Opinion ID: 253344
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: As to Unseaworthiness

Text: 8 The defense here to the action for unseaworthiness is that in the circumstances the warranty is not applicable. From West v. United States, 1959, 361 U.S. 118, 80 S.Ct. 189, 4 L.Ed.2d 161, we learn that in determining this question we are to look to the status of the vessel at the time of the accident. In West the vessel had been taken from the 'moth ball' fleet to the shipyard for major overhaul in preparation for return to service; it had not yet been readied to resume service. In the present case the vessel had actually been withdrawn from service and delivered to the shipyard to prepare her for return to the 'moth ball' fleet, 1 and she was no longer available to perform ship's service. In both cases the vessel was out of navigation when the injury happened. The William Bevan was a 'dead ship' because she was no longer in service. The changes made in her at the shipyard are merely evidence under the particular circumstances that her sailing career had been effectually terminated. In this sense she was 'dead.' A body is not less dead in the interval between expiration and interment, while it is still in the hands of the embalmer. 9 In the recent case of Roper v. United States, 4 Cir., 1960, 282 F.2d 413, a longshoreman on a vessel that had but recently been removed from the 'moth ball' fleet was injured while unloading cargo. The writer of this opinion differed with the majority as to whether that was a 'dead ship,' but here there is no room to doubt the William Bevan's status. She was no longer performing nor was she able or expected to perform any of a vessel's duties. We are unhesitatingly of the opinion that she was completely and permanently withdrawn from service and hence the warranty of seaworthiness was not applicable. 10 In the view we take it becomes unnecessary to decide whether under other circumstances a marine surveyor might or might not be entitled to the warranty of seaworthiness.