm with winds possibly exceeding 60 mph.  The wave height wasn't known, but cellphone video shot by passengers on a nearby excursion boat showed waves that appeared to be far greater than 2 feet high.  An email message seeking comment from Ripley Entertainment, the company that owns Ride the Ducks of Branson, was not immediately returned.*
> 
> ...


----------



## waltky (Aug 21, 2018)

Coast Guard Refers Duck Boat Probe to Feds...





*Coast Guard Refers Duck Boat Probe to Feds; Cites Possible Criminal Activity*
_21 Aug 2018 - The federal investigation is in addition to a separate criminal probe by the Missouri attorney general._


> The U.S. Coast Guard has referred the July 19 sinking of a Branson duck boat to federal investigators to pursue a possible criminal case.  A spokeswoman for the Coast Guard confirmed that her agency referred the case Aug. 13 to the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Western District of Missouri. That office, based in Kansas City, includes the Table Rock Lake area where the boat sank, killing 17.  "During the course of the initial part of our investigation, the fact finding part, we identified stuff that could point to some sort of criminal activity," said Alana Miller, a Coast Guard spokeswoman. "And we are not in the business of criminal investigations."  Miller would not elaborate on what that potential criminal activity may be. She did say that the Marine Board of Investigation and the Coast Guard Investigative Service division consulted with its legal department before the case was referred.  Don Ledford, spokesman for the U.S. Attorney's office, declined comment Tuesday.
> "What I can say is that the Department of Justice policy is that we don't comment on investigations," Ledford said. "We don't even confirm or deny the existence of an investigation."
> 
> The federal investigation is in addition to a separate criminal probe by the Missouri attorney general.  Missouri Attorney General Josh Hawley's office confirmed to The Star on July 30 that it had opened a criminal investigation to explore the possibility of violations of the Missouri Merchandising Practices Act.  The act forbids fraud and deception in the sale of goods and services.The first 911 call about the the vessel, Stretch Duck 07, came at 7:09 p.m., 14 minutes after the boat entered the water on July 19.  The National Weather Service had issued a severe thunderstorm warning at 6:32 p.m., specifically naming Table Rock Lake. The warning said winds in excess of 60 mph were possible. In reality, winds on the lake reached 73 mph with waves more than three feet.  According to a recent report by the National Transportation Safety Board, the captain and driver were on board at 6:28 that evening when someone stepped onto the back of the boat and told the crew to take the water portion of the tour first. It isn't known who that person is.
> ...


----------

