The Story

In the spring of 1972 the crew of a vessel proceeding through the ice packed waters of Lake Superior found their vessel's engine space suddenly filled with carbon dioxide from the fixed fire fighting system. No evidence of fire was found, and none of the men aboard had activated the system.

Subsequent investigation indicated that the ship's vibrations while grinding through the ice caused some of the system's carbon dioxide cylinders to rotate in their brackets. Those that rotated were the "pilot" cylinders; their motion activated the rest of the system.

Lesson Learned

A confined space suddenly filled with deadly carbon dioxide can be fatal to those trapped within. In this case no one was hurt; however, the lesson to be learned is that special attention should be paid to the tightening of the cylinder rack bolts to prevent similar unwanted and possibly dangerous discharges.