From nearly the day longshoreman Hercules Gilmore Jr. died in its cargo hold, the Panamanian-flagged Honesty Ocean has proven more phantom than ship.In addition to being a longshoreman, Hercules Gilmore, Jr. was also a respected pastor.
On Oct. 23, 2012, Gilmore stood on the deck of the 609-foot-long vessel docked at Port Tampa Bay when rigging lifting 2 tons of piping above his head suddenly gave way. Gilmore, 56, moving to avoid being crushed, fell 15 feet into the ship’s hold as the cargo crashed atop him. He died at the scene.
It wasn’t long before the Honesty Ocean left Tampa waters never to return.
Attorneys for Gilmore’s widow said that may not be a coincidence. The ship has remained away from U.S. waters as they have worked, fruitlessly so far, to get the owners of the vessel to respond to a negligence lawsuit filed in federal court last year. Last month, the widow filed suit in Hillsborough Circuit Court.
The attorney for Gilmore’s widow, Jo Ann Gilmore, 61, of St. Petersburg, said parts of a sling used to carry the pipes were badly frayed and should not have been used to carry the heavy load.
Tampa lawyer David Pope said he thinks the owners of the ship — he believes they are based in China — might be trying to evade legal liability. And on the high sea, identity can seem hopelessly anonymous — even in an age of sophisticated computer networks — with international waters being a haven for outlaw mariners.
“We’re trying to root through the underbrush to find out who these people are,” said Pope. “These foreign-flagged vessels come into port and the next thing you know they’re on the other side of the world. They don’t call these ships trans-steamers for nothing.”
