Humpback whale found dead on cruise ship’s bow in Ketchikan

[CMHCruiseCouple]

This just came across my phone. A sad picture if you want to search for it.

 

http://www.ktva.com

 

A dead humpback whale entered the port of Ketchikan, Alaska, on the bow of Princess Cruises’ Grand Princess on Wednesday, Aug. 9, 2017. (Fred Burk/NOAA Office of Law Enforcement)

 

A dead humpback whale was found on the bow of a ship arriving in Ketchikan Wednesday morning, according to federal authorities.

 

The National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration announced the discovery in*a brief statementWednesday, saying it was “unable to provide any additional information.”

 

“At this time, NOAA Fisheries is coordinating to have the whale carcass towed to a nearby location suitable for a necropsy to determine the cause of death,” NOAA officials wrote.

 

A Princess Cruises statement said that the vessel involved was the cruise ship Grand Princess. Officials with the cruise line were “surprised and saddened” by Wednesday’s discovery on the ship’s bulbous bow, noting that the company has whale-avoidance programs which require changing course and speed as needed.

 

“It is unknown how or when this happened as the ship felt no impact,” Princess officials wrote. “It is also unknown, at this time, whether the whale was alive or already deceased before becoming lodged on the bow. No whales were sighted in close proximity to the ship, by the bridge navigation team, as it sailed towards Ketchikan overnight.”

 

NOAA spokeswoman Allyson Rogers emphasized that investigators haven’t yet determined whether the whale was killed by a ship strike. She declined to discuss when and where the ship’s crew first noticed the whale, or the whale’s apparent age or gender Wednesday morning.

 

“Because it’s part of the investigation, those details won’t be released later until further parts of the investigation have been solidified and witnesses have been spoken to,” Rogers said.

 

Princess officials said the whale, which they were told by NOAA biologists initially appeared to be a juvenile, had been removed from the bow by a tugboat Wednesday.

 

Last year,*a juvenile fin whale was found dead on the bow*of the Holland America Line’s MS Zaandam when it arrived in Seward in late May.

 

 

 

 

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[CMHCruiseCouple]

It appears to be a young whale the was lodged perpendicular to the bow, wedged against the "bulb" that is a few feet below the water surface.

 

Sad ... just saw these lovely creatures in July.

 

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[CruiserBruce]

Sad, but happens from time to time. It IS NOT an indicator the ship caused the death of the whale. The whale may have been dead already.

[easyboy]

Sad when this kind of accident happens.

[Colo Cruiser]

Sapphire had the same thing in Vancouver a few years ago.

[Lucky TGO]

Very sad accident.

Tony

[f-mattox]

Sapphire had the same thing in Vancouver a few years ago.

 

As I remember it was determined that the whale was already dead when it became lodged in the bow. Very sad to see this happen to such a magnificent beast, but it can happen.

[floridalover5623]

Sounds like it was a slow swimmer.

[john watson]

Sapphire had the same thing in Vancouver a few years ago.

 

 

Yes sad event but accidents happen. This event was in 2009. Crew will always try to avoid it, but sometimes it must be inevitable.

 

 

Regards John

[brian1]

Sounds like it was a slow swimmer.

Hope you are a slow swimmer if a jet ski is heading towards you lol.

[floridalover5623]

Hope you are a slow swimmer if a jet ski is heading towards you lol.

The quick & the dead I was always taught.

[Mrs.Gosse]

It seems likely that if they felt no impact that maybe the whale had already passed away and just kind of floated into the ship? Wishful Thinking I say? And the Grand Princess what's in Alaska ?

 

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[CMHCruiseCouple]

The Grand weighs in at roughly 109,000 tons. You would never feel a thing on the ship.

 

 

 

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[chengkp75]

The Grand weighs in at roughly 109,000 tons. You would never feel a thing on the ship.

 

 

 

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While you are correct that the ship would never feel anything, even striking a live whale, the Grand Princess does not "weigh" anywhere near 109,000 tons. That is her Gross Tonnage, which is a unitless number that approximates the internal volume of the ship. "Gross Registered Tonnage used to be used, until the 80's, and that was equivalent to 100 cubic feet of volume. Gross Tonnage now used, is not even directly proportional to internal volume. Given Grand's size, I would estimate her displacement (how much water she displaces, and therefore how much she weighs) as closer to 65,000 tons. Even Oasis of the Seas (225,000 GT) only has a displacement of about 100,000 tons.

[rguy123]

Thank you chengkp75, always good info from you.

 

 

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[CMHCruiseCouple]

While you are correct that the ship would never feel anything, even striking a live whale, the Grand Princess does not "weigh" anywhere near 109,000 tons. That is her Gross Tonnage, which is a unitless number that approximates the internal volume of the ship. "Gross Registered Tonnage used to be used, until the 80's, and that was equivalent to 100 cubic feet of volume. Gross Tonnage now used, is not even directly proportional to internal volume. Given Grand's size, I would estimate her displacement (how much water she displaces, and therefore how much she weighs) as closer to 65,000 tons. Even Oasis of the Seas (225,000 GT) only has a displacement of about 100,000 tons.

Thanks for the info and correction ... good stuff.

 

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