The scuba dive boat captain, Jerry Boylan, was scheduled to be sentenced by a federal judge for criminal negligence following a fire that killed 34 people on board the Conception nearly five years ago. This tragedy was the deadliest maritime disaster in recent U.S. history and led to changes in maritime regulations, congressional reform, and ongoing lawsuits. Boylan was found guilty of misconduct or neglect of ship officer, a charge known as seaman’s manslaughter, and faces up to 10 years behind bars with an ongoing appeal. The defense is requesting a five-year probationary sentence, with three years to be served under house arrest, emphasizing that Boylan did not intend for anyone to die and has expressed grief and remorse over the deaths.
The fire aboard the Conception occurred off Santa Cruz Island, resulting in the death of 33 passengers and a crew member who were trapped in a bunkroom below deck. The victims included individuals from various backgrounds, such as a deckhand, an environmental scientist, a couple, a data scientist, and a family of three sisters, their father, and his wife. Boylan was the first to abandon ship and jump overboard, along with four crew members who survived. The sentencing of Boylan, unless his appeal is successful, marks the final step in a lengthy prosecution that has frustrated the victims’ families over the years.
The prosecution against Boylan has been complex, with initial indicators of multiple counts of seaman’s manslaughter totaling up to 340 years behind bars. However, the indictment was revised to one count following a legal dispute about whether the deaths were part of a single incident or separate crimes. The cause of the fire onboard the Conception remains undetermined, but blame was placed on Boylan for failing to have a roving night watch and inadequate crew training in firefighting. Boylan’s defense team, on the other hand, sought to assign blame to the owners of Truth Aquatics Inc., Glen Fritzler and his wife, accusing them of neglecting to train the crew in safety measures and creating a lax seafaring culture.
Following the conclusion of the criminal case, the focus turned to the various ongoing lawsuits related to the Conception fire. Truth Aquatics Inc. filed a suit under a pre-Civil War provision of maritime law that allows them to limit their liability to the value of the remains of the boat, which was a total loss. This legal maneuver, used by the owners of other vessels like the Titanic, requires the Fritzlers to show they were not at fault in the incident. The Fritzlers have not made public statements about the tragedy since an interview with a local TV station shortly after the fire, and their attorneys have not responded to requests for comment from the Associated Press. As the legal proceedings continue, the memory of the victims and the tragedy of the Conception fire remain at the forefront of discussions surrounding maritime safety and accountability.
