LHStarAlliance From , joined Dec 1969, posts, RR: Posted (6 years 1 month 6 days 10 hours ago) and read 2352 times:
The 281 passengers and crew members aboard the U.S.-flagged cruise ship Empress of the North are abandoning ship in lifeboats after the ship ran aground about 58 miles from Juneau, Alaska, according to U.S. Coast Guard Cmdr. Jeff Carter.
ANCFlyer From , joined Dec 1969, posts, RR: Reply 1, posted (6 years 1 month 6 days 9 hours ago) and read 2331 times:
Must be recent news.
I've been up all night and haven't heard it yet.
There are some VERY trecherous shoals just in that area. Many ships have been lost in that area. Princess Louis, for one. The most famous, the Princess Sophia.
DeltaGator From United States of America, joined Sep 2005, 6341 posts, RR: 16 Reply 2, posted (6 years 1 month 6 days 9 hours ago) and read 2320 times:
Halls120 From , joined Dec 1969, posts, RR: Reply 3, posted (6 years 1 month 6 days 9 hours ago) and read 2310 times:
Quoting DeltaGator (Reply 2): They'll be fine. Running aground is not that big of a deal for the folks on board. The wildlife around them though might have a tough time.
Depends on how fast the ship is taking on water, and whether the crew is properly trained, and all their life saving equipment is operating properly.
Running aground in Alaska is no joke. There is no such thing as a "sandy bottom" in most places - especially where this ship was operating.
LHStarAlliance From , joined Dec 1969, posts, RR: Reply 4, posted (6 years 1 month 6 days 9 hours ago) and read 2308 times:
Quoting Halls120 (Reply 3): Depends on how fast the ship is taking on water, and whether the crew is properly trained, and all their life saving equipment is operating properly.
remember the Greek ship some weeks ago it also ran aground an sank ...
ANCFlyer From , joined Dec 1969, posts, RR: Reply 5, posted (6 years 1 month 6 days 9 hours ago) and read 2297 times:
Quoting Halls120 (Reply 3): Running aground in Alaska is no joke. There is no such thing as a "sandy bottom" in most places - especially where this ship was operating.
Somewhere I have an excellent phot of the Alaska Ferry Taku aground near Prince Rupert with the British Columbia Ferry Queen of Prince Rupert off loading Take's vehicle cargo . . . . I don't have it digitized though.
L-188 From United States of America, joined Jul 1999, 29366 posts, RR: 62 Reply 6, posted (6 years 1 month 6 days 8 hours ago) and read 2282 times:
60 miles north of Juneau.
Can't be that far away from where the Princess Kathleen went aground in 52'
As mentioned before every couple of years something big ends up on the rocks, about three years ago it was the state ferry LeConte. This boat is a paddlewheeler built a couple years ago and has a double bottom, so I don't think it sounds like they are going to loose her.
Still you want to get the pax off, you don't need to repeat the Princess Sophia disaster.
OBAMA-WORST PRESIDENT EVER....Even SKOORB would be better.
Airfoilsguy From , joined Dec 1969, posts, RR: Reply 8, posted (6 years 1 month 6 days 5 hours ago) and read 2222 times:
What is with all these idiots running ships aground. With todays technology there is no good reason to run aground. By the way I was on the ship that ran aground in St. Martin years back. I wasn't on the ship at the time but right after the repairs. That episode must have been a spotters dream due to all the 747s they had to charter to fly into St. Martin and get the passengers out.
Searpqx From Netherlands, joined Jun 2000, 4343 posts, RR: 12 Reply 9, posted (6 years 1 month 6 days 5 hours ago) and read 2221 times:
Quoting Airfoilsguy (Reply 8): What is with all these idiots running ships aground. With todays technology there is no good reason to run aground.
I'm not ready to call anyone an idiot, but I was wondering the same myself. Having traveled those waters a lot, I know how dangerous they are, but everything is very clearly marked. The charts are exceptionally well detailed, and a ship that size has radar & sonar (hell we had a 30ft cruiser, and we wouldn't travel w/o sonar). Closer in to shore, rocks do rise up rapidly from the deep, but again, thats a known fact, so there is no reason to be close in except for known safe zones. I'll be interested in hearing the results of the investigation.
"The two most common elements in the universe are Hydrogen and stupidity"
Arrow From Canada, joined Jun 2002, 2588 posts, RR: 2 Reply 10, posted (6 years 1 month 6 days 4 hours ago) and read 2192 times:
Quoting Airfoilsguy (Reply 8): What is with all these idiots running ships aground.
Obviously too early to know, but the BC Ferriy Queen of the North went down just over a year ago near Hartley Bay because the crew on the bridge weren't paying attention and didn't make a routine course correction. The ship ran into the rocks at full speed. Two people are missing and presumed drowned, but what saved this from being a real disaster is the ship was less than half full. It sank very quickly and I've seen a few articles suggesting that they might not have had enough time to get everyone off if the ship had been full/.
Never let the facts get in the way of a good story.
ANother From , joined Dec 1969, posts, RR: Reply 11, posted (6 years 1 month 6 days 3 hours ago) and read 2180 times:
Quoting ANCFlyer (Reply 5): British Columbia Ferry Queen of Prince Rupert
Wasn't she renamed the Queen of the North (and is now almost a km below)?
Quoting Arrow (Reply 10): BC Ferriy Queen of the North went down just over a year ago near Hartley Bay because the crew on the bridge weren't paying attention and didn't make a routine course correction.
The rumour that I heard was that the two people on the bridge, one male - one female, were up to something other than making routine course corrections.
Arrow From Canada, joined Jun 2002, 2588 posts, RR: 2 Reply 14, posted (6 years 1 month 6 days 3 hours ago) and read 2153 times:
Quoting ANother (Reply 11): The rumour that I heard was that the two people on the bridge, one male - one female, were up to something other than making routine course corrections.
Yes, that's the rumour. We should know more when the NTSB (National Transportation Safety Board) report comes out in a few weeks. Ferries union, on legal advice, told the three to refuse to cooperate with the internal investigaion, and so they refused to answer any questions. Apparently they did talk to the NTSB investigators. But the three on the bridge that night have all been fired by BC Ferries. There's little doubt that this one is entirely human error.
Never let the facts get in the way of a good story.
ANCFlyer From , joined Dec 1969, posts, RR: Reply 19, posted (6 years 1 month 5 days 20 hours ago) and read 2054 times:
Quoting Searpqx (Reply 7): I was in Juneau when the Prinsendam went down in 1980.
Caught fire and Sank, @85 miles Southwest of Sitka. I remember that.
Quoting Searpqx (Reply 9): Having traveled those waters a lot, I know how dangerous they are, but everything is very clearly marked.
The ship grounded on a LIGHTED reef. A lighted reef that was in fact working. Someone will have their butt in a sling over this.
Quoting ANother (Reply 11): Wasn't she renamed the Queen of the North (and is now almost a km below)?
No. Queen of Prince Rupert and Queen of the North are separate ships entirely. Queen of Prince Rupert has been chruning along up here for thirty years. Queen of the North was bought fifteen or so years ago and brought from Europe. She was a fine ship - til she grounded and sank. Regardless, Q of Prince Rupert and Q of the North are two separate ships.
Queen of Prince Rupert: http://www.pbase.com/kstapleton/image/43419625 http://www.pbase.com/kstapleton/image/58434257
Quoting Trekster (Reply 18): Looked at the pics of her from the website and she seems to be quiet low in the water
Yeah, but keep in mind that boat is styled on a river sternwheeler, so there isn't a lot of freeboard to begin with, and that is one reason why that boat will never see outside waters.
Quoting ANCFlyer (Reply 5): I have an excellent phot of the Alaska Ferry Taku aground near Prince Rupert with the British Columbia Ferry Queen of Prince Rupert off loading Take's vehicle cargo
The AKMHS has put quite a few of their boats up on the rocks, Taku, LeConte, Columbia, and I think the Malispina have all found themselves "Embarassed"
Quoting Airfoilsguy (Reply 8): What is with all these idiots running ships aground. With todays technology there is no good reason to run aground.
Quoting Searpqx (Reply 9): I'm not ready to call anyone an idiot, but I was wondering the same myself. Having traveled those waters a lot, I know how dangerous they are, but everything is very clearly marked. The charts are exceptionally well detailed, and a ship that size has radar & sonar (hell we had a 30ft cruiser, and we wouldn't travel w/o sonar). Closer in to shore, rocks do rise up rapidly from the deep, but again, thats a known fact, so there is no reason to be close in except for known safe zones. I'll be interested in hearing the results of the investigation
I won't call them that either, because there are still rocks that haven't been found yet out there.
A few years back, Noaa discovered a new rock when they ran one of their 20 foot sonar boats from Rainer up on one while taking bottom soundings.
OBAMA-WORST PRESIDENT EVER....Even SKOORB would be better.
First time was going in to Prince Rupert (in 1966 IIRC). Didn't quite make the turn in the fog. Grounded hard. Queen of Prince Rupert rescued her. I have a photo somewhere. I'll have to digitize it and post it when I get home later this week.
On Taku's maiden voyage some kids in Petersburg snuck into the wheelhouse - ship was running of course (no one manning the bridge) - threw the engines into full ahead, and ripped away half the new dock there. See, yesterdays kids were punks too.
L-188 From United States of America, joined Jul 1999, 29366 posts, RR: 62 Reply 22, posted (6 years 1 month 5 days 19 hours ago) and read 2028 times:
Quoting ANCFlyer (Reply 21): On Taku's maiden voyage some kids in Petersburg snuck into the wheelhouse - ship was running of course (no one manning the bridge) - threw the engines into full ahead, and ripped away half the new dock there. See, yesterdays kids were punks too.
Quoting L-188 (Reply 20):
LeConte
Last year, heading in to Sitka.
Quoting L-188 (Reply 20):
Columbia
Don't remember. I do recall her engine room fire (electrical panel) in 2000.
Quoting L-188 (Reply 20):
Malispina
I think it was Matanuska. I have a picture of that also. Huge hole in the bottom. I'll post it too.
Come to think about the Tusty might be the only one that hasn't been on the rocks.
OBAMA-WORST PRESIDENT EVER....Even SKOORB would be better.
Halls120 From , joined Dec 1969, posts, RR: Reply 24, posted (6 years 1 month 5 days 18 hours ago) and read 2016 times:
Quoting L-188 (Reply 20): I won't call them that either, because there are still rocks that haven't been found yet out there.
I spent 6 years afloat while in the Coast Guard, and in my experience, if you find a rock by accident, you're probably not where you should be in relation to the navigable channel.
On a related note, I see the Kodiak Daily Mirror reporting that the CO of the Alex Haley has been temporarily relieved of command. Anybody up north know the details?
Of course, when you trample on tradition by adopting the motto of a ship that was the REAL "Bulldog of the Bering" before it became the "Queen of the Fleet," bad things are apt to happen.
25 L-188: It hit the news last week, but I never heard anything as to why other then the catch-all, "Lack of Confidence"
26 Searpqx: The Taku may have had its problems, but I have nothing but love for that ship. I spent many a high school hour roaming her decks as we traveled to/fr
27 ANCFlyer: Matanuska has my childhood heart. Back in the day both her Captains were named Johnson. Wally and Jack. Both knew my Dad well. I've been on her bridg
28 ACDC8: Actually, the Queen of the North was bought by BC Ferries in 1974 from the Stena Line. She was originally named the Queen of Surrey and sailed betwee
29 ANCFlyer: Ahhh, I thought she came from Stena in '80. Thanks for the info . . . . I have sailed on QPR, but not the ill-fated Queen of the North. Have you
30 ACDC8: The Northern Adventure (as BC Ferries has named her) is a very nice ship, but not nearly as you said, not as pretty as the QotN. If you find the time
31 ANCFlyer: When I get home later this week, my pleasure. Don't really have a choice growing up in Southeast Alaska. You had to take the ferry, and pretty much s
32 ACDC8: Much appreciated ... Ahhh, to live by the sea ... [Edited 2007-05-15 11:02:48]
33 Halls120: Heard from an inside source this morning that it was the usual - little head thinking for the big head.
34 Arrow: Is she back in service? They took her off line after only a week or so because of a bunch of electrical issues (elevator not working was one of them)
35 Swatpamike: Hello All When my wife read this story she was freaking out, we are going on a Royal Caribbean Alaska Cruise on May 25. I had to tell her that this do
36 Airfoilsguy: That was the company the grounded in St. Martin.
37 ACDC8: She was back in service, but she's been taken out again (I believe this is the 3rd time), but this time it's just some refits and should be sailing b
38 ME AVN FAN: - really nice ships this company has in service, and it is positive to read that according to http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory?id=3171628 the ship
39 LHStarAlliance: Is there bad weather in Alaska to time ?[Edited 2007-05-15 22:07:32]
40 ME AVN FAN: THIS is the weather : Currently At 12:16PM Mostly Cloudy 51°F RealFeel® 52°F Winds: SW at 7mph -
41 ANCFlyer: At the time of the incident, weather in Chatham Strait was light rain, but no fog, plenty of visibility. Someone screwed the pooch on the bridge of t
42 ME AVN FAN: I in "www.accuweather.com" simply entered Juneau. I checked "accuweather" before, and whenever they at times are ways off, they fairly often are quit
43 L-188: Or what is known in SE Alaska as "Nice Conditions" There was a reason why it was named Peril Strait.
44 Halls120: People who haven't been there simply don't understand how dangerous the Inside Passage, the Gulf of Alaska and the Bering Sea can be.
45 ANCFlyer: Here's the promised photos of Taku aground with Queen of Prince Rupert to the rescue.
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