Queen of the North affidavits allege recklessness

Negligence and recklessness are among the allegations in affidavits filed on behalf of passengers of the Queen of the North, CBC has learned.

Lew Glentworth, former captain of the Queen of the North which struck an island and sank off B.C.'s North Coast in March is among those who have signed an affidavit.

"Whatever was taking place on the bridge at the time of the sinking was equivalent to an abandonment of the responsibilities of navigation," Glentworth states.

Glentworth retired shortly before the accident.

"One of two things has happened," said Glentworth in the document. "There has been a catastrophic equipment failure and by that I mean something as serious as the failure of the steering gear or human error. I can think of nothing else that could account for what has taken place, nothing."

Glentworth, who may have to testify in court, would not comment on the affidavit to CBC News. The statements in the affidavits have not been proven in court.

On March 22, the ferry left Prince Rupert on a routine run down the protected waters of Grenville Channel, emerging at the southern end of the channel into Wright Sound, near Hartley Bay. At that point, the crew was supposed to make a left turn around the east side of Gil Island, then continue south.

Instead of making the turn, the ship kept going dead ahead for 14 minutes before hitting Gil Island full throttle and sinking more than 400 metres to the bottom of Wright Sound.

Ninety-nine passengers and crew managed to escape. Gerald Foisey and Shirley Rosette of 100 Mile House were presumed dead, and their bodies have never been recovered.

Itwas revealed to CBC since the accident that Fourth Officer Carl Lilgert and deckhand Karen Bricker were on the bridge and didn't know how to dim the brightness on the global positioning system display to see better out the window, so they turned it off.

Dave Hahn, president and chief executive officer of BC Ferries, told CBC News last week he did not know if the acknowledged relationship between Lilgert and Bricker was a factor.

"Turning off any piece of equipment that deals with guidance on a vessel just makes no sense whatsoever, period," Hahn said last week.

In a letter to BC Ferries in May, the Transportation Safety Board said the crew was not properly trained in the steering system or the navigational gear.

In his affidavit, Glentworth considers the possibility "gross dereliction of duty" was the determining factor.

Last week, it was revealed that logbooks that could have shed light on the crash have gone missing. The revelation came amid word that BC Ferries had asked the RCMP to investigate the disappearance of the October logbook on the Queen of Prince Rupert, which replaced the Queen of the North on its route.