Abstract: Employees #1 and #2 and two coworkers were lifted over a U.S. Navy vessel in a crane-suspended personnel platform by a P & H model 9125, 140-ton truck crane. They intended to wrap one of the ship's radar antennae with visqueen. None of these employees was wearing a safety belt and lanyard. The coworkers dismounted onto the radar platform and Employees #1 and #2 were lifted over the radar antenna to pass visqueen down to them. Employees #1 and #2 signaled the crane operator to lower them. The crane had a drum turn indicator mounted on the whip line drum that was being used to lift the employees; however, this drum turn indicator had not functioned for at least a year. This deficiency was not noticed when the crane was certificated three weeks earlier. Without the speed information from the drum turn indicator, the crane operator had to touch the friction band of the drum to gauge the speed at which he was lowering. To do this he had to take his eyes off the load to see where he was putting his fingers. It was at this point that the crane-suspended personnel platform began free-falling. It struck the radar antenna and platform, at which point it tipped approximately 90 degrees. Employees #1 and #2 were thrown out of the platform and fell 30 to 40 feet to the deck of the ship. Both were killed.