On 18 August 2014, the 132‑metre ro‑ro ferry Amadeo I grounded at Paso Kirke, Chile, while navigating a narrow island channel. After an order for “hard‑to‑port”, the rudder was inadvertently put hard‑to‑starboard and remained so during a tight turn. The vessel touched bottom on the starboard side; progressive flooding began, the engine‑room was evacuated and the ferry later sank after a controlled abandonment. The master, pilot and bridge team had seconds to catch the mismatch between spoken order and rudder movement.
Incident in brief
Ro-ro ferry, 9 737 GT, 28 crew, 17 passengers, 700 cattle
- Ro‑ro ferry: 9,737 GT; 28 crew; 7 passengers; 700 cattle
- About 10:00 LT: In the Merlin passage near Paso Kirke. The helmsman was ordered to put the rudder hard‑to‑port but inadvertently put it hard‑to‑starboard.
- Contact and damage: Light touch; then sustained starboard‑side flooding. Flooding spread from cargo deck to the engine room; the master beached the ship to prevent sinking.
- Outcome: No lives lost. Controlled beaching reduced risk to those on board; the ferry capsized the next day after sections were intentionally opened.
How HOM would have broken the chain
| Timeline (approx.) | What really happened | HOM cue (crew-visible) | Likely bridge reaction |
|---|---|---|---|
| 09:59:40 | Pilot/Master: “Hard-to-port.” | — | |
| 09:59:42 | Rudder starts hard-starboard instead. | WRONG HELM banner + one short tone | Pilot, Master, helmsman see mismatch; wheel ordered to port immediately. |
| 09:59:55 | Rudder now swinging to port; banner clears. | — | Vessel keeps centreline in the 300 m-wide channel; no contact with Merino islet. |
Detection speed: HOM flags the wrong‑way movement within ~2 seconds of the rudder beginning to travel contrary to the spoken order—well before the ferry leaves the 0.15 NM safety margin.
Why the single cue works
- Uses plain bridge phraseology—WRONG HELM—instantly understood on multilingual bridges.
- Shows on‑screen while a short sound draws attention without freezing controls or asking for a receipt.
- Is independent of autopilot/manual mode: it compares speech vs. real‑time rudder angle.
- Stays visible only while the conflict persists; no nuisance if the command is corrected.
Avoided outcome
- No hull breach, no capsise: Track correction keeps the ship clear of the rock shelf.
- No costly salvage: Avoids the large wreck‑removal project later documented for the casualty.
Take-home message
A split‑second helm direction slip led to a total loss. HOM’s immediate WRONG HELM alert would have surfaced that mismatch before the bow touched Merlin’s shelf—giving the bridge team a simple, plain‑language prompt to check the wheel and recover the turn.
