PORT TOWNSEND — A leaking acetylene tank has been identified as the probable source of the flammable gas that ignited and caused Monday’s onboard explosion felt all over town.
“We had people who were on Castle Hill when it exploded come tell us they could feel it from there,” said Jason Hammer, son of boat owner Bill Hammer, on Tuesday.
Bill Hammer was on his boat, the Silver Lady, in Port Townsend’s Boat Haven when the explosion occurred at 8:16 a.m.
He was not hurt.
U.S. Coast Guard personnel decided after investigating the blast that a leaking acetylene tank probably provided flammable gas that ignited when the boat owner switched on an electrical inverter, according to East Jefferson Fire-Rescue spokesman Bill Beezley.
The Silver Lady, a 56-foot commercial fishing vessel, was docked when Bill Hammer started the generator.
At first, Hammer was concerned for the safety of his son, who was not on the boat.
He then grabbed a fire extinguisher but saw no flames, so he exited the boat.
Coast Guard personnel in the office next to the pier had already called 9-1-1.
The vessel was docked approximately 45 feet from the 87-foot Coast Guard cutter Osprey, with an open slip between the two vessels.
The explosion caused no damage to the Osprey nor any other neighboring vessel.
The damage estimate to the Silver Lady was not available Tuesday.
Jason Hammer said the explosion damaged the lower deck and blew out all three of the hatches where fish and bait are stored.
Several items such as a table were bolted to the floor but were dislodged by the explosion, he said.
He said a shipwright would be needed to remove and replace the deck but that the rest of the work could be done by the crew.
Emergency personnel from the Fire Department and the Port Townsend Police Department arrived within minutes of the explosion.
Once the smoke cleared, a Coast Guard team arrived from Seattle but waited to board the vessel until Fire Department personnel returned to disconnect the battery.
The four-member Coast Guard investigative team was only onboard for a short time once it had been cleared to come aboard, Jason Hammer said.
It was most concerned with the integrity of the hull and possible fuel leakages, he added.
The boat is not due for another voyage for three months, and all the repairs can be completed in that time, Hammer said.
“I’m just glad this happened now and not when we were out to sea,” he said.
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Jefferson County Reporter Charlie Bermant can be reached at 360-385-2335 or at charlie.bermant@peninsuladailynews.com.
