This story comes from Cornelis Van Gelder, one of our crane operators.  He gave me a video to watch, but no photos to post (the one photo here is just of a construction ship he used to work on).

A few years ago, there was a tugboat that flipped over and sank as it was towing an oil tanker in rough seas.  It happened so fast, none of the 12 man crew was able to escape.  A couple of days later a salvage crew was sent, and rescue divers were tasked with recovering the bodies of the drowned crew.  However, one of the divers was astonished when a live hand beckoned for help.  Hector had managed to find a pocket of air and something to sit on, as well as a can of soda that staved off dehydration for the 2+ days that he was trapped 100ft down on the seafloor.  His CO2 levels were high, and he passed out as the divers brought him up to a decompression chamber, but he survived.

Cornelis was working on one of the support ships sent to help at the time.  He doesn’t know if Hector ever went back out to sea.  He was the cook, so maybe he found work that kept him on dry land.  Maybe he even opened his own restaurant – Hector’s Hardrock Cafe, serving Terra Firma Turkey Burgers, Stayin’ Alive Steaks, and Tugboat Floats!