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Admiralty Law Keyed to Maraist
United States v. Reliable Transfer Co.
Citation:
421 U.S. 397, 95 S.Ct. 1708, 44 L.Ed.2d 251, 1975 AMC 541 (1975)Facts
On a clear but windy December night in 1968, the Mary A. Whalen, a coastal tanker owned by Reliable Transfer Co., embarked from New Jersey to New York with a load of fuel oil. While crossing Rockaway Inlet, the captain observed that the breakwater light maintained by the Coast Guard was not operating. As the vessel approached Rockaway Point in high waves and gale-force winds, the captain attempted to navigate around a tug and barge, making a 180-degree turn. Believing he was south of the breakwater and heading for open sea, he set an eastward course. Within a minute, the breakwater light structure came into view, and while turning to avoid rocks, the Whalen ran aground in sand. The District Court found the vessel’s grounding was caused 25% by the Coast Guard’s failure to maintain the light and 75% by the Whalen’s fault, as the captain had failed to use available navigational tools and had relied on guesswork in dangerous conditions.
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