They Were Trapped On A Sinking Ship For Hours And Lived To Tell The Tale!

The documentary “Fishing Crew Trapped On Sinking Ship After Engine Failure” is an episode of the documentary series “Trapped” by Wonder. The episode tells the story of a captain and his crew who are in trouble on the Atlantic Ocean in January 2003.

The crew aboard the finished cargo ship Camilla is struggling to get its 7,000 horsepower engine up and running, as it has been breaking down all through the night.

The engine has a badly damaged oil filter, so there’s no oil to lubricate the engine’s crankshaft. The crankshaft grinds against the bearings that connect it to the rotating pistons, and that constant friction has caused the engine to seize and die.

Captain Marco Ricola knows that with no engine power, he and his 15 crew members are trapped. The Camilla is stranded more than 450 kilometers from the nearest port, St. John’s, on the Grand Banks off the east coast of Canada.

The area is known for its shallow seabed, which creates massive waves, and it’s also known for its unpredictable weather. More than 7,000 ships have sunk in these waters over the centuries, making it a dangerous place for any ship with engine trouble.

The even worse news is rolling in: a cyclone is approaching from the southwest, with winds that will hit 150 kilometers an hour and waves that will reach 24 meters. This is enough to sink the stricken Camilla, and the storm is still hours away.

Captain Ricola is forced to consider all options for escape. The nearest tugboat is 20 hours away, but it’s his best hope. The Camilla is unable to move forward, so it has no resistance against the power of the storm.

When the cyclone’s waves hit the shallow floor, their energy gets compressed, creating huge breaking waves that can smash windows, shift cargo, and potentially even turn the ship upside down.

The crew realizes they cannot wait for the tugboat to arrive, and they must abandon the sinking ship. They contact the Coast Guard for a rescue, but the nearest helicopter is in Gander, 618 kilometers away.

The hopes of rescue for Captain Ricola, third officer Mayu Sari, and the rest of the crew now hinge on a helicopter reaching them before the storm hits.

The episode tells the dramatic story of how the crew members cope with their desperate situation and the life-and-death decisions that are made to save their lives. It’s a harrowing tale of bravery, endurance, and survival in one of the most treacherous areas of the ocean.