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A pittance of a settlement follows a spill that sullied 254,000 acres, killed 11,000 birds and caused $10-million in damage.
By SCOTT TAYLOR HARTZELL
© St. Petersburg Times, published April 2, 2003
ST. PETERSBURG -- A tanker spewed 20,000 gallons of heavy crude into Tampa Bay on a Friday the 13th in 1970, leaving a foul-smelling slime that overwhelmed area beaches and killed wildlife by the thousands.
"Don't die, Ducky, don't die," a child cried while clutching an oil-covered bird.
The child's words became a war cry. The city linked with the Coast Guard to combat the morass. The Audubon Society and other volunteers fought to save flocks of blackened birds; fish perished en masse. At the time, it was the largest oil spill ever in Florida, causing $10-million in damage.
"(It's) like something out of a science fiction horror movie," the St. Petersburg Times wrote.
"There's nothing we can do to stop the spread of oil," Coast Guard Cmdr. Anthony F. Fugaro said. "It's gotten too big . . . to handle."
Through dense fog that February 1970, Capt. Dimitrius Tsapelas piloted the Delian Apollon toward Florida Power's plant on Weedon Island. Tsapelas, 45, had been refused entry in Miami after spilling 2,000 gallons of crude near Port Everglades.
About 7:30 a.m. near the Gandy Bridge, Tsapelas' 691-foot tanker ran aground. The impact created a 3-foot hole in a storage compartment and created leaks in others.
In black goo nearly as thick as tar, tugboats labored 75 minutes to free the 6-year-old tanker. The 25,000-ton Apollon was hauled to the plant's slip, where divers plugged the hole with rags and blankets.
To contain the oil that spilled, Styrofoam bars were placed around the Apollon; plant workers spread straw across the gates. The slick spread, however, and residents watched in horror.
"Numerous ducks, pelicans and other sea birds were seen slipping under the surface," the Evening Independent wrote.
Volunteers, including most of the students at Florida Presbyterian (Eckerd) College, flocked to the beaches and covered birds with salad oil. They smoothed cornmeal into the birds' feathers and re-bathed them in mild soap. After applying more oil, volunteers warmed the creatures in cardboard cartons to prevent pneumonia.
"Unbelievable," District Fire Chief Malvin Groves said then of the "throngs of people who came to assist the birds."
Tourists, Boy Scouts and City Council members joined others to clean 7,000 birds, many of which still perished.
By Valentine's Day, winds had spread the slick to Coquina Key and Pinellas Point.
"Had the port authority had proper (booms, chemicals, high-speed oil suckers), the loss would have been low," Florida Gov. Claude Kirk said.
Within 48 hours of the spill, Boca Ciega, Treasure Island and Pass-a-Grille were affected. "If you went for a walk on the beach, you came back and had to scrub your shoes," said beach historian Frank T. Hurley Jr., 78. "The water looked coffeeish."
An estimated 15,000 local boat owners suffered the consequences. "Every boat will have to be . . . scrubbed with solvent," said Al D'Eath, president of Boca Ciega Marina Inc.
On Feb. 16, State Attorney General Earl Faircloth filed a $2-million suit against the tanker's owner, J.C. Karras of Pireaus, Greece. Florida later settled for $150,000 cash. Humble Oil, the fuel's owners, didn't arrive until the 19th to assist in the cleanup.
Newspapers nationwide reported on the disaster. Life magazine's centerfold depicted a dying duck floating in oil; anchor Walter Cronkite brought the story to 20-million homes. In total, about 70-million Americans witnessed St. Petersburg's nightmare.
To offset negative publicity, the city placed a full-page ad in the March 21 New York Times:
"A curious tourist looking for traces of the near disaster on the beaches would be hard-pressed to find clues," the advertisement read. "The beaches didn't die, though many birds did. Beware. It's so easy to let the things we value most die step by gradual step. Don't die, Ducky, don't die. Because if you do, so will we all."
Readers ordered more than 33,000 reprints of the ad. Multitudes of state and federal officials responded to then-Mayor Don Spicer:
"The (Nixon) administration is deeply concerned with the oil spill," the office of the vice president wrote March 25. "The spirit shown by the citizens of Saint Petersburg deserves the highest praise."
In all, the spill blackened 254,000 acres as far north as Redington Beach. It killed about 11,300 seabirds and caused more than $10-million in damage. "For two to three months, it was a continual project," said former city fire Chief Z.C. Greenway, 83, the cleanup's coordinator.
Florida responded by placing unlimited liabilities on future spillers. Nationally, the 1970 Water Quality Act surfaced.
"A lot has changed since 1970," said Chris Rossbach, 56, environmental manager for the Bureau of Emergency Response in Tampa.
"Tremendous advancements, miles of containment booms, skimming devices, absorbent materials. But it's still a dirty business."
-- Scott Taylor Hartzell can be reached at hartzel@msn.com