Alcatraz Ferry Miscues
Hornblower was not the best choice!
Hornblower CEO and co-founder Terry MacRae says:
We built Hornblower around our guests' expectations. Our crewmembers are extensively trained, always with safety paramount. . . . We responded to the National Park Service's call to provide "a continual high level of quality services to park visitors" and to "implement and showcase sustainable practices." . . . For two months now, hard-working and talented Alcatraz Cruises crew members have been providing National Park Service guests friendly, safe and efficient service.
The actual records paint a different picture!
(Please note that times of day are presented using a 24-hour clock. 1 PM = 1300 and so on).
Sewage Spills and High Sewage Alarms:
Background - All human waste and sewage must be transported from Alcatraz Island by boat to the city of San Francisco. There is no other way to do this. If the sewage is not pumped onto the boat by the ferry crews (or pumped onto a special barge) often enough, the sewage tanks on the island will overflow and spill onto the island. Several times, since taking over the Alcatraz Ferry service, Hornblower has forgotten this basic fact.
- (1) Tuesday, September 26, 2006 - 1404 (both tanks full; 2 sewage alarms sound);
- (2) Saturday, October 7, 2006 - 1715 (sewage alarm sounds);
- (3) Monday, October 9, 2006 - 1400 (50 gallon sewage spill at top of the island);
- (4) Thursday, October 13, 2006 - 1630 (sewage spill on dock, waste flushed into the bay). This spill was witnessed by passing vessels and is recorded as Cal/EPA Complaint #699.
Source: National Park Service Logs.
Ramp Accidents:
Background - There is a wire & winch ramp / gangway that is lowered onto the Alcatraz boats to discharge / load passengers and equipment. If the ramp is not properly positioned and the boat operator not diligent in watching the ramp when conditions (such as strong tidal currents, wakes from passing boats, or high winds) require it, the ramp can come loose from the boat. If people are on the ramp, they can be seriously injured. The Alcatraz ramp is very quirky and needs to be positioned properly or the risk of an accident increases.
- (1) Saturday, October 7, 2006 - 1858 (Gangway became unattached from boat (the Respect) with two visitors on it. No injuries reported)
Source: National Park Service Logs.
Operational Meltdowns
Background - The Alcatraz Ferry schedule is like a chain. Break one link, and the chain can collapse entirely. Small mistakes can cause the links to weaken or break. This has happened at least once since Hornblower assumed control of the service on September 25, 2006.
Normally the Alcatraz Ferry departs every half-hour between 1015 and 1445 (1645 in summer months), followed by pickups from the island at 1520, 1550, and 1630 (1720, 1750, and 1830 in summer months). The last day visitors are supposed to be off the island, along with all of the park service staff by the time of the last departure. Only park service staff is supposed to remain on Alcatraz Island between the last daytime departure and the arrival of the first of two nighttime tours.
(1) October 14, 2006
1505 - Islander arrives 35 minutes after scheduled 1430 arrival; 1445 departure cancelled; many visitors waiting on dock for boats returning to San Francisco;
1520 - Islander assumes Respect's scheduled departure (1st missed departure);
1525-34 - Respect arrives, loads additional passengers, and makes non-scheduled departure;
1545 - Alcatraz Park Rangers decide to cancel 1610 cell-house sweep, thus allowing daytime visitors to remain on the island after the last scheduled daytime departure.
This is an unprecedented decision. Never before have daytime visitors been allowed to stay past the last security sweep. This is not only a result of a scheduling meltdown, and quite possibly a failure in customer service, but it is also a potential security breach! Who knows what could go wrong?
1550 - Islander fails to show for scheduled departure (2nd missed departure); 673 daytime visitors remain on Alcatraz Island.
1605 - Islander arrives for scheduled 1550 Respect departure;
1613 - Islander departs Alcatraz, leaving behind 348 daytime visitors.
1630 - Respect fails to show for scheduled departure (3rd missed departure); 348 daytime visitors remain on Alcatraz Island.
Between 1630-1740 - First night Alcatraz tour boat (arrival) returns some of the remaining daytime visitors to Pier 31 1/2
1740 - Second Night Alcatraz tour boat (arrival) takes remaining daytime visitors to Pier 31 1/2. Many night tour visitors also leave on this second boat due to the confusion.
1950 - last night tour boat (last departure) is only half as full as the second arrival boat. This is due to the confusion mentioned by the entry at 1740.
Normally the night tour boat takes one load of passengers to the island, the passengers diembark for their tour, and the boat returns to San Francisco to take a second load of passengers to the island.
After discharging the second load of passengers, the boat waits at the island for the return of the first load of passengers. That group returns on the the first return voyage back to San Francisco, where the passengers are again discharged.
The boat then returns to Alcatraz to load the remaining visitors and park staff, who then return on the last voyage of the day / night. Usually, the same number of passengers travel on the first trip to / from Alcatraz. The same number of passengers plus park staff usually travel on the second trip to / from Alcatraz.
On the day described above, that didn't happen due to the meltdown of the normal Alcatraz ferry routine!
Source: National Park Service Logs.
Note that these reports are taken from selections of National Park Service Logs. As we uncover more logs from other dates, more mistakes will be revealed!
Cal/EPA Environmental Complaint Form #699
I am the captain of a tour boat.
I was passing the east side of Akatraz Island (ALC) about 75-100 feet off shore heading from north to south at 1705.
About three-fourths down this side of the Island is a dock building that houses restrooms at the north end.
On the waterside, near to south and is a staff restoom and equipment storage room. I observed a man walking smartly (hurriedly) to the opened door to this room. He was taking animatedty to another man just inside the door.
Both men started waking hurriedly across the concrete dock area to the location of the two sewage storage tanks on Ow south side of the original fort/bachelors' officers quarters.
This got my attention. I observed a water pattern in the shape of a fan or spider web on the concrete dock area coming from the area of the sewage storage tanks. It was not solidly covering the concrete. It extended about 100 feet. I estimate the amount of liquid soled from the tank(a) to be approximately 50 gallons.
There was another man waking on the top of one of the tanks. These tanks hold sewage that is pumped from the port-oIotfies at the top of the Island and from the restroorns located in the dock area.
The sewage is then pumped to vessel(s) for transportation ashore. I notified the regional director of my union, the Inlandboatmens Union of the Pacific (IBU) and my immediate supervisor, the port captain, of this spill. It is the policy of my compaury that off sills of any kind be reported to the port captain. The port captain will then make the appropriate notification.
When I observed the apparent sewage spill on ALC, I was on my last run of the day. I did not pass ALC again until the next morning (October 14, 2006). I noticed nothing unusual at that time.
(N. B. i have been working on San Francisco Bay as a captain of various vessels for several companies since 1985, when I retired from the U. S. Coast Guard as a captain. I hold a Coast Guard unlimited master mariners license (any ocean/any tonnage) issue #6 with first class pilotage and radar observer endorsements. For ten years starting in 1987, I worked as a captain for a previous contractor who provided ferry service to ALC.
I have made thousands of landings at ALC in the past. The waterfront community is very small. It is the utmost importance that my identity be protected for fear of retribution arrdlor reprisal from the company a person(s) responsible for this spill and my employer.)
A representative of my union's reginal director suggested that I file this complaint.