Exxon Valdez was a new ship, the largest vessel ever built on the US west coast at the time of its delivery in San Diego on 11 December 1986 by the National Steel and Ship Building Company to the world's largest oil company.
With the aid of computerized equipment, the master, Joseph Hazelwood, and his crew of 20 could transport up to 1.48 million barrels of crude oil per voyage.
Icebergs, calved off the nearby Columbia glacier, had been reported in the Valdez Arm passage, and the crew were aware that evasive action might be necessary.
As midnight neared, the tanker was heading down the Arm at full speed and those on board were preparing for the change of watch
Jones was assigned to the watch usually posted at the bow of the ship, but that night she was suffering from a cold and asked permission to stand watch outside the bridge.
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