Does any one know who will conduct an investigation of the incident on the Dawn?

[mimi41385]

There was indeed reports of a storm earlier in the day but those same reports then downgraded the storm to a gale. it was quite some time later that it was again upgraded to a storm. The time the wave hit deck 9 was exactly 6:16 am.Those in that cabin that were injured have their clock to prove it, it actually stoppd when it was hit by the water.

As to the comments about waiting to find out what the options were I don't remember ever hearing those words until after the wave hit and the Captain contacted the NCL office to discuss what options were open to the ship. SC is not usually a port that has ships as big as the Dawn arriving there and there was some discussion about allowing the dawn to dock there. Once the situation was explained to SC they gave permission to dock and NCL notified the ship of being granted permission. I have also heard that the Coast Guard helped to gain that permission. If indeed these things are true I can definately understand why there were discussions taking place as to what our options were.

[JennyRose]

I think it is just amazing that cruise ships can withstand massive waves like that. And as you see by all of the posts, ships battle these conditions all the time. I've been in a couple of good storms myself. This storm was no different. An unexpected wave just happened to hit the ship. So what? Its happened before. It will happen again. And until technology can predict the weather ;) I kindly ask all those afraid of Mother Nature to stay out of the water and leave more room on the open seas for me and my fellow devoted cruisers!

[ahoughton]

it's always lovely going from the absurd to the bizarre, what's up with this hemorrhoid and hookers case on HAL?

 

anyway, still dying to hear about the piles and pimps

 

Go in CC search and put Holland American Sued. Read article in first post.

[House_Atreides]

A big wave hit the Dawn. What is there to investigate??? It's called a rogue wave and the bridge crew turned her to fore to meet the wave head-on, which is the correct way to meet such a wave.

 

Who needs a *(&^*(^*& investigation?

 

I imagine NCL will be doing much investigation within their company; what worked and why, what didn't work, is there a way to make the balcony doors stronger, etc. etc. Any good company would take this to the board table.

 

As far as the NTSB, I can't speak for them, but if they haven't figured out that a ROGUE WAVE hit the Dawn and that's why she limped into Charleston...they have, their heads in a nice, warm dark place.

 

Mary

[addicted to cruising]

Geez....all this arguing.

 

I just wanted to express that Im glad that everyone got off ok, yes Im sure some had a few injurys but all in all things could have been so much worse.

So to the Dawn crew and passengers, welcome home and were glad you are safe now.

 

To the rest of the issues, as each day goes by more and more will be added to the story and most will be false/hearsay. Accidents happen, often regardless of what information we have. Weather is not as predictable as everyone thinks, we take our learned knowledge and do what we think is best based on what you have to work with. There is no dout Norweigian will have a full investigation, this will be an opprotunity for them to make change if need be, maybe this ship is to small to travel this itnerary and maybe not. And Im sure the other cruiselines will be happy to learn from this as well..,Next time you think the muester drill is stupid think about this situation!

[oceanvoyager]

This is about circumstances that when put together, one MAY conclude (when you take into account the canceling of the Bahamas stop prior to the cruise as well) that NCL wanted that ship back in NYC for 5am Sunday and decided to take a chance and go through the storm to do it.

 

Ah, yes. NCL would risk the lives of 3000+ souls AND a nearly half billion dollar asset that pumps a major share of the company profits into the bank accounts.

 

Makes perfect sense to me. :rolleyes:

 

vllygrrl, the fact of the matter is that if the wave didn't hit you would have had just another rough seas cruise - as did every other cruise ship sailing off the coast of Florida. (please read the accounts of passengers on other ships in the same vacinity as Dawn the night of the storm).

 

I "survived" a rogue that hit QE2 during a storm years ago. I was thrown from a chair right into a window. I didn't demand investigations or any answers other than if I could still have my lobster that evening for dinner.

 

Oh...and I'm still here to post about it (and so is QE2).

[Host Kewlguy]

I think they ought to locate this wave and serve it with an arrest warrant for assault. These rogue waves must realize there are consequences for their actions. It will also send the message to the next rogue wave thinking of doing the same thing in the future that we will not tolerate this type of anti-social behavior. After a certain conviction the wave would then be liable for any monetary and emotional damage done to the ship and it's passengers.

[oceanvoyager]

Hmmm... interesting. I read this in another thread:

 

 

"Also, as Eileen said. The captain kept us well informed and alerted us to any changes. The staff of the ship did a wonderful job. Unfortunately, the media's spin on the incident is trying to make the Captain the fall guy." - vllygrrl

[Host Kewlguy]

What? The news media lie to the public? Never.

[gemsm]

. SC is not usually a port that has ships as big as the Dawn arriving there and there was some discussion about allowing the dawn to dock there.

 

I don't know this for sure mimi but I think Charleston has taken aircraft carriers before so they can take the big ships...They would just prefer not to except in the case of an emergency.

[fay54]

You got that right. You can't please everyone. I think all should be happy that no one was seriously injured and that the ship made it back to New York safely. This was an act of God that no one could forsee. NCL is being very generous I would say. I only feel sorry that the cruise was ruined for so many. We will be going on our 6th cruise in June and it is the only real way to vacation in my opinion. However, I will admit 3 rogue waves this year, makes me a little nervous. But Hey, if you worried about everything, you would not leave home.

[Host Kewlguy]

The only thing to fear in life is fear itself.

[Rosarymb]

Rather than do the "sue first, sue later, sue some more" theory, why don't we ask that these ships carry equipment/monitoring for the Hurricane Center in Miami? They are the johnny on the spots for sea and weather info, so why not use them as floating recon stations? Until the telegraph, there was no such thing as scientific weather forecasting. Let's use the platforms we have (the ships) for research so that we can learn more about the interaction of sea and weather. I'd pay an extra 10 bucks on my ticket toward it. When I was on the Westerdam last week, it had all kinds of radar domes; let's ask the experts what the ships could be used for, and keep the lawyers out of it.

[Host Kewlguy]

Ships sail through storms all the time. The storm the Dawn experienced was no worse than the two major storms I experienced on previous cruises. Only difference was ONE rogue 70ft wave. Rest of the time seas were 25 ft from what I have heard. Nothing uncommon for experienced cruisers. If cruise lines are going to be expected to change itineraries due to every storm floating around the Atlantic you can say goodbye to the cruisng industry. News media makes it sound like the entire storm was one 70ft wave after another. I have never seen a story so overblown.

[ericosmith]

From the NCL news release:

 

On April 16th at 1:15 am, Norwegian Dawn contacted the Maritime Rescue Coordination Center (MRCC in Portsmouth, Virginia) to inform them of the ship’s location, the weather conditions and how many people were on board. At 3:45 am, the ship contacted the MRCC again, to give them an update on the situation. At 8:15 am, the ship contacted the MRCC to inform them of the wave and the sustained damages, and was in touch with the Coast Guard throughout the day.

 

I'm curious to know whether ships contact the MRCC in the middle of the night all the time. Sure sounds to me that this was more serious than just one rogue wave. If it was, then I hope that rather than just an internal investigation, then there be something that can be shared with other cruise lines. Adding to the knowledge base is never a bad thing.

[zygmund]

I think the Captain was at fault for the damage done to the ship and passengers injured. The ship was beaing severly hit by the waves all night long. Anyone on the ship that saw the bow camera station on the TV, could see that the ships"Spotlight was shinning into the darkness in front of the ship ALL NIGHT LONG. What were they looking for out at sea??? Could it have been a large wave?

The Capatain maintained a course into the seas all night. After the wave hit at 0630 the course was altered towards South Caroline and the ship began to ride better. The Ships tv Channel showed a Rough Seas Graph all night long with wave sizes of 27' to 42'. I think if the Captain steered a zig zag course all night we wouldn't have taken the beating that we did. But that would have made the ship late for NY 5am arrival.

The first clue that something had happened was an announcement over the Pa of "Code Alpha 9502" repeated 3 times at 0630.

To give you an idea how much the ship was rolling, the six or eight seated quarter game in the Casino where you drop quarters into a slot and they are then pushed over the edge into a bin was completely emptied on one of the rolls.

The Captain did not mention a size for the wave in his announcements he used the phrase "Freak Wave".

 

The slowest ship speed I saw during the night on the Navigators Log Tv station was "5.5" knots. I have been told at that speed the stabilizers are useless?

[vllygrrl]

Hmmm... interesting. I read this in another thread:

 

 

"Also, as Eileen said. The captain kept us well informed and alerted us to any changes. The staff of the ship did a wonderful job. Unfortunately, the media's spin on the incident is trying to make the Captain the fall guy." - vllygrrl

 

Make your point wiseass (Vllyguy)

[gemsm]

From the NCL news release:

 

I'm curious to know whether ships contact the MRCC in the middle of the night all the time. Sure sounds to me that this was more serious than just one rogue wave. If it was, then I hope that rather than just an internal investigation, then there be something that can be shared with other cruise lines. Adding to the knowledge base is never a bad thing.

 

Yes ships contact the MRCC when in rough seas. It is a "just in case" measure especially if there are 3000 people on board.

[zygmund]

I think the Captain was at fault for the damage done to the ship and passengers injured. The ship was beaing severly hit by the waves all night long. Anyone on the ship that saw the bow camera station on the TV, could see that the ships"Spotlight was shinning into the darkness in front of the ship ALL NIGHT LONG. What were they looking for out at sea??? Could it have been a large wave?

The Capatain maintained a course into the seas all night. After the wave hit at 0630 the course was altered towards South Caroline and the ship began to ride better. The Ships tv Channel showed a Rough Seas Graph all night long with wave sizes of 27' to 42'. I think if the Captain steered a zig zag course all night we wouldn't have taken the beating that we did. But that would have made the ship late for NY 5am arrival.

The first clue that something had happened was an announcement over the Pa of "Code Alpha 9502" repeated 3 times at 0630.

To give you an idea how much the ship was rolling, the six or eight seated quarter game in the Casino where you drop quarters into a slot and they are then pushed over the edge into a bin was completely emptied on one of the rolls.

The Captain did not mention a size for the wave in his announcements he used the phrase "Freak Wave".

 

The slowest ship speed I saw during the night on the Navigators Log Tv station was "5.5" knots. I have been told at that speed the stabilizers are useless?

[Druke I]

Reference stabilizers - they are designed to lessen roll, and are counter-productive as regards pitch.

 

When heading into the waves, they are often retracted, as they can act like diving planes on a submarine, and pull the ship down by the bow, which is not a good thing.

[shoreguy]

Don't have time to read all the posts but here is a release that answers the original question.

 

NTSB Advisory

National Transportation Safety Board

Washington, DC 20594

April 19, 2005

 

NTSB SENDS INVESTIGATORS TO JOIN BAHAMIAN GOVERNMENT INVESTIGATION OF

CRUISE SHIP ACCIDENT

 

The National Transportation Safety Board has sent marine investigator

Captain Morgan Turrell to join the investigation by the Bahamas

Maritime Authority into the accident on April 16, 2005 involving the

passenger vessel Norwegian Dawn.

 

The Bahamian-flagged vessel, operated by NCL, was damaged after

encountering a large wave. The ship was underway from Miami to New

York with more than 2,500 passengers on board. The windows in two

passenger staterooms and the on navigation bridge were knocked out and

four passengers sustained bruises and lacerations.

 

Acting Chairman Mark V. Rosenker stressed the NTSB's strong interest

in cruise ship safety. "Given the importance of the industry and the

large number of passengers these vessels carry, we believe it is

important to participate in this investigation," said Rosenker. "What

we learn will help maintain cruising as a safe and popular mode of

travel."

 

The ship diverted to Charleston SC, on April 17, disembarked

passengers there, and continued on to New York the following day,

after temporary repairs.

 

The investigation is being conducted under the International Maritime

Organization's Code for the Investigation of Casualties and Incidents.

All information on the progress of the investigation will be released

by the Bahamian authorities.

[shoreguy]

I saw this reponse to the posting of the above release. LOL . It sums this whole thing up well.

 

I wonder how much money they can piss away to end up saying, 'well it was a big wave'

[arby70]

I was not on the Dawn at the time of the freak wave incident, but I cannot believe that a Captain would purposely take his ship into the worst possible weather scenario. I really believe that their first priority is the safety of the passengers, crew and the ship itself. Bad weather happens and I think it seems to happen expotentially at sea. We all know that there is a chance that something could happen on the open seas; nothing different than getting on a plane. I have seen more positive posts from passengers on the Dawn during this rogue wave episode than those who feel angry about it. I must say that something like this would have scared me to death, but I just can't get myself to believe that the Captain would put you guys through this intentially. It not only would have been a safety misjudgement, but an economical booboo as well. I'm sure there are some people on the ship that will never take another cruise as a result of this ordeal.

[vaCruise]

Forget the big wave for a moment. Why but passengers in 25 to 40 foot seas at all? It just seems like an risk not worth taking.

[DragonLips]

I was not on the Dawn at the time of the freak wave incident, but I cannot believe that a Captain would purposely take his ship into the worst possible weather scenario. I really believe that their first priority is the safety of the passengers, crew and the ship itself. Bad weather happens and I think it seems to happen expotentially at sea. We all know that there is a chance that something could happen on the open seas; nothing different than getting on a plane. I have seen more positive posts from passengers on the Dawn during this rogue wave episode than those who feel angry about it. I must say that something like this would have scared me to death, but I just can't get myself to believe that the Captain would put you guys through this intentially. It not only would have been a safety misjudgement, but an economical booboo as well. I'm sure there are some people on the ship that will never take another cruise as a result of this ordeal.

 

 

I would agree that that captain would not KNOWINGLY place his ship,crew and passengers in harm's way. That's assuming the captain KNEW how bad this storm was. There were several quotes stating the captain didn't see this storm intensifying as bad as it did. Knowingly placing the ship, crew and passengers in harm's way would be a criminal act. Attempting to wade through a storm is just plain ignorance. Man vs. Nature stuff. The real question I would ask the captain of the Dawn, "knowing that the storm(minus the freak wave) was as bad as it was, would you go through it again!?"

 

This captain is merely following precedent set by other captains around the world. Ships go through storms all the time, and this time was no exception. Is the risk justified? There is risk going through 20 foot waves, and 50 foot swells! Cruisers certainly don't want to go through that nonsense. This doesn't improve the cruise experience at all, or encourage future business. Arrival delays are unacceptable for cruisers, and hence the pressure to get back on time, regardless of the cruise experience. I'm not questioning the captain's integrity, but perhaps the current policies(or lack thereof) that govern this industry. It only takes one ship going down to put a stop to all of it!!