The captain of the scuba diving boat, the Conception, has been sentenced to four years in prison for criminal negligence. This comes almost five years after a tragic fire took the lives of 34 people aboard the vessel off the California coast.
In 2023, Jerry Boylan was convicted of seaman’s manslaughter for his role in the tragic deaths of 33 passengers and one crew member. He also faced a charge of misconduct or neglect as a ship officer.
One of the deadliest maritime accidents in recent U.S. history has been regarded as such.
In the early morning of September 2, 2019, the Conception, the vessel he was on, caught fire. There were 39 people on board, with the majority of them asleep below deck.
Boylan was accused by prosecutors of neglecting his duty to use the boat’s public address system to alert the passengers about the fire or assist them in escaping. Instead, he prioritized his own escape and left with four crew members.
According to prosecutors, Boylan did not make any effort to combat the fire using the extinguishers available on board. They also claimed that he neglected his responsibilities as a captain.
According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, the main concern revolves around the captain’s responsibilities.
According to CBS News, defense lawyers contended that Boylan remained on board the Conception long enough to issue a mayday call to the U.S. Coast Guard. They argued that he only abandoned the ship when he believed that he would not survive otherwise.
During the incident, all six crew members were asleep, leading the prosecutors to highlight the fact that Boylan failed to assign a night watchman. This oversight allowed the fire to silently engulf the vessel. According to court documents, survivors have revealed that the boat’s smoke alarms never sounded during the calamity.
According to the prosecution’s sentencing papers, the defendant has never apologized or taken any responsibility for the atrocity he caused.
The cause of the fire on the Conception, which had completely engulfed the vessel by the time rescue crews arrived, could not be determined by federal investigators. Tragically, all 34 individuals on board had lost their lives.
Speculation in court documents suggested that the fire might have been caused by lithium ion batteries.
