Sad News on Westerdam in Alaska

I just heard from a friend, who disembarked Westerdam, that a 69 year old man was lost overboard in Glacier Bay National Park on Friday July 13th. No other information has been forthcoming. Deepest condolences to his family and the crew of Westerdam. Very, very sad news.

So sorry to hear this. Condolences to the family.

I just heard from a friend, who disembarked Westerdam, that a 69 year old man was lost overboard in Glacier Bay National Park on Friday May 13th. No other information has been forthcoming. Deepest condolences to his family and the crew of Westerdam. Very, very sad news.

Do you mean July 13?

May 13th or July 13th?

Short of someone deliberately jumping, how do you fall off a cruise ship in Glacier Bay? What was a 69 yr. old doing that caused him to go overboard?

Roz

Update - According to online news reports, it happened on July 13. The man was reported missing at 3:50 pm when he missed a medical appt. A ship wide search was conducted, and at 7:30 pm he was reported missing to the Parks Service.

Here is some more info:

https://www.nationalparkstraveler.org/2018/07/cruise-ship-passenger-lost-overboard-glacier-bay-national-park

I am guessing it was Friday the 13th past. :(

Sad to hear.

So sorry for him and the loved ones he has left behind.

May 13th or July 13th?

https://www.nationalparkstraveler.org/2018/07/cruise-ship-passenger-lost-overboard-glacier-bay-national-park

A 69-year-old passenger of a Holland America cruise ship has been lost overboard at Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve in Alaska.

In a brief news release, the park said Saturday night that it had suspended its search for the man, who was reported missing from Westerdam on Friday. The individual was reported missing at 3:50 p.m. when he did not appear for a medical appointment on board, a park release said.

The Park Service was notified 7:30 Friday evening after a ship-wide search confirmed that the passenger was absent.

Searches for the unidentified passenger were conducted both from Park Service boats and from the air, supported by the U.S. Coast Guard.

The release did not say where along the 65-mile Glacier Bay the man was reported missing, and park staff could not immediately be reached Sunday morning.

Thank you for the link.

So sorry to hear this.

Condolences to his family and friends.

Such sad news.

Our condolences to his family and friends.

I must be missing something... man doesn't show up for medical appointment, thus is presumed to have gone overboard???

I must be missing something... man doesn't show up for medical appointment' date=' thus is presumed to have gone overboard???[/quote']

 

Failure to show up probably triggered the search; failure of the search to have him turn up probably triggered the presumption. If I recall. Glacier Bay is not a port call, so simply missing sailing would not be valid presumption.

 

Anyway, there are probably missing parts to the report - his failure to show up for a medical appointment seems unlikely to trigger a search - but family (or whoever travelled with him) might have been notified of missed appointment, and they would likely request search.

I must be missing something... man doesn't show up for medical appointment' date=' thus is presumed to have gone overboard???[/quote']

I think you should re-read the thread, and the link posted with more of the missing details.

Very sad news and I think crew has a hard time accepting/ processing it. my thoughts are with a ll touched by this event.

So sorry for the family. Prayers!

I am sorry for the gentleman's family and the Westerdam's crew. And, I thank the USCG and National Park Service personnel for attempting to rescue the man.

One wonders if the medical appointment that was scheduled had anything to do with this situation.

I am sorry for the gentleman's family and the Westerdam's crew. And, I thank the USCG and National Park Service personnel for attempting to rescue the man.

 

One wonders if the medical appointment that was scheduled had anything to do with this situation.

I wondered the same thing.

Roz

I think you should re-read the thread, and the link posted with more of the missing details.

OK, re-read everything... still leaves me wondering. Especially in Glacier Bay when a large percentage of passengers are out on the viewing decks. It still doesn't add up???

We were on the ship. I was told he was traveling with his wife and the last time he was accounted for was 6 am Friday morning. Beginning in the 3 pm hour he was paged overhead several times and then the crew was sent to their ship sweep areas for a search. I don’t know how the appointment played into discovering he was missing.

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OK' date=' re-read everything... still leaves me wondering. Especially in Glacier Bay when a large percentage of passengers are out on the viewing decks. It still doesn't add up???[/quote']

 

Well, let's see if we can reason this out. 1) he didn't show up for a medical appointment. 2) someone reported him missing. 3) "a ship-wide search confirmed that the passenger was absent" (from the article) -- meaning they couldn't find him.

 

If, after conducting a ship-wide search ("ship-wide" would naturally include all possible outdoor areas), it is determined that he's not aboard the ship, where else might he be? Glacier Bay is a "scenic cruising" location, so he couldn't have left via a gangway at a dock. I'm assuming that no lifeboats were missing, so it's unlikely that he left via that means.

 

What other alternatives are there?

We were on the ship. I was told he was traveling with his wife and the last time he was accounted for was 6 am Friday morning. Beginning in the 3 pm hour he was paged overhead several times and then the crew was sent to their ship sweep areas for a search. I don’t know how the appointment played into discovering he was missing.

 

 

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OK' date=' re-read everything... still leaves me wondering. Especially in Glacier Bay when a large percentage of passengers are out on the viewing decks. It still doesn't add up???[/quote']

 

It appears he could have disappeared any time between 6am and 3pm. At the earlier times there might have not been a lot of passengers out and about.

OK' date=' re-read everything... still leaves me wondering. Especially in Glacier Bay when a large percentage of passengers are out on the viewing decks. It still doesn't add up???[/quote']

 

I was thinking the same thing. You are in Glacier Bay during daylight. Many passengers are on deck looking for wildlife (sea and land), in all directions.

 

Been in Glacier Bay 4 times. Even at 6 am it is pretty light and the entrance to the bay is a prime marine sea life viewing area.

 

Of course they may have entered later than 6 and the target area could include areas outside of the Bay. But the press release seems to indicate that it was inside.

Well, let's see if we can reason this out. 1) he didn't show up for a medical appointment. 2) someone reported him missing. 3) "a ship-wide search confirmed that the passenger was absent" (from the article) -- meaning they couldn't find him.

 

If, after conducting a ship-wide search ("ship-wide" would naturally include all possible outdoor areas), it is determined that he's not aboard the ship, where else might he be? Glacier Bay is a "scenic cruising" location, so he couldn't have left via a gangway at a dock. I'm assuming that no lifeboats were missing, so it's unlikely that he left via that means.

 

What other alternatives are there?

He could be deseased somewhere on the ship and just hasn't been found yet?

In any case, and however it happened, it is still sad, and should be the focus of this thread.

My sympathies to all impacted by this, whether family, friends, or others.