Jerry Boylan Found Guilty of Neglect of Ship Officer in Deadly 2019 Conception Fire, Largest Maritime Disaster in Recent U.S. History

A federal jury in Los Angeles has found Jerry Boylan, the captain of the scuba dive boat Conception, guilty of one count of misconduct or neglect of ship officer in the deaths of 34 people in a fire aboard the vessel in 2019. This is the deadliest maritime disaster in recent U.S. history.

The Conception was anchored off Santa Cruz Island, 25 miles south of Santa Barbara, when it caught fire before dawn on the final day of a three-day excursion. Among the dead were the deckhand, an environmental scientist, a globe-trotting couple, a Singaporean data scientist, and a family of three sisters, their father and his wife.

The verdict comes more than four years after the tragedy, which prompted changes to maritime regulations, congressional hearings, and a National Transportation Safety Board investigation. Although the exact cause of the blaze remains undetermined, the prosecutors and defense sought to assign blame throughout the trial.

Boylan was the only person to face criminal charges connected to the fire. Four crew members who joined him also survived. The pre-Civil War statute, colloquially known as seaman’s manslaughter, was designed to hold steamboat captains and crew responsible for maritime disasters.

The tragedy has had a lasting impact on the maritime industry, with the NTSB issuing a total of 25 safety recommendations to the Coast Guard and other federal agencies. The NTSB also recommended that the Coast Guard require all passenger vessels to have a roving night watchman on board.