SS ''Sansinena'' was a
Liberian
oil tanker
An oil tanker, also known as a petroleum tanker, is a ship designed for the bulk transport of oil or its products. There are two basic types of oil tankers: crude tankers and product tankers. Crude tankers move large quantities of unrefined cru ...
that exploded in
Los Angeles
Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, largest city in the U.S. state, state of California and the List of United States cities by population, sec ...
harbor on Friday, 17 December 1976 at 7:33pm. She was docked at berth 46 at
Port of Los Angeles in
San Pedro, California
San Pedro ( ; Spanish: "St. Peter") is a neighborhood within the City of Los Angeles, California. Formerly a separate city, it consolidated with Los Angeles in 1909. The Port of Los Angeles, a major international seaport, is partially located wi ...
.
The vessel was a
steamship built in 1958. At its final port of call, ''Sansinena'' had discharged its cargo of
crude oil and was taking on ballast and fuel when a massive explosion split the ship in half and obliterated multiple port buildings. The blast shattered windows for miles around, flung the entire midship bridge on the wharf, and triggered a fire that spread across the dock and around the tanker. The
Los Angeles Fire Department
The Los Angeles Fire Department (LAFD or LA City Fire) provides emergency medical services, Fire investigation, fire cause determination, fire prevention, Firefighting, fire suppression, Dangerous goods, hazardous materials mitigation, and Resc ...
soon arrived on the scene to contain the blaze and rescue survivors. One of the fires, fed by underground fuel lines, burned for four days.
A
United States Coast Guard
The United States Coast Guard (USCG) is the maritime security, search and rescue, and law enforcement service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the country's eight uniformed services. The service is a maritime, military, mu ...
investigation later concluded that the incident was caused by flammable hydrocarbon vapor buildup on the deck of the ship caused by a poorly designed and deteriorating venting system as well as an unsafe practice (leaving all vents open during ballasting). The ignition source was never identified.
The official casualty count was:
*9 dead, eight crew and one dock security guard)
*46 injured, 9 requiring hospitalization
The explosion of ''Sansinena'' and technical details of the incident were featured as the first segment of the Engineering Disasters of the 1970s' episode of History Channel's ''
Modern Marvels'' television series.
See also
*
''Ralph J. Scott'' (fireboat)
Further reading
*
External links
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
Sansinena
Shipwrecks of the California coast
History of Los Angeles
Maritime incidents in 1976
Oil tankers
1958 ships
{{Merchantship-stub