Lessons Learned? Anthem of the Seas Cruise Cut Short to Avoid Storm

Posted on by February 28, 2016

cruiseshipreturnsHas Royal Caribbean Lines learned its lesson? Just days after a passenger filed a lawsuit against RCL for knowingly sending the cruise ship Anthem of the Seas into a winter storm off Hatteras in early February, the cruise line cut short cut short the latest cruise on Anthem of the Seas to avoid a storm brewing off Cape Hatteras on the US East Coast.  RCL tweeted yesterday:


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Ex-USCG Cutter Lilac on $9.99 With Dave Evans

Posted on by February 27, 2016

lilacvents$9.99 with Dave Evans is a weekly program which explores fun things to do and see in New York City for under ten bucks. Recently, he stopped by the ex-USCG Cutter Lilac at Pier 25 in Manhattan on the Hudson River. Lilac, built in 1933, is America’s only steam-powered lighthouse tender. She once carried supplies to lighthouses and maintained buoys for the U.S. Lighthouse Service and the U.S. Coast Guard. Decommissioned in 1972, USCGC Lilac is now a museum ship owned by the non-profit Lilac Preservation Project. Lilac is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and is eligible to become a National Historic Landmark.

Historic Cutter Lilac on $9.99 with Dave Evans, Season 10: Ep. 8 – Get Educated

Update: Battle over the Pocket Battleship Graf Spee’s Nazi Eagle

Posted on by February 26, 2016

nazieagleWhat has been referred to as the Second Battle of the River Platte, may be coming to an end. In 2010, we posted about a legal battle over the salvaging of the German pocket battleship Admiral Graf Spee which was scuttled in the River Plate in 1939. The center of the conflict is a four-ton bronze eagle holding a Nazi swastika in its talons, which was once mounted on the stern of the ship. For over a decade, there has been a three-way legal battle between the Uruguayan businessman who salvaged the eagle, the Uruguayan government, and the government of Germany, which has been concerned that the eagle and swastika will fall into the hands of Nazi sympathizers. Recently, the Uruguayan Supreme Court has ruled that the Uruguayan state was the eagle’s rightful owner, but it also decided that the private salvage company should get 50% of the profits if the eagle was sold. The Uruguayan government has not announced its plans for the eagle, which has been stored for the last decade in a climate-controlled warehouse guarded by the Uruguayan navy.

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Coast Guard Rescues Fishermen Off New York’s Rockaway Inlet

Posted on by February 25, 2016

fishingboatrockawayThose of us around New York harbor have been watching a dramatic rescue unfold this morning. Around 2 AM, the 76-foot scallop fishing vessel Carolina Queen III, with 7 aboard, ran aground off Rockaway beach near the East Rockaway Inlet, in high winds and seas.  A 25 foot US Coast Guard rescue boat with a crew of five attempted to reach the fishing vessel but capsized in the 10 to 12-foot waves. All of the Coast Guard were wearing protective clothing and made it to the beach uninjured.  All seven of the crew aboard the Carolina Queen III were subsequently rescued by basket by a Coast Guard helicopter.

Climate Change & the Sea — Rising Sea Levels & Continued Denial

Posted on by February 24, 2016

manhattanfloodedRecent studies suggest that sea levels are now rising at the fastest rate in the last 28 centuries. According to two reports, increased flooding in coastal communities in America can be traced directly to increased the production of greenhouse gases from human activity. The report authors say that the problem will grow far worse in coming decades. Nevertheless, the governments of some states most impacted by the rising waters are opting to deny that the problem even exists.

As reported by the New York Times: “I think we need a new way to think about most coastal flooding,” said Benjamin H. Strauss, the primary author of one of two related studies released on Monday. “It’s not the tide. It’s not the wind. It’s us. That’s true for most of the coastal floods we now experience.”

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SS Badger, Last Great Lakes Coal-Fired Passenger-Car Ferry, Designated National Historic Landmark

Posted on by February 23, 2016

ssbadgerThe Department of the Interior recently announced that the SS Badger; the last coal-fired, passenger car ferry operating on the Great Lakes; has been designated as a National Historic Landmark. From the news release: The designation recognizes the Badger’s exceptional value and quality in illustrating an aspect of American transportation technology in the mid-twentieth century.

This is the culmination of a major reversal of fortune for the almost 63-year-old 410-foot long coal-fired passenger-car ferry, which only a few years ago was called “the filthiest ship on the Great Lakes.”  Continue reading →

The Hanging of Captain Nathaniel Gordon of the Slave Ship Erie — February 21, 1862

Posted on by February 10, 2021
Hanging of Slave Trader Gordon

Hanging of Slave Trader Gordon

On February 21, 1862, Nathaniel Gordon, captain of the slave ship, Erie, was executed by hanging in New York City. Under the Piracy Law of 1820, slave trading was considered to be an act of piracy punishable by death. He was the only slave-trader ever to be tried, convicted, and executed in American history.  Captain Gordan, originally from Portland, Maine was 36.  In a detestable trade, Captain Gordan was among the worst. When he was apprehended by the USS Mohican 50 miles off the Congo in 1860, the Erie, a ship of 500 tons, had 897 Africans crammed aboard. Of these, 563 were children. Captain Gordan preferred children because they were smaller and were less able to attempt to take over the ship.

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BAP Unión, Peru’s New Navy Sail Training Ship Commissioned

Posted on by February 20, 2016

In December of 2012, we posted about the keel laying for the Peruvian Navy’s sail training ship at the Marine Industrial Services (SIMA) shipyard in Callao. Last month, the new four-masted barque, BAP (Buque Armada Peruana) Unión was commissioned. The ship will set approximately 4,324 m2 of sail and has a complement of 250 officers and trainees. The BAP Unión is the largest sail training ship in Latin America.

VISTA AÉREA – AFIRMADO DEL PABELLÓN B.A.P. UNIÓN

Seal Waving From Ice Patch in the Hudson River

Posted on by February 19, 2016

hudsonsealSome folks think that those around New York City are unfriendly, which couldn’t be further from the truth. Here is a short video of a seal resting on a patch of ice in the Hudson River waving at Megan Viscovich and her co-workers who spotted the seal from their office overlooking the river in Edgewater, NJ. As reported by 4 New York: “It was a young seal and seemed to be full of life, looked like it was waving and flapping its rear fins,” she said in an email. Viscovich said the Edgewater Fire Department and an NYPD harbor unit responded. The NYPD said its divers worked with Edgewater firefighters to help the seal get back into the river.

A seal waves from an ice patch on the Hudson River

El Faro Investigation — Questions About the Deadly Course

Posted on by February 18, 2016

elfaroringWhy did Captain Michael Davidson set a course that brought his ship, El Faro, into the path of Hurricane Joaquin last October with tragic results? That question, for which we many never have a fully satisfactory answer, has been at the core of the initial investigation being held at US Coast Guard hearings in Jacksonville, Florida which began on Tuesday.

Several officials from TOTE Services, the ship owner and operator, were questioned at the hearing. Vice President of Commercial Maritime Operations Philip Morrell reiterated that the captain made the final decision as to ship routing. Captain Davidson had sent an email the day before encountering the hurricane, requesting a course change on the way back to Jacksonville from Puerto Rico. Morrell responded to questions about the email by saying that captain did not require permission and that the email was sent as a courtesy to the home office. TOTE President Phil Greene was questioned on Wednesday and said much the same thing, albeit not so directly.

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Setting Sail into a Violent Storm — Really RCL? A Question of Credibility

Posted on by February 18, 2016

anthem5A few days after the Anthem of the Seas was forced to return to port after being caught in 120 knot winds off Cape Hatteras, Bill Baumgartner, Royal Caribbean’s senior vice president of Global Marine Operations, told The Jersey Journal  that predictions of the storm had forecast wind speeds of 55 to 65 knots, or around 63 to 74 miles per hour, which “these ships are made to withstand without any significant issue.”

I read that sentence several times. That is apparently what he said. A senior executive at Royal Caribbean appears to suggest that the company knowingly sent one of their ships with 4,500 passengers into a violent winter storm with possible hurricane force winds.

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El Faro Tragedy — Investigation Continues on Shore and at Sea

Posted on by February 16, 2016

elfarowrecksternThere are still almost as many questions as answers as to why the US flag ro/ro El Faro sank in Hurricane Joaquin last October with the loss of the 33 aboard. Today, the United States Coast Guard Marine Board of Investigation begins a formal investigation into the tragedy. The first hearing is being held in Jacksonville, FL, the port from which El Faro sailed on her final fatal voyage.

The current hearing will last through Friday and according to the Coast Guard press release will “focus on the pre-accident historical events relating to the loss, the regulatory compliance record of the EL FARO, crewmember duties and qualifications, past operations of the vessel and the Coast Guard’s Search and Rescue operations. During a later hearing session (date to be determined) the accident voyage, including cargo loading, weather conditions and navigation will be examined in detail. The National Transportation Safety Board, which conducted its own investigation, will fully participate in the Marine Board of Investigation hearings.”

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSM) also recently announced that the search for El Faro‘s Voyage Data Recorder (VDR), the so-called “black box,” will resume next April and last about two weeks. Continue reading →

British Women Rowing, Records & Rescues

Posted on by February 15, 2016
rowlikeagirl

Photo: Ben Duffey

Recently, four British women competing in the Talisker Whiskey Atlantic Challenge set a new record  as the youngest and fastest all-female crew of four to row across the Atlantic Ocean.  Gee Purdy, 23, Bella Collins, 23, Lauren Morton, 26, and Olivia Bolesworth, 27, in the “Row Like A Girl” team,” rowed 2,793 nautical miles in 40 days. The previous record, also set in the Talisker race in 2012, was 45 days.  “Row Like A Girl” came in second overall behind “Ocean Reunion”, a British team of four; Angus Collis, Gus Barton, Joe Barnett, Jack Mayhew; which also set a new record of 37 days.  Both “Ocean Reunion” and  “Row Like A Girl” broke the previous overall record of 41 days. Ten teams in the Talisker Race are still at sea.

Another British four woman rowing team attempting to cross the Atlantic has not faired as well. Continue reading →

Warm Wishes on a Chilly Morning — Valentine Islands

Posted on by February 14, 2016

It is now 3 degrees Fahrenheit on the West bank of the Hudson River. Hope your Valentine’s day is warmer. On such a chilly morning, it would be nice to escape to a tropical island. Here is a repost from a few years ago of a series of Valentine Islands, not all of which are tropical. Are they islands of love on the storm-tossed seas of life?  Sadly, they probably are not, but they do look like Valentine’s Day hearts.

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[Show as slideshow]

 

Anthem of the Seas and the Storm — A Real World Stability Test

Posted on by February 13, 2016

anthem4In recent years, there have been many claims made that modern cruise ships are inherently unstable and unseaworthy.  Naval architects, shipyards, and regulators, have replied, “No, they are not,” but the argument continues. Recently, the Anthem of the Seas put the argument to the test. As ungainly, bulky and high-sided as she indeed is, she did rather well under terrible conditions. Here is an article I wrote for gCaptain, yesterday, which I am reposting with permission.

Anthem of the Seas — Is She Seaworthy?

On Wednesday night, the Royal Caribbean cruise ship, Anthem of the Seas, made it safely back to its berth in Cape Liberty in New York harbor, a bit battered, but generally in good condition. Her roughly 4,500 passengers disembarked after a harrowing cruise to nowhere. The obvious first lesson of this unfortunate voyage is that a winter cruise from New York harbor around Cape Hatteras may not be such a good idea. The weather can get very rough. In this case, extremely rough.  The captain reported wind speeds of 150-160 knots (172-184 mph), wind speeds comparable to a Category 5 hurricane. There were also reports of 30-foot waves. The Anthem of the Seas was seriously in danger.

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Remembering the SS Marine Electric — a Tragedy that Made Us All Safer

Posted on by June 8, 2017

marinelectric1Thirty-three years ago today, on February 12, 1983, the collier SS Marine Electric loaded with 24,800 tons of steam coal, capsized and sank in a storm 30 miles off the coast of Virginia. Thirty-one of the 34 crew members died. While nothing good can be said about the loss of 31 sailors, the aftermath of the Marine Electric tragedy led to important improvements in safety in the shipping industry.

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Titanic II, Not Quite an “Exact Replica” to Sail in 2018?

Posted on by January 24, 2019

titanicII-1Only last June, the media were reporting the project to build a near-replica of RMS Titanic was dead. The Daily Echo was typical, writing: The highly ambitious plan to build a replica of the ill-fated Southampton liner, Titanic, has apparently sunk without even getting off the drawing board. Now, the Titanic II project appears to have been revived. Reports are that the near-replica of its ill-fated namesake will be delivered in 2018 and that its maiden voyage will be from Jiangsu in Eastern China to Dubai. The original Titanic never completed her maiden voyage from Southampton to New York in 1912, due to an unfortunate brush with an iceberg leaving 1,500 dead. Let’s hope the Titanic II does better.

While it is unclear if any steel has yet to be cut, through the wonder of 3D modeling, renderings of the interior spaces intended to look like the original have been released.

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Crossing the Bar — Incredible US Coast Guard Motor Lifeboats

Posted on by February 11, 2016
47' Motor Lifeboat

47′ Motor Lifeboat

It takes a special breed of sailor to attempt to crest the monstrous waves of a harbor bar in a motor lifeboat.  It also takes a very specially designed and built boat to make crossing the bar possible. We recently reviewed the movie, “The Finest Hours,” which told the story of the what is considered by many to the greatest small boat rescue in history. In 1952, coxswain Bernie Webber with a crew of three took CG-36500, a 36-foot motor lifeboat, across Chatham bar in a winter Nor’easter to rescue the crew of the T2 tanker SS. Pendleton, which had broken in half in the storm.

When large ocean swells hit sand bars at a harbor entrance, the resulting breaking waves can rise to monstrous heights. Most fishermen and other boatman stay in port. When a ship or boat is in danger offshore, however, the Coast Guard has no choice but to go out and in many cases, a motor lifeboat is the only way to get the job done. The boats are designed to be self-righting and to survive the worst the sea can throw at them. A brief overview of these amazing boats.
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Why Did Anthem of the Seas Sail Straight into the Storm?

Posted on by February 9, 2016

anthemstorm1In a post yesterday, we raised the general question of why Royal Caribbean Line (RCL) would run winter cruises which passed off Cape Hatteras, an area known for bad weather, particularly in the winter months? Today many are asking the specific question, why would RCL send the Anthem of the Seas with over 4,000 passengers straight into a major storm which had been predicted days in advance?

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