A Greek owned oil tanker, The Agean Angel, was making its way to Houston, Texas from Estonia when it endured two or three days of bad weather. According to survivors from the ship, the heavy conditions had been intermittent over the course of several days prior to the fatal maritime accident.
During what appeared to be a period of relative calm the Captain, Deputy Captain, and Chief Engineer decided to go on deck to check for damages. According to the Deputy Captain, they never saw nor heard the huge wave which washed over the ship. He was caught under the wave and was unable to breathe. He was not able to tell where on the deck he was after being hit by the wave and called out for help.
Fortunately for the Deputy Captain, his arm was caught in a hydraulic anchor lift. While this injured his hand and forearm it kept him from being thrown around the deck of the ship by the wave. The Deputy Captain spent three days in the vessel’s hospital suffering cracked ribs, lacerations and a broken collarbone. He was later transported to a hospital on shore where he underwent two hours of surgery.
Tragically, the Captain and the Chief Engineer did not survive the wave. They were thrown across the deck into railings and other fixtures. The Chief Engineer left behind a wife and was expecting their first child in a few months.
The Deputy Captain is also expecting a child son and says he will never return to working on the seas.
Source: The Royal Gazette Rescued sailor: “I’ll never go to sea again” Nadia Arandjelovic, January 19, 2011