Officers and crew of the Crowley Maritime Corp-managed vessel Ocean Titan were recently honoured with a 2012 Admiral of the Ocean Sea (AOTOS) Mariners’ Plaque for demonstrating heroism at sea during the United Seamen’s Service’s (USS) annual AOTOS awards ceremony in New York.The seamen were recognised for the rescue in December 2011 of the seven-member crew of the motor vessel Florece, which sank about 250 miles southwest of Land’s End in the Bay of Biscay, following a collision with the tanker Afrodite. Accepting the award on behalf of the ship’s officers and crew was Captain Christopher Hill, master on Ocean Titan.
Florece sank within an hour, forcing the crew of seven to take to lifeboats. Shortly afterwards, the crew of Ocean Titan received the distress call and, upon arriving on scene, undertook a successful rescue operation.
