Disasters at Sea

Bulk carrier MV Flare is more than halfway on a 3,700-mile voyage across the North Atlantic to pick up a cargo of grain in Montreal. It never arrives. The massive ship gets caught in a violent storm and snaps in two. Miraculously, four of the crew of 25 survive, but the catastrophe greatly troubles investigators. The Flare is one of many active bulk carriers made of the same fracture-resistant steel. If there's a flaw in the design of the material, similar vessels all over the world may be in danger of sinking at any moment.

A massive tanker explodes at sea. The only chance for survival: run through flames to signal for help and then dive into a stew of toxic chemicals. Witness the 2004 sinking of Bow Mariner, from the moments leading up to the fiery blast to the heroic efforts of one officer to save his crew to a Coast Guard rescue effort unlike any attempted before. Then discover the shocking reasons for the catastrophe that claimed the lives of 21 crewmen. Firsthand accounts from survivors, rescuers, and investigators bring this harrowing sea disaster to life.

MSC Flaminia is transporting thousands of containers across the Atlantic, en route to Belgium, when a massive fireball erupts from the cargo hold. With many of the containers full of dangerous goods, the officers, crew, and passengers must abandon ship before another explosion occurs. When investigators struggle to determine the cause of the disaster, they bring in an expert chemist; she discovers traces of a chemical cocktail that turned the ship into a pressure cooker ready to go off. It's a danger that threatens shipping around the world.

On the unforgiving Bering Sea, the 110-foot fishing boat Destination suddenly vanishes. After a three-day air and sea search finds nothing, the captain and all five crew are presumed dead. It's the worst accident in the Alaska crabbing industry in more than a decade. Investigators with the National Transportation Safety Board and U.S. Coast Guard race to find out what doomed the ship and its experienced crew. What they uncover is a string of clues leading up to the final moments of the disaster that would leave a community stunned.

The very modern, 430-foot car ferry Herald of Free Enterprise leaves Zeebrugge Harbor on its 100-mile trip across the English Channel. Less than 25 minutes into the voyage, however, the boat suddenly lurches to the left and within 90 seconds, completely rolls over. Inside the ship, 539 people are trapped as the frigid North Sea pours in. By the time rescue teams arrive, 193 are dead, and investigators are tasked to explain how this state-of-the-art ship came to such a tragic end. What they find will send shockwaves through the ferry industry.

On Scotland's treacherous River Clyde, three tugboats and a massive bulk carrier are blinded by fog during a 17-mile journey from Greenock to Glasgow. When one tugboat is apparently grounded, the other tugs carefully guide the cargo ship safely to its destination...but their relief will be short-lived. Witness the 2007 sinking of the Flying Phantom and follow the Marine Accident Investigation Branch as they race to discover if the disaster was cause by a collision, human error, or by a malfunction that may put other tugboat crews in danger?