1 00:00:00,120 --> 00:00:01,960 Speaker 1: This Day in History Class is a production of I 2 00:00:02,040 --> 00:00:07,680 Speaker 1: Heart Radio. Hi everyone, it's Eaves again and welcome to 3 00:00:07,840 --> 00:00:13,760 Speaker 1: another episode of This Day in History Class. Today it's March. 4 00:00:24,440 --> 00:00:30,320 Speaker 1: The day was March. The Ex Valdis oil tanker spilled 5 00:00:30,440 --> 00:00:33,960 Speaker 1: eleven million gallons of oil and Prince William Sound in 6 00:00:34,000 --> 00:00:38,440 Speaker 1: the Gulf of Alaska. The oil spill caused extensive damage 7 00:00:38,440 --> 00:00:41,640 Speaker 1: to the environment and was the largest in US waters 8 00:00:41,920 --> 00:00:46,640 Speaker 1: until the deep Water Horizon spill in Ex Valdis was 9 00:00:46,720 --> 00:00:48,920 Speaker 1: one of the newer ships in the X and Shipping 10 00:00:48,920 --> 00:00:53,639 Speaker 1: Company's fleet. The night before the spill, EXN Valdis left Valdis, 11 00:00:53,680 --> 00:00:57,560 Speaker 1: Alaska and was headed to Long Beach, California. It was 12 00:00:57,600 --> 00:01:00,720 Speaker 1: carrying more than fifty three million gallons of crude oil. 13 00:01:01,840 --> 00:01:05,959 Speaker 1: Captain Joseph Hazelwood had been drinking alcoholic beverages that day, 14 00:01:06,000 --> 00:01:10,080 Speaker 1: which would later become a point of contention. The tanker 15 00:01:10,160 --> 00:01:13,480 Speaker 1: left the dock not long after nine pm, but just 16 00:01:13,640 --> 00:01:17,480 Speaker 1: after midnight on March the crew realized that the tanker 17 00:01:17,640 --> 00:01:21,080 Speaker 1: was off course. At twelve o four a m it 18 00:01:21,200 --> 00:01:25,280 Speaker 1: hit Bly Reef in Prince William Sound. Eight out of 19 00:01:25,280 --> 00:01:29,720 Speaker 1: the eleven cargo tanks were punctured, soon ten point eight 20 00:01:29,840 --> 00:01:35,119 Speaker 1: million gallons of crude oil had spilled into the surrounding waters. Eventually, 21 00:01:35,240 --> 00:01:38,560 Speaker 1: the spill polluted more than one thousand miles of shoreline 22 00:01:38,880 --> 00:01:44,160 Speaker 1: in south central Alaska. Thousands of seabirds, sea otters, and seals, 23 00:01:44,520 --> 00:01:48,560 Speaker 1: bald eagles, and fish died because of the spill. The 24 00:01:48,640 --> 00:01:53,080 Speaker 1: disaster had a significant effect on wildlife environment really on industries, 25 00:01:53,440 --> 00:01:59,520 Speaker 1: recreational fishing, and tourism. In investigations after the disaster, it 26 00:01:59,600 --> 00:02:02,120 Speaker 1: was found on that Captain hazel Wood was not at 27 00:02:02,120 --> 00:02:06,120 Speaker 1: the navigation bridge. Third mate, Gregory Cousins, was in charge 28 00:02:06,120 --> 00:02:10,200 Speaker 1: of it. Cousins had called Hazelwood just before the vessel 29 00:02:10,240 --> 00:02:14,320 Speaker 1: struck blyth Reef, recognizing there was danger, but it was 30 00:02:14,400 --> 00:02:18,240 Speaker 1: too late. When investigators found out that Hazelwood had been 31 00:02:18,280 --> 00:02:23,120 Speaker 1: drinking before boarding Exon, Valdis EXSN fired him. He was 32 00:02:23,160 --> 00:02:25,799 Speaker 1: cleared of being intoxicated at the time of the incident, 33 00:02:26,240 --> 00:02:30,240 Speaker 1: but he was convicted of misdemeanor negligence find fifty thou 34 00:02:30,520 --> 00:02:34,320 Speaker 1: dollars and sentenced to one thousand hours of community service. 35 00:02:35,520 --> 00:02:42,079 Speaker 1: After years of appeals, Hazelwood began community service in Exon. 36 00:02:42,280 --> 00:02:45,919 Speaker 1: Was deemed responsible for the disaster, along with the company's 37 00:02:45,960 --> 00:02:50,639 Speaker 1: incompetent and overworked crew. Blame was also placed on the U. S. 38 00:02:50,680 --> 00:02:54,799 Speaker 1: Coast Guard for a poor system of traffic regulation. In 39 00:02:55,960 --> 00:02:59,880 Speaker 1: Congress passed the Oil Pollution Act, which created measures for 40 00:03:00,120 --> 00:03:05,040 Speaker 1: responding to oil spills and increased penalties for spills. It 41 00:03:05,160 --> 00:03:08,840 Speaker 1: also called for the eventual banning of single hold tankers 42 00:03:08,880 --> 00:03:14,360 Speaker 1: from US waters. Now all tankers for oil, liquefied natural gas, 43 00:03:14,360 --> 00:03:18,919 Speaker 1: and chemicals are double hold. Over the years, x AND 44 00:03:19,000 --> 00:03:23,720 Speaker 1: paid billions of dollars on restitution, cleanup costs, and personal damages. 45 00:03:25,000 --> 00:03:29,600 Speaker 1: XN employees, federal responders, and Alaska residents helped clean up 46 00:03:29,600 --> 00:03:34,280 Speaker 1: the spill. They used chemical dispersants and booms and skimmers 47 00:03:34,360 --> 00:03:39,400 Speaker 1: for mechanical cleanup, but some methods workers used removed oil, 48 00:03:39,640 --> 00:03:42,680 Speaker 1: yet killed plants and animals, and a portion of the 49 00:03:42,720 --> 00:03:48,760 Speaker 1: Alaskan coastline is still polluted with subsurface oil. Exon Valdis 50 00:03:48,880 --> 00:03:53,120 Speaker 1: was repaired, renamed, and soon returned to service. It was 51 00:03:53,280 --> 00:03:57,840 Speaker 1: sold for scrap in. Though the Exxon Valdis oil spill 52 00:03:57,960 --> 00:04:01,120 Speaker 1: had a huge impact on the environ ironment, and industry, 53 00:04:01,560 --> 00:04:04,920 Speaker 1: there have been plenty of other incidents that resulted in 54 00:04:05,080 --> 00:04:09,360 Speaker 1: much larger oil spills in world history. I'm Eve step 55 00:04:09,480 --> 00:04:12,280 Speaker 1: Code and hopefully you know a little more about history 56 00:04:12,360 --> 00:04:16,040 Speaker 1: today than you did yesterday. And you can send us 57 00:04:16,080 --> 00:04:19,560 Speaker 1: a note on social media at t d i h 58 00:04:19,680 --> 00:04:23,640 Speaker 1: C Podcast on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter. You can also 59 00:04:23,720 --> 00:04:27,119 Speaker 1: send us an email at this Day at i heart 60 00:04:27,240 --> 00:04:30,920 Speaker 1: media dot com. Thanks again for tuning in and we'll 61 00:04:30,920 --> 00:04:43,160 Speaker 1: see you tomorrow. For more podcasts from I Heeart Radio, 62 00:04:43,320 --> 00:04:45,919 Speaker 1: visit the iHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you 63 00:04:45,960 --> 00:04:47,080 Speaker 1: listen to your favorite shows.