 |
SwiftVets.com
Service to Country
|
| View previous topic :: View next topic |
| Author |
Message |
RogerRabbit
Master Chief Petty Officer
Joined: 05 Sep 2004
Posts: 748
Location: Oregon
|
 Posted: Sat Apr 23, 2005 6:05 pm Post subject: How to Survive A Freak Wave--And Avoid Whining |
 |
|
http://www.opinionjournal.com/taste/?id=110006590
I am sure there are some tin can sailors who would consider this a cake walk.
After 20 years of sea duty (most N. Atlantic) on nothing bigger than a 311 foot ex navy AVP, I could do nothing but giggle when I heard some of the recounts of this "horrific storm"
| Quote: | How to Survive
A Freak Wave--
And Avoid Whining
Sometimes you just have to ride out the storm.
BY BARBARA D. PHILLIPS
Friday, April 22, 2005 12:01 a.m. EDT
NEW YORK--Rough seas buffeted the Norwegian Dawn cruise ship on its way from Miami to New York last Friday and Saturday, turning a pleasure cruise into a thrill ride. Then a "freak" seven-story wave hit the bow on decks nine and 10.
Reports were carried world-wide. Some "terrified" passengers in newspaper and TV accounts described "storm chaos"; others likened the event to the Titanic disaster or criticized the "nonchalant" attitude of the ship's captain, Niklas Peterstam, accusing him of incompetence, or arrogance, or of "pushing to make port." They charged that he put the needs of his employer, Norwegian Cruise Line--which reportedly had arranged to have the ship filmed early Sunday for an episode of "The Apprentice"--ahead of the safety of his passengers and crew. Oh, the inhumanity!
And what was the toll of Mother Nature's wrath this time, just months after a tsunami killed hundreds of thousands? Two windows shattered, 62 cabins flooded (out of a total of 1,112)--and four cases of minor cuts and bruises. As one of the more than 2,000 tempest-tossed passengers on the Dawn, I feel free to say that we sure have defined disaster down.
In fact, Capt. Peterstam was the voice of cool competence. The weather didn't behave quite as predicted, but he did warn us on Friday morning that the seas would be rough for the next several hours. And he kept us informed, as did a channel on our TVs. He never sent out a distress call, but he and his bosses insist that we were never in distress and that he never put our lives at risk. I believe them. The low number of injuries--and the fact that we were able to reach New York only a day late after a stop in Charleston, S.C., to replace the broken windows--seems to bear this out. The ship passed Coast Guard inspection. And when we docked in New York, the Dawn took on its next load of passengers and set sail again.
But for many folks who sailed with me, the illusion of carefree travel was shattered. It seemed to hit them like a tidal wave that the fantasy of perfect pleasure in perfect conditions--a fantasy nurtured by the cruise-ship industry--relies on the cooperation of Mother Nature. Last week she wasn't in the mood to play along, and they reacted with sound and fury of their own.
Norwegian Cruise Line's description of "Freestyle Cruising" promises a pageful of freedoms. "You really can do it all. You are free to express yourself day and night," the brochures tell travelers. Onboard the Dawn you can eat in any of the 10 restaurants or just order room service. Resort casual is the recommended dress; even donning an evening gown or tux for the formal dinner is "optional." And you can work off all that food in the gym, open 24/7.
Last Friday, scheduled activities included casino gambling; a Champagne art auction; performances of "Bollywood," a "fantastic show full of special effects and incredible feats of human strength"; and an appearance by the Second City comedy troupe. The Freestyle Daily listed a golf seminar and couples massage. For traditionalists, the card room and library were open.
But all this freedom from responsibility, paid for by credit card, comes at a price. It seems to induce in adult cruisers a childlike--and sometimes childish--state. You can start to think you are owed it all by birthright: the sumptuous food, the endless entertainment, the ice cream on the pool deck, the pampering turndown service that fashions clever animals from the towels--even endless sunny days on placid seas. No doubt the unreality of it all--no less than the freak wave itself--inspired all that post-storm whining and the lawsuits that are following in its wake.
The crew of the Norwegian Dawn rushed to clean up the mess, for all the good it did them. They kissed the psychic boo-boos and tried to make things better. We were all offered a refund of half the cost of this cruise, as well as a credit of the rest toward a future voyage. Passengers who had been in the damaged cabins left in Charleston and flew to Newark Airport on a plane chartered by Norwegian Cruise Line. Most of the rest of us stayed onboard, free drinks flowed, and we arrived in a warm and sunny New York.
I'm not going to argue that this cruise was a pleasure trip from start to finish. I will not quickly forget how my aunt and I holed up in our cabin during the worst of it, as drawers opened and closed, and the ice bucket and much else came crashing to the floor. I'm sure that we would have been a lot more frightened had we been in one of the flooded cabins on the other end of the ship.
But doped on Dramamine, fueled by apples and crackers, and reassured by nearby sea-sickness bags, Aunt Blanche and I did ride out the storm. And we survived--like everyone else on the ship. It wasn't even a close call. The lesson seems obvious but bears repeating: Oceans--and digestive systems--are unpredictable. And you can never take a vacation from reality. |
_________________
"Si vis pacem, para bellum"
Last edited by RogerRabbit on Sat Apr 23, 2005 7:15 pm; edited 1 time in total |
|
| Back to top |
|
 |
I B Squidly
Vice Admiral
Joined: 26 Aug 2004
Posts: 879
Location: Cactus Patch
|
| Posted: Sat Apr 23, 2005 7:08 pm Post subject: |
|
|
Freak waves on the Atlantic were long considered a myth. No ships encountering them survived to tell the tale. The myth was dispelled when a 115 footer took out the bridge windows on the Queen Mary in the late 40s. Thought to be compelled by weather along current shears they remain completely unpredictable. Before lawyers determined there was no such thing this was considered an 'Act of God'. The ship and it's captain acquitted themselves well.
As for a 'tin can' in 30 foot seas? They don't call it the 'Rock and Roll' Navy for nothing. Forget course to destination and keep bows to the waves. 800 pound ammo lockers disappear from the 04 level, you wonder if the roll will stop, the ship hangs and precipitously drops breaking welds and tossing bodies, all uprights topside are flattened and lifelines trail alongside. The crew lashes itself down but there are still cracked skulls and broken limbs. Unsecured gear becomes missle hazard. The decks are awash in vomit. Ah well, there's no one to sue and that's why they give us Sea Pay. Years later my nightmares were of the ship turning turtle. The second time Halsey sent his 3rd Fleet into a typhoon he was sacked.
_________________
"KILL ALL THE LAWYERS!"
-Wlm Shakespeare |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
|
|
You cannot post new topics in this forum
You cannot reply to topics in this forum
You cannot edit your posts in this forum
You cannot delete your posts in this forum
You cannot vote in polls in this forum
|
Powered by phpBB © 2001, 2005 phpBB Group
|
FAQ
Search
Memberlist
Usergroups
Register
Profile
Log in to check your private messages
Log in
