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Ryndam Anchor Drop Lands Man in Brig

prescottbob

By prescottbob,
in Holland America Line

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philamike

philamike

Posted
Posted
What would have happened had the anchor hit bottom while the ship was gliding along at 20-or-so knots? Would the chain simply have snapped (leaving the anchor behind on the seabed), or something more serious?

 

I found the answer to my own question, courtesy of USA TODAY:

The charges were first reported by
The Smoking Gun
, the Associated Press says. In an affidavit posted at
The Smoking Gun
, the FBI says that while the Holland America ship was undamaged in the incident the release of the anchor had the potential of causing "significant damage to the ship's rudder or propeller, which could disable the ship's ability to maneuver, or (of) puncturing of the ship, which could result in sinking or severe flooding."

Wow.

 

- Mike :-)

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Bill B

Bill B

Posted
Posted
I found the answer to my own question, courtesy of USA TODAY:

The charges were first reported by
The Smoking Gun
, the Associated Press says. In an affidavit posted at
The Smoking Gun
, the FBI says that while the Holland America ship was undamaged in the incident the release of the anchor had the potential of causing "significant damage to the ship's rudder or propeller, which could disable the ship's ability to maneuver, or (of) puncturing of the ship, which could result in sinking or severe flooding."

Wow.

 

- Mike :-)

... or, you could have clicked on the link in the OP.

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mikjr

mikjr

Posted
Posted
What surprises me is that something as important as the ability to drop anchor would be someplace that the general public would have access to.....

How did this guy get to this area? Is it that easy?

 

That is the real question... aren't there LOCKS on something that important?? in this age of terrorism, you'd think areas of high importance would be protected a bit better.

 

I bet every cruise line will be reviewing their security policy after this one!

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NH Cruisers

NH Cruisers

Posted
Posted
I love to go on HAL, so don't get me wrong......but part of me can't help but giggle since this story would make more sense if it were on Carnival. You don't see this kind of behavior with the HAL crowd. Thankfully no one got hurt.

You do see it with HAL crowd! It didn't happen on Carnival (although it could be any line). So much for steriotyping a category of cruising folk. On "Carnival Dream" in February we had a great crew (With John Heald CD of "Carnival Spendor" fame) and a great crowd of mixed ages. It was as nice a cruise as any I been on.

 

It's too bad that some folks discount Carnival as a trashy line, because a lot of people equate HAL to Carnival (and feel HAL is not as good as it is) due to it being the parent company. Not fair, the individual lines have their differences.

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happyglobetrotter

happyglobetrotter

Posted
Posted
It was a formal night and it is apparent that he was on his vacation and nobody could make him "Dress Up" and he never wears a tie anywhere anyway and if people can smoke then he can carry his own tray in the Lido and let go the anchor chain when ever he wants because...

 

Good point. He does look like a no law, no rules, no etiquette, no dress code type of guy.

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terigo

terigo

Posted
Posted
You do see it with HAL crowd! It didn't happen on Carnival (although it could be any line). So much for steriotyping a category of cruising folk. On "Carnival Dream" in February we had a great crew (With John Heald CD of "Carnival Spendor" fame) and a great crowd of mixed ages. It was as nice a cruise as any I been on.

 

It's too bad that some folks discount Carnival as a trashy line, because a lot of people equate HAL to Carnival (and feel HAL is not as good as it is) due to it being the parent company. Not fair, the individual lines have their differences.

 

Amen!

 

Some of the nicest people and the best food we have experienced in the midmarket has been on Carnival, topped only by Celebrity.

 

We've also sailed Costa, RCI, NCL, HAL, P&O, and the now defunct/merged lines Royal, Italian, Sitmar, Home Lines, Chandris, Premier, Regency and Majesty..... I'm pretty sure I'm forgetting some, but I only mention this because I do have some means of comparison.

 

We are giving HAL another shot after 15 years of cruising other lines. Why did we stop sailing HAL? The food was too bland for our palates and many of the passengers were like a lot of people here.... They believe they know what they know, think that what they know is all there IS to know, and have no inclination or curiosity to know anything else.

 

We had heard things had changed from our earlier experiences....and so, we look forward to the Eurodam on Saturday...

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woodofpine

woodofpine

Posted
Posted

I was onboard; reading the investigation report is interesting. It appears that shipboard security was running with it from the outset to determine the culprit. I was a bit surprised that the anchor engagement preceeded the ring toss by about half hour. How long did it take to determine that the anchor was enagaged? While Ehlert entered a restricted area, there are a number of passenger accessible system controls on this ship (that I noted with mild surprise).

 

Ehlert's name was announced at disembark (with others whom one simply presumed had credit card or other issues). I suspect the FBI had agents onboard at disembark and sandbagged him then with video and photo evidence (plus he likely had turned his luggage over to ship personnel who could check and potentially secure clothing worn) and thereby induced a confession. Hope that last drink went down well Rick, 'cause it is going to cost you big time!

 

I've represented individuals on criminal charges in the Federal District Court in Tampa (although that not my 'forte'). He faces a felony charge and generally Federal authorities are considerably less flexible than state prosecutors in foregoing formal conviction in lieu of 'with held adjudication' (and inevitable extensive probation terms) even with a heretofore pristine record. Plus there is a high profile corporate 'victim' and the charge involves transportation safety where slamming people has strong deterrent value. Even if a persuasive defense counsel gets the US Attorney to go light on Ehlert and avoid trial with a favorable plea deal, I think by the time Ehlert is done, he will likely be out $50,000 - $100,000 minimum in fines and legal expense (and possibly quite more). Of course, if the prosecutor insists on a record of conviction on the original felony, then Ehlert will loss myriad civil rights - and potentially a career if he is professionally licensed (possible jail time notwithstanding).

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goldengatecruisers

goldengatecruisers

Posted
Posted

I have just read the article. Where are we going as a society? Honestly, this reckless and inexcusable behavior deserves a stiff and unrelenting sentence. Its about time we reward such irresponsible and loutish activity with punishment severe enough to deter copycat behavior. I shudder to think of how serious this incident could have been to the passengers and crew - not to mention a gorgeous ship. I hope the Tampa Federal court makes a statement with their handling of this matter. It is about time we stand up to these idiots and by our actions tell them this is no longer acceptable in our civilized society. Thanks to the OP for starting this thread and bringing this to our attention.

 

Have a great morning everyone.

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