VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — Back in June, the Spirit of Norfolk caught fire with over 100 passengers on board during a kindergarten graduation celebration.
Several other boats, including the Victory Rover, responded to help.
No one was hurt, but the Spirit of Norfolk had major damage and was later considered to be a total loss.
Following that days-long fire, the U.S. Coast Guard continues to investigate the details.
Thursday morning, they began a series of formal hearings at the city council chambers in Virginia Beach into both the cause and response to the fire.
Christopher O’Neal, a marine inspections training officer for Sector Virginia, testified to inspecting the Spirit of Norfolk on May 10th, roughly a month before the incident.
O’Neal said there were no deficiencies noted, and he said he felt comfortable with the vessel after inspection and made some recommendations to the crew.
“I recommended that they clip the person that is actually going down the ladder well for the man overboard line just in case they slip and fall,” O'Neal said.
The vessel was considered fit for service and route.
Spirit of Norfolk fire, June 7, 2022
But five days later on a passenger excursion, the port main diesel engine overheated, and the crew notified the Coast Guard.
Officials recommended replacing the engine. The Spirit of Norfolk then operated 18 times between May 26th and the day of the fire.
Today's hearing is expected to wrap up around 5 p.m. It will continue Friday morning with testimonies from crew members and the captain of the Spirit of Norfolk.
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is conducting a concurrent investigation into the incident and joins the Coast Guard in this fact-finding phase. The NTSB will analyze the facts to prepare and publish a separate report.