SOS - Mayday - Mayday!!!

[Lisa Denton]

I thought this was awesome, and its good news because nobody got hurt. The news story I seen it on showed a pic with the ship now almost sideways in the water, so I guess there is still a major environmental concern, but maybe they can do something and like I said, nobody got hurt.

I thought it was interesting, coast guard, abandon ship, distress call, rescue. Over 150 peoples jumpin in life boats as thier cruise ship start taking on water in this day and age, some cruise.

I didn't look for other versions of the story and if somebody see's something and posts it here later that would be nice. Anyways this was a cruise ship. I would like to see the details like did they scream on the radio "help, mayday, mayday!!"

And just imagine you are on a cruise ship, sitting in the dining room, fine wine and filet mignon, planning to do a little dancing later maybe, when over the intercom it says "Attention, all passengers and crew Abandon Ship!!"

Holy shit, there goes the mood, you ain't gonna get lucky tonight.

Anyways, here is the story.

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BUENOS AIRES, Argentina - A Canadian cruise ship struck ice off Antarctica and began taking on water, but all 154 passengers and crew took to lifeboats and were rescued safely Friday by a passing Norwegian liner, officials said.

The passengers and crew from the Explorer were picked up by the Nordnorge, a Norwegian cruise ship that was nearby and responded to the distress call, said Susan Hayes of G.A.P. Adventures of Toronto, which owns the stricken vessel.

The 91 passengers included at least 13 Americans, 22 Britons and 10 Canadians, officials said. In addition to the passengers, there were nine expedition staff members and a crew of 54, Hayes said.

"The passengers are absolutely fine," Hayes said. "They're all accounted for, no injuries whatsoever."

The Nordnorge has enough room to accommodate all the passengers, "so they may very well continue their journey on the Nordnorge," Hayes said.

The Explorer was completing an ecological tour of Antarctica when it struck a chunk of ice that tore a hole about the size of a fist in its hull, Hayes said.

She called the evacuation process "calm," saying pumps were able to deal with incoming water until the Nordnorge arrived.

Still, Hayes said the ship is in danger of sinking.

"It is listing. ... There is a possibility we may lose the ship," she said.

The British coast guard said it was told at 12:24 a.m. EST of the incident involving the 2,646-ton Explorer near the South Shetland Islands and Graham Land, an Antarctic peninsula.

Rescue centers in Norfolk, Va., and Ushuaia, Argentina, were taking charge of coordinating the rescue, the coast guard said.

An Argentine rescue and command center received a first distress call at 11:30 p.m. EST Thursday from the Explorer amid reports it was taking on water through the hull despite efforts to use onboard pumps, said Capt. Juan Pablo Panichini, an Argentine navy spokesman.

A navy statement said the captain ordered passengers to abandon ship about 90 minutes after the first call and that they and the crew took to eight semi-rigid lifeboats and four life rafts, with the captain leaving the ship later.

The statement said Explorer was some 475 nautical miles southeast of Ushuaia, the southernmost Argentine city and a jumping-off point for cruise ships and supply vessels for Antarctica.

Seas were calm and winds light at the time, what Panichini called "optimal conditions for carrying out the evacuation,"

G.A.P Adventures is a tour company that provides eco-friendly excursions with an environmental focus. The Explorer was in the midst of a 19-day circuit of Antarctica and the Falkland Islands that allowed passengers to observe penguins, whales, and other forms of local wildlife.

The Nordnorge, built in 1997, is 403 feet long and has a capacity of 691 passengers in 214 cabins.

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[dr_mabeuse]

An Antarctic cruise is some people's idea of a vacation, huh?

It reminds me of the sci fi story where in the future people sign up to be sent to guano mines where they're made to dig manure in the rain under the eyes of guards with whips.

 

[trysail]

Shades of Shackelton!

There's an old pearl of wisdom 'mongst we sailorfolk- "Never abandon ship until you have to step up."

 

[R. Richard]

Is it what we call an adventure cruise?

 

[Jenny_Jackson]

Obviously some people both don't understand the danger that most of an iceburg is underwater nor remember the "unsinkable" Titanic.

 

[SeaCat]

What I find interesting was the comment that the hole in the hull was roughly the size of a baseball. That's right, the size of a baseball and the ships pumps couldn't keep up with the water.

Now of course I don't know where in the hull the hole is but shouldn't the pumps be able to keep up with the amount of water able to enter through a hole that size? (Not to mention other things like water tight compartments?) I'm hoping the ship doesn't sink and they can investigate what happened.

Cat

 

[JAMESBJOHNSON]

CAT

The news reports were full of errors. Reports said the ship was 2400 tons and built in 1996. In reality it was 24000 tons and built in 1969. I'm guessing the hole was a lot larger. In World War II ships survived torpedo punctures and lost bows.

 

[oggbashan]

What I find interesting was the comment that the hole in the hull was roughly the size of a baseball. That's right, the size of a baseball and the ships pumps couldn't keep up with the water.

Now of course I don't know where in the hull the hole is but shouldn't the pumps be able to keep up with the amount of water able to enter through a hole that size? (Not to mention other things like water tight compartments?) I'm hoping the ship doesn't sink and they can investigate what happened.

Cat

The MS Explorer had a double-skinned hull. The breach must have been through both skins.

Unlike warships, passenger ships do not duplicate or triplicate systems nor provide surplus generating capacity. Once the power was lost, any chance of stopping the inflow of water was lost too.

There must have been several unfortunate aspects to this accident. The hull must have been penetrated through both skins at a point where water could affect the ship's engines or generating capacity.

What double skins and watertight compartments do in the event of an accident is buy time for rescue. This time, the systems allowed enough time for the passengers and crew to evacuate safely. (That would also have been true for the Titanic if her distress messages had been correctly interpreted and acted on.)

However, the numbers involved on the MS Explorer were small and the ship had been built specifically for Polar regions. If one of the larger cruise liners were to be holed, with say 4,000 passengers on board, evacuation and rescue in a remote region would present real difficulties.

The risks have to be calculated and balanced against being too cautious. The crew and operators of the MS Explorer seem to have got the balance right.

Og

 

[SeaCat]

The MS Explorer had a double-skinned hull. The breach must have been through both skins.

Unlike warships, passenger ships do not duplicate or triplicate systems nor provide surplus generating capacity. Once the power was lost, any chance of stopping the inflow of water was lost too.

There must have been several unfortunate aspects to this accident. The hull must have been penetrated through both skins at a point where water could affect the ship's engines or generating capacity.

What double skins and watertight compartments do in the event of an accident is buy time for rescue. This time, the systems allowed enough time for the passengers and crew to evacuate safely. (That would also have been true for the Titanic if her distress messages had been correctly interpreted and acted on.)

However, the numbers involved on the MS Explorer were small and the ship had been built specifically for Polar regions. If one of the larger cruise liners were to be holed, with say 4,000 passengers on board, evacuation and rescue in a remote region would present real difficulties.

The risks have to be calculated and balanced against being too cautious. The crew and operators of the MS Explorer seem to have got the balance right.

Og

Interesting,

I just went to the G.A.P. website and looked at the ship. They don't have detailed plans for the ship but they do mention that the ship was purpose built for cruising in Arctic and Antarctic conditions.

As the article on their site stated they sent out the distress call and stated their pumps couldn't keep up with the amount of water coming into the ship. (Why they didn't mention.)

Also as you said the crew and passangers did do a great job in the evacuation.

Have you heard if the ship has finally sank or if it still afloat? (The last I heard it was still afloat.)

Cat

 

[Lisa Denton]

Interesting,

I just went to the G.A.P. website and looked at the ship. They don't have detailed plans for the ship but they do mention that the ship was purpose built for cruising in Arctic and Antarctic conditions.

As the article on their site stated they sent out the distress call and stated their pumps couldn't keep up with the amount of water coming into the ship. (Why they didn't mention.)

Also as you said the crew and passangers did do a great job in the evacuation.

Have you heard if the ship has finally sank or if it still afloat? (The last I heard it was still afloat.)

Cat

Cat I saw some but it was hours ago, some overfly pics from coastguard aircraft I think. It was still floating then, but looked bad, completly sideways in the water.

 

[SeaCat]

Cat I saw some but it was hours ago, some overfly pics from coastguard aircraft I think. It was still floating then, but looked bad, completly sideways in the water.

Yeah that's what I saw as well.

Cat

 

[Lisa Denton]

The MS Explorer had a double-skinned hull. The breach must have been through both skins.

Unlike warships, passenger ships do not duplicate or triplicate systems nor provide surplus generating capacity. Once the power was lost, any chance of stopping the inflow of water was lost too.

There must have been several unfortunate aspects to this accident. The hull must have been penetrated through both skins at a point where water could affect the ship's engines or generating capacity.

What double skins and watertight compartments do in the event of an accident is buy time for rescue. This time, the systems allowed enough time for the passengers and crew to evacuate safely. (That would also have been true for the Titanic if her distress messages had been correctly interpreted and acted on.)

However, the numbers involved on the MS Explorer were small and the ship had been built specifically for Polar regions. If one of the larger cruise liners were to be holed, with say 4,000 passengers on board, evacuation and rescue in a remote region would present real difficulties.

The risks have to be calculated and balanced against being too cautious. The crew and operators of the MS Explorer seem to have got the balance right.

Og

Og, I thought the same thing, they did it right and didn't have a thousand passengers, thankfully. And with good weather nobody drowned or even got hurt, happy ending.

It would be nice if coastguard or somebody could try to tow it somewheres before it sinks, or pump the water out or something, but I have no idea what kind of huge pumps they would need.

 

[SeaCat]

Okay, according to the AP and the Chilean Navy the ship has sank.

Cat

 

[Lisa Denton]

Okay, according to the AP and the Chilean Navy the ship has sank.

Cat

How deep is the water there?

I am thinking salvage, maybe they had a big chandelier thingie in the ballroom.

 

[SeaCat]

How deep is the water there?

I am thinking salvage, maybe they had a big chandelier thingie in the ballroom.

Damned if I know. I too was wondering the same about potential salvadge or at least inspection.

Cat

 

[TE999]

Damned if I know. I too was wondering the same about potential salvadge or at least inspection.

Cat

The water's frigid and deep there--salvage may be difficult or financially prohibitive.

The vessel looked fairly old in design so it may not be worth refloating.

And a submersible can determine the cause.

Lloyd's drops another one.

 

[Lisa Denton]

The water's frigid and deep there--salvage may be difficult or financially prohibitive.

The vessel looked fairly old in design so it may not be worth refloating.

And a submersible can determine the cause.

Lloyd's drops another one.

I was looking on some stuffs, the water was 1 degree. While I was looking I came across this beautiful ad for a cruise -- which will prolly need to be edited.

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http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b11/LisaDenton/Untitled-8-1.jpg


Thrilling voyages aboard the M/S Explorer


January 11, 2006 - Penguins. Polar bears. Howler monkeys. Dramatic landscapes. Majestic glaciers. Take the journey of a lifetime with G.A.P Adventures, Canada’s largest adventure travel company, aboard the legendary ship, the M/S Explorer. Spot unique wildlife, check out breathtaking scenery, and enjoy visits with local communities while travelling to some of the most exceptional destinations in the world: Spitsbergen, Greenland, Antarctica and the Amazon.

The M/S Explorer carries just 108 passengers and her compact size, shallow draft and ice strengthened double hull were specifically designed for the rigours of expedition and exploratory travel – it’s a go anywhere ship for the go anywhere traveller. While itineraries are well planned, we always seize opportunities for adventure before they pass - anything from interrupting dinner to watch a pod of breaching whales accompanying the ship, or jumping aboard Explorer's fleet of Zodiacs for a bracing shore-bound ride.

Some of our exciting expeditions include:

Realm of the Polar Bear

From close-up encounters with huge icebergs and glaciers, to the variety of unique wildlife, this is a 10-day voyage of non-stop highlights. Roaming polar bears, lounging seals, grazing reindeer and colonies of birds all co-exist in this harsh land we dare only to explore a couple of months a year. Prices start at $3,500 CAD.

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[Caitano]

I saw this story on the CBC. The boat sank, but slowly. The pumps didn't help, but the power was out. Everyone got free of the ship into lifeboats before the list of the ship got to be that extreme. This ship had a long history of Arctic and Antarctic travel and even genuine exploration. And when it died, it didn't kill anyone on board, whether crew or passengers. Requiescat in pace, I say.

 

[JAMESBJOHNSON]

The whole thing is weird.

I worked in a shipyard many years ago, and the designers install emergency generators on the upper decks for lights, power to operate pumps, radio, winches, lifeboats, etc.

 

[trysail]

Most of the so-called "Expedition" or "Eco-Tourist" companies are nothing more than marketing rackets designed to lure people who would no more go to these places than fly to the moon. Many (if not all) of the "expeditioners" are, in fact, corpulent suburbanites engaged in simple "one upsmanship" so they can blab and brag about their trip to the Antarctic or the Arctic at the office or the next cocktail party. All of these "expeditions" feature comfortable accomodations and three square meals with no exertion, whatsoever, required.

It's all I can do to read Lindblad's press release puff piece below without puking.

____________________________

Lindblad Ship, One of First to Antarctic Rescue
Saturday November 24, 10:29 am ET
NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC ENDEAVOUR HELPS IN RESCUE AND RECALLS HAPPIER DAYS OF 'THE LITTLE RED SHIP'


NEW YORK, Nov. 24 /PRNewswire/ -- In the early hours of the morning following the Thanksgiving holiday, the captain and crew of the National Geographic Endeavour, Lindblad Expedition's flagship that explores the Antarctic, the Arctic and other remote regions around the world, heard the distress call of the MV Explorer. Immediately, Endeavour Captain Oliver Kruess turned the ship around and headed toward the distressed vessel known to many as 'the little red ship', GAP Adventure's expedition ship that hit ice and began to take in water. Together with the Norwegian cruise ship that loaded passengers to safety, the National Geographic Endeavour lifted zodiac boats and drivers, stayed on to assist and remembered happier days of the first expedition travel ships built to explore the icy waters of the Arctic and Antarctic.

"It's a sad day for all of us who knew and traveled aboard the Explorer", said Sven Lindblad, whose late father commissioned the ship in 1969 for Arctic and Antarctic exploration. The ship was sold by Lindblad in 1982 and has had several owners since. GAP Adventures, a Canadian company, owned her most recently. While the ship remained listing in Antarctic waters yesterday, Lindblad spoke by phone to many of his top expedition leaders, staff and crew who knew and had remembered happier times aboard the little red ship. "In some ways", he said, "ending her illustrious career in Antarctic waters, where she began, is fitting for a ship of her great stature. Certainly, her legacy will continue through the stories and memories she gave to all her knew her."

Commissioned in 1969 by expedition travel pioneer, Lars-Eric Lindblad, the M.V. Explorer was the first of her kind -- an ice class expedition ship designed to take non-scientific travelers to the ends of the earth. Lars-Eric Lindblad, known to many as the father of "eco-tourism", pioneered expedition travel in Antarctica in the 1960s. In fact, Lars-Eric's legacy in Antarctica was so well-known that the US Geological Survey mapped a cove in his name (Lindblad Cove) on Trinity Peninsula to mark his contributions to the region. With a passion to discover unknown places and a pioneering spirit, Lars-Eric opened the world to tourism and wrote about it in his book, Passport to Anywhere.

Sven-Olof Lindblad, Lars' son, traveled extensively with his father, learning early on the joy and wonder of exploring the pristine corners of the globe. Today, Sven continues the Lindblad tradition of exploration through his company -- Lindblad Expeditions (LEX). With its hallmark staff and carefully researched and planned itineraries, Lindblad Expeditions owns and operates six vessels and the company is lauded for it innovative exploration and conservation efforts. Most recently, the company forged a multifaceted strategic alliance with the National Geographic Society (NGS) in which the two organizations collaborate in the areas of exploration, technology and conservation.

From Lindblad's earliest days, the company set out to proactively protect the world's wild places. Sven Lindblad continues to run his business with the approach that respectful adventure tourism can be a key factor in helping to sustain a region and, in some cases, even repair it. With that philosophy in mind, Lindblad Expeditions has built robust travel philanthropy programs in the Galapagos, Antarctica, Baja and Alaska. To date, the company has raised over $5 million to support local efforts in the destinations where it travels. Earlier this year, Lindblad Expeditions received the 2007 Tourism for Tomorrow Global Tourism Business Award, presented annually by the World Travel & Tourism Council. The coveted award recognized Lindblad Expeditions for "outstanding leadership as a global model for environmental stewardship."

About Lindblad Expeditions

Lindblad Expeditions is an expedition travel company providing voyages in Galapagos, Antarctica, Baja California, Alaska, the Arctic, and beyond. Sven Lindblad has received international recognition including the 2007 Global Tourism Business Award, 2007 Seafood Champion Award, U.N. Programme Global 500 Award and recognition from HRH, Grand Duke Henri of Luxembourg for his dedication to the conservation and environmental stewardship of the Galapagos archipelago. The company has also been named #1 Small-Ship Cruise Line (Travel + Leisure's World's Best Value Awards 2006); "The Best Ships in the World" and "The Best Itineraries" (Conde Nast Traveler: Truth in Travel Awards 2006).

 

[Lisa Denton]

Most of the so-called "Expedition" or "Eco-Tourist" companies are nothing more than marketing rackets designed to lure people who would no more go to these places than fly to the moon. Many (if not all) of the "expeditioners" are, in fact, corpulent suburbanites engaged in simple "one upsmanship" so they can blab and brag about their trip to the Antarctic or the Arctic at the office or the next cocktail party. All of these "expeditions" feature comfortable accomodations and three square meals with no exertion, whatsoever, required.

It's all I can do to read Lindblad's press release puff piece below without puking.

____________________________


Lindblad Expeditions is an expedition travel company providing voyages in Galapagos, Antarctica, Baja California, Alaska, the Arctic, and beyond. Sven Lindblad has received international recognition including the 2007 Seafood Champion Award.

Yes, I don't much care for seafood either.

 

[trysail]

Yes, I don't much care for seafood either.

Amen! I am one of those lucky people* who has never (knock on wood) been afflicted with mal de mer. One of the things I won't do when I'm at sea is eat seafood; I get queasy about the possibility that one of my meal's cousins may exact revenge upon me!


* Old sailormen never, ever gloat over another succumbing to seasickness- as the expression goes (with reference to getting seasick): "There are two kinds of sailors- those who have been and those who will be."

 

[Lisa Denton]

More from da news.


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Doomed Ship Defies Antarctica Odds
Published: 11/24/07, 10:25 PM EDT
By FEDERICO QUILODRAN
PUNTA ARENAS, Chile (AP) - A rare calm in Antarctic seas and the swift response by a passing ship helped save all aboard a Canadian cruise liner that struck an iceberg in the night and sank off Antarctica, rescued passengers and experienced sailors said Saturday.

The MS Explorer, a Canadian-operated cruiser built in 1969 as a pioneer among rugged go-anywhere tourist ships that plied waters from the Amazon to the Arctic and Antarctic circles, struck ice Friday, took on water and dipped beneath the waves more than 15 hours later.

All 154 passengers and crew spent hours bobbing in life rafts on chilly seas before a Norwegian cruise ship plucked them up shivering but safe and took them to two military bases on King George Island for flights out.

A Chilean air force plane flew the first 77 survivors to the South American mainland Saturday from the island 660 miles south of here. The rest were to be flown out Sunday.

American Ely Chang of Urban, Calif. was among the first to get out of a Chilean Hercules C-130 in Punta Arenas, clutching his life jacket like a precious souvenir and reminder of anxious hours spent adrift.

"It was very cold but I'm so happy because we all survived this and everyone's all right. Now I'm going home," he said.

Dutch citizen Jan Henkel said he decided to propose to his girlfriend Mette Larsen after they survived the ordeal.

"There were some very frightening moments but the crew was very professional and the captain very good and had everything under control," said Henkel.

Others in Antarctica counted the survivors lucky.

"They were fortunate because other ships just happened to be in the area and came to their aid rapidly," said Lieutenant Col. Waldemar Fontes, chief of the small Uruguayan base where the rescued tourists and crew took shelter overnight. "The seas were calm and there weren't any storms. That doesn't happen often in Antarctica."

Capt. Arnvid Hansen, whose cruise ship Nordnorge rescued the castaways, said Explorer's distress call came hours before dawn and he steamed 4 1/2 hours "full ahead" to the rescue before weather could close in.

"We have to work together with the forces of nature, not against them," Hansen said.

He said blinding sleet, fog, high winds and treacherous seas are common in Antarctica, Earth's windiest continent, even in the October-to-April "summer" when cruise ships flock to the area by the dozens.

"I've been a captain for four seasons in Antarctica," Hansen said. "It's not dangerous but sometimes it's tricky and it's a challenge."

Hansen said calm seas and benevolently light winds prevailed as his crew took just an hour to collect the 154 passengers and crew, rounding up their lifeboats and rubber rafts as the crippled Explorer listed every more steeply to starboard, its hull gashed.

High seas would have made picking up the lifeboats much trickier and would have exposed the castaways to brutally cold weather and the chance of hypothermia.

Instead it was over barely before passengers aboard the Norwegian rescue vessel could finish breakfast, with many watching the orderly rescue through portal windows.

Shortly after the rescue though, winds began picking up considerably. After midday, when he reached a Chilean base at King George Island nearby, the winds and waters were so rough the captain had to wait hours to unload the passengers.

"The weather can change in a half hour in Antarctica and you never know if we are going to have it very good one moment or very bad," Hansen said.

On board the Explorer, a blackout had been triggered by water rushing in, shutting down bilge pumps of the doomed ship, Hansen said.

First reports suggested only a small hole was punched into the Explorer's hull, but the Argentine navy later said it received reports of greater damage as the ship slowly turned on its side and sank Friday evening.

Jerry DeCosta, vacationing on the Explorer, told The Associated Press from the bigger Chilean base nearby that passengers were grateful the rescue went so smoothly.

"Everything was done right: The captain got everybody off and the weather was ideal. It was a fluke of nature and luckily we got out," he said, marveling at Nordnorge's swift response. "We sent out a distress call and people came to help."

Guillermo Tarapow, captain of an Argentine navy icebreaker, Almirante Irizar, that caught fire last April 10 off Patagonia while returning from Antarctica, said he thought the dangers of castoff Antarctic ice to shipping were on the rise.

Tarapow, who saved his stricken ship from sinking and won praise for safely evacuating his 296 passengers, said he has seen a dramatic increase in the number of icebergs over 20 years and blamed climate change.

"You now see many more icebergs ... where there didn't use to be. It makes navigation difficult and they are all very dangerous," Tarapow told AP.

Susan Hayes of G.A.P. Adventures of Toronto, which runs environmentally oriented excursions and owns the stricken MS Explorer, said all passengers were accounted for and doing well.

She said the ship's 91 passengers hailed from more than a dozen nations, including 24 Britons, 17 Dutch, 14 Americans, 12 Canadians and 10 Australians. The ship also carried nine expedition staff members and a crew of 54.

The Explorer was on a 19-day circuit of Antarctica and the Falkland Islands, letting passengers observe penguins, whales and other wildlife.

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