Jackson Marine Corporation, Richard G. Trudell, Felis F. Denton, III v. Blue Fox, Its Tackle, Gear, Apparel, Etc.

W. EUGENE DAVIS, Circuit Judge:

Jackson Marine, the owner of the M/V MISTER JEAN, together with the vessel’s captain and crew, appeal the district court’s dismissal of their salvage claim on the ground that the fraud of the captain of MISTER JEAN bars their recovery for salvage. We affirm the district court’s denial of a salvage award to the captain and owner of the MISTER JEAN and reverse the denial of an award to the crew.

I

On July 14, 1981, the M/V BLUE FOX, carrying an explosive mid-deck cargo of dozens of oxygen-acetylene bottles, caught fire, some sixty miles off of Sabine Pass, Texas, in…