The captain of the dive boat which caught fire and sank in the Channel Islands in 2019, killing 34 people, has been sentenced to four years in federal prison.
Jerry Boylan was convicted of one count of misconduct or neglect by a ship officer for the disaster involving the Conception.
The ship was anchored in the islands when an early morning fire trapped all 33 passengers and one crew member below deck. Prosecutors say Boylan was responsible for a number of issues which led to the deaths. They say he failed to have a roving patrol on the ship which might have detected the fire earlier.
They contended he failed to properly train, and drill the crew on fire safety, and also failed to provide direction to crew members after the blaze started.
During his sentencing, some family members expressed their anger and sadness over what occurred. Boylan’s attorney read a statement in which Boylan apologized and said he’s cried every day since the fire.
Federal investigatgors were never able to pinpoit the exact cause of the blaze, but one of the leading theories was that it was caused by an electrical short linked to overloaded curcuits charging cell phones and other electronic devices.
The disaster led to measures to strengthen safety requirements on smaller passenger boats.
