Northeast of the Channel Islands
National Marine Sanctuary boundary lie the shipwreck remains
of the bulk-carrier Pacbaroness that foundered after
a collision with the car-carrier Atlantic Wing in 1987
(Schwemmer 2002). Although the shipwreck lies outside the sanctuary
boundary and at present is not considered an historic resource,
there is a concern that the toxic cargo and fuel oils could
pose a threat to sanctuary marine resources. The Pacbaroness
sank in over 1,400 feet (426 meters) of water with a cargo of
21,000 metric tons of finely powdered copper concentrate. The
vessel was also carrying 339,360 gallons of fuel oil and 10,015
gallons of lubricating oil. Initial investigations indicated
that approximately 20,000 gallons of oil spilled from the wreckage,
and that some copper concentrate escaped into the water from
breached cargo holds (Hyland 1988). |
|  Pacbaroness
Reconnaissance
During NOAA Sanctuary Quest: West Coast Expedition 2002,
a multidisciplinary team of scientists conducted reconnaissance
dives to the shipwreck Pacbaroness utilizing the
U. S. Navy’s ROV Maxrover tethered to the
Navy’s research vessel M/V Independence.
The goals of the expedition were to determine the present
condition of the shipwreck and to collect sediment samples
of the surrounding area for analysis. The expedition was
made possible through a cooperative partnership with the
Naval Facilities Engineering Service Center at Port Hueneme,
California. The science team included researchers from Channel
Islands National Marine Sanctuary, National Marine Sanctuary
Program Office, NOAA’s HAZMAT division, National Ocean
Service Special Projects Office and University of California
Santa Barbara - Marine Science Institute.
The
research vessel Independence arrived off Point
Conception on July 9, 2002 with surface visibility less
than a quarter mile due to fog, similar to conditions when
the bulk-carrier Pacbaroness collided with the
car-carrier Atlantic Wing fifteen years earlier.
After reviewing the 1987 side scan results it was determined
the shipwreck was positioned on the ocean floor in a north-south
lengthwise direction. Transits were run east to west in
order to detect an elongated target. Utilizing an Odom Echotrac
Fathometer, a target was located on the ocean floor in the
depth range of 1410-1460 feet (430-445 meters). After completing
10 transits it was determined that the submerged structure
on the ocean floor was close to the overall length of the
562-foot (171 meters) Pacbaroness. |
 The
ROV Maxrover was launched from the research vessel
Independence. Upon arriving on the ocean floor the
sonar equipped ROV revealed an image of a large structure dead
ahead. The sonar also rendered images of cable hazards draped
from the ship’s structure disappearing into the sediment.
The Maxrover was carefully maneuvered around the cables
as the powerful lights illuminated the steel hull of the
Pacbaroness’ stern. The ship’s rudder was partially
buried in the sediment and there was no sign of the large propeller,
which was now completely buried. It was confirmed that the stern
section had separated from the remainder of the ship, breaking
at the collision point. The ROV cameras also revealed that the
Pacbaroness was not a “dead zone” as some
suspected, but supported a diverse marine life community. During
the first dive near the ocean floor observations included sablefish,
Dover sole, Thorny-head rockfish, Blackgill, urchins, nudibranchs,
and Brittle stars. At the completion of the first ROV dive,
the science team mobilized equipment for the twelve-hour night
shift. Utilizing a Van Veen sampler, the team collected sediment
samples around the Pacbaroness shipwreck and a nearby
control site in an attempt to replicate the position coordinates
of the 1988 sediment collection effort. |
 The
following day a 10-hour ROV circumnavigation of the site confirmed
the Pacbaroness is in three separate sections. The
stern is separated most likely at the collision impact zone
in the No. 5 cargo hold and is angled away from the main wreckage.
Because of the 40-degree downward angle of the stern section
into the ocean floor, what appeared on the side scan image
to be an elongated structure protruding beyond the stern was
recorded to be the rudder (see Figure 3). The bow is also
headed in a slightly different direction from the midships
section of the shipwreck where the cargo holds are located.
During the exploration near the No. 3 & 4 cargo holds
it was discovered that the height from the main deck level
of the shipwreck to the ocean floor sediment was actually
the same level. Had the shipwreck been sitting upright on
its keel with no sediment buildup, it would be approximately
45-feet (13 meters) from the main deck to the ocean floor.
The main deck location was confirmed during this phase of
the assessment by locating one of the starboard stanchions
located in its original outward position on the main deck.
This discovery revealed that bottom sediment has been building
up around the shipwreck site and possibly encapsulating the
spilled cargo near the vessel. An attempt to penetrate the
shipwreck’s interior to verify if the steel folding
cargo covers were breached after sinking was aborted since
further visual and sonar inspection revealed cable hazards
preventing safe navigation for the Maxrover (see
Figure 3). |
|  The
ROV moved into position to inspect the portside bow, the
lights revealed that the painted letters of the ship’s
name curved inward into the steel hull. It was apparent
the bow had suffered severe damage when impacting the ocean
floor, causing rippling damage “like an accordion.”
The final goal was to return to the stern transom and record
the hull surface where the ship’s name was painted.
Videography and still photographs documented the current
levels of marine growth covering the letters were compared
to the images recorded in 1988 of the same region when the
transom was clean of marine growth (see Figure 3). With
the exception of penetrating the cargo hold region, the
expedition was successful, providing the Sanctuary Quest
science team with some answers to the long awaited question
of whether life exists at the shipwreck Pacbaroness.
Upon recovery of the Maxrover, sediment sample
collection continued through out the next twelve hours.
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|  The
samples were sent to a Seattle lab to be analyzed for copper
and polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). Samples collected
around the Pacbaroness and a nearby control site
are also being evaluated to investigate potential impacts
on macroinfauna. Results of the sediment testing are expected
in 2003.
|
Figure
3
Bulk carrier Pacbaroness illustrating collision
impact zone and cargo arrangement.
References
Hyland, Jeffrey, et al (1988). Initial Environmental
Effects of the Pac Baroness Oil and Copper Spill:
Results of Hydrocarbon and Macrofaunal Analyses,
Battelle Ocean Sciences, Ventura California.
Schwemmer, Robert, (2002). Channel Islands
National Marine Sanctuary West Coast Shipwreck
Database, Pacbaroness,
http://channelislands.noaa.gov/shipwreck/dbase/pacbaroness.html,
Santa Barbara, California.
Author Contact Information
Robert V. Schwemmer
Cultural Resources Coordinator
NOAA, Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary
113 Harbor Way, Suite 150
Santa Barbara, California 93109
Robert.Schwemmer@noaa.gov
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