Is the Viking Sky incident somewhat unique?

[OnTheJourney]

The tragedy of the Titanic put aside, it would really be interesting to know whether or not there have been other instances in recent history where cruise ships have either issued a mayday and/or been evacuated by helicopter. I did various types of searches on this but all that comes up is the Sky. Then I looked up 'cruise ships in bad storms', etc. and of course lots of different events show up, most recently the Royal Caribbean 'Anthem' that was in the hurricane. Still, can't help but wonder if this event qualifies as being unique. I'm betting that the mix of factors involved probably is - not so much just rough seas and wind, but can't help but wonder if the combination (at least partly) of the cyclone, loss of engines, and then drifting perilously close to a rocky coast might indeed be a one-of-a-kind situation. 

Edited April 10, 2019 by gretschwhtfalcon

[gatour]

I would say this was unique esp with the number of passengers evac'ed by helicopter.

 

Cruise ships have been in storms like this before and will again.

 

Cruise ships have lost power and will again (however but probably at lesser amount due to lessons learned and revised/new regulations)  I can recall several but not the exact details.  Some were the result of engine room fires

 

People have been evac'ed by helicopter, but is a onsey or twosy  endeavor for medical reasons.

[Haworth]

Costa Concordia springs to mind

[gatour]

13 minutes ago, Haworth said:

Costa Concordia springs to mind

Yes good point.  I was concentrating on power/storm issues

[Heidi13]

A very interesting question, which can receive both a quick answer and an explanation, based on current training models.

 

Maydays - yes, a number of cruise ships and other passenger carrying vessels have issued Maydays, I could probably quickly think of 10 to 12 ships.

 

Helo Evacuation - While evacuation by helo is fairly common for injured pax/crew, I am not aware of any cruise ship/pax vessel attempting a full evacuation by helo. In joint exercises with Coast Guard & Navy, we trained in evacuating injuries and also putting certain people on board, but never contemplated a full scale evacuation.

 

This type of situation was covered in the risk management and human factors training we received, just prior to my retirement. In my experience, while many risks are similar and occur on multiple ships, each incident/accident is a unique collection of risks. This is explained by the Swiss cheese model.

 

When all the holes align, you will have an incident/accident. To prevent an accident, you must eliminate or re-align, at least 1 of the risks. In this situation, many risks were present, none of which individually would have caused the incident - heavy weather, proximity to shore, onshore wind, engine failure, ship design and lubricating oil levels. Many ships have experienced one or more of the above risks, but without all of them the holes in the Swiss cheese did not align. Example - if the wind was off-shore, that hole would not align, so no incident.

 

Through risk management and human factors training, the Bridge & E/R Teams would be well aware of these issues and will have some standard plans to respond. Two of these response mechanisms saved the ship - the Master dropped anchors, which most likely initially slowed the drift rate and the engineers managed to restore power quickly. This prevented aligning additional holes in the Swiss cheese model and prevented an accident. I note this is a simplified model and only based on public information from media sources.

 

I note that near misses to accidents is a known correlation and is plotted on a pyramid. The actual numbers vary, based on the course attended, but numbers I recall are - for every 300 to 600 near misses, expect 20 to 30 incidents and 1 major accident.

[OnTheJourney]

Heidi13....Of the previous mayday incidents you refer to, would you happen to know which cruise lines this involved? The 'swiss cheese' model is indeed an interesting viewpoint and certainly can be applied to many different situations. Thanks for your very well thought-out response. I didn't even really consider the Concordia since that was a bit of a different situation and WAS totally preventable had captain Schettino not decided to steer closer to Giglio as a 'salute'. Bad call. Then the guy deserts the bridge yet (and the second master)...unbelievable. Glad our captain didn't hitch a ride off the Sky with the CHC!  (just kidding of course)

Edited April 10, 2019 by gretschwhtfalcon

[Capt_BJ]

last large helo evacuation that I'm aware of:

 

MS Prinsendam, a Holland-America liner built at Shipyard de Merwede in the Netherlands in 1973, was 427 feet long and typically carried about 350 passengers and 200 crew members. The liner was sailing through the Gulf of Alaska, approximately 120 miles south of Yakutat, Alaska, at midnight on October 4, 1980, when a fire broke out in the engine room. The vessel's master, Cornelis Dirk Wabeke (April 13, 1928 – August 16, 2011), declared the fire out of control one hour later and the Prinsendam sent a radio call requesting immediate assistance. 

 

United States Coast Guard, USAF Air Rescue Service, and Royal Canadian Air Force CH-113 helicopters which had greater range, rescued the passengers and crew. Two USAF pararescuemen were inserted into one of the lifeboats. This boat was the last rescued and was spotted only when the Air Force personnel signalled the on scene cutters. The cutters USCGC Boutwell (WHEC-719), USCGC Mellon (WHEC-717), and USCGC Woodrush (WLB-407)responded in concert with other vessels in the area. The Sohio Intrepid and the Williamsburgh assisted on scene. The Williamsburgh served a vital role as a communications platform and was the first vessel to arrive on scene and take passengers on board. The Sohio Intrepid served as a platform for one of the USAF helicopters that was unable to refuel in flight. The rescue took place during a period of steadily deteriorating weather. The passenger vessel capsized and sank a week later. The rescue is particularly noteworthy because of the distance traveled by the rescuers, the coordination of independent organizations, and the fact that all 520 passengers and crew were rescued without loss of life or serious injury.

 

(WIKI ... but there are also books on the rescue ....)

 

Monarch OTS was evacuated after running around near St Martin but the evac was to local boats after the master "beached" the vessel to prevent sinking:

 

 

After evacuating a sick passenger at Philipsburg, St. Maarten, the Netherlands Antilles on December 15, 1998, Monarch of the Seas grazed a reef while departing, opening a gash along the starboard hull 40 by 2 metres (131 ft 3 in by 6 ft 7 in) in size.^[12] The ship started taking on water and began to sink by the head. Three of its watertight compartments were completely flooded and several others partially flooded.

The ship was intentionally grounded on a sandbar to prevent further sinking. All passengers were evacuated by crew members and local tender operators. No lives were lost. The grounding breached two of the ships diesel fuel tanks and an overflow tank causing a small fuel spill of approximately 100 US gallons (380 l; 83 imp gal). There was also severe damage to the ship.^[12][13] A joint investigation by the Norwegian Maritime Investigator and the United States Coast Guard found that the accident was due to "…a myriad of human performance deficiencies." Reports also indicate that navigation out of the port was done visually rather than using of electronic navigation and that the relocation of a vital buoy was not reflected on charts.

 

(WIKI again, but the NTSB report is still on the NTSB site)

Edited April 10, 2019 by Capt_BJ

[Baron Barracuda]

Would have rather be airlifted from the Sky than adrift for a week on the Carnival poop cruise.

[OnTheJourney]

2 hours ago, Baron Barracuda said:

Would have rather be airlifted from the Sky than adrift for a week on the Carnival poop cruise.

 

LOL..had not heard of this before..had to google it. Sounds like it was a good old stinky time....

[OnTheJourney]

5 hours ago, Capt_BJ said:

last large helo evacuation that I'm aware of:

 

MS Prinsendam, a Holland-America liner built at Shipyard de Merwede in the Netherlands in 1973, was 427 feet long and typically carried about 350 passengers and 200 crew members. The liner was sailing through the Gulf of Alaska, approximately 120 miles south of Yakutat, Alaska, at midnight on October 4, 1980, when a fire broke out in the engine room. The vessel's master, Cornelis Dirk Wabeke (April 13, 1928 – August 16, 2011), declared the fire out of control one hour later and the Prinsendam sent a radio call requesting immediate assistance. 

 

United States Coast Guard, USAF Air Rescue Service, and Royal Canadian Air Force CH-113 helicopters which had greater range, rescued the passengers and crew. Two USAF pararescuemen were inserted into one of the lifeboats. This boat was the last rescued and was spotted only when the Air Force personnel signalled the on scene cutters. The cutters USCGC Boutwell (WHEC-719), USCGC Mellon (WHEC-717), and USCGC Woodrush (WLB-407)responded in concert with other vessels in the area. The Sohio Intrepid and the Williamsburgh assisted on scene. The Williamsburgh served a vital role as a communications platform and was the first vessel to arrive on scene and take passengers on board. The Sohio Intrepid served as a platform for one of the USAF helicopters that was unable to refuel in flight. The rescue took place during a period of steadily deteriorating weather. The passenger vessel capsized and sank a week later. The rescue is particularly noteworthy because of the distance traveled by the rescuers, the coordination of independent organizations, and the fact that all 520 passengers and crew were rescued without loss of life or serious injury.

 

(WIKI ... but there are also books on the rescue ....)

 

Monarch OTS was evacuated after running around near St Martin but the evac was to local boats after the master "beached" the vessel to prevent sinking:

 

 

After evacuating a sick passenger at Philipsburg, St. Maarten, the Netherlands Antilles on December 15, 1998, Monarch of the Seas grazed a reef while departing, opening a gash along the starboard hull 40 by 2 metres (131 ft 3 in by 6 ft 7 in) in size.^[12] The ship started taking on water and began to sink by the head. Three of its watertight compartments were completely flooded and several others partially flooded.

The ship was intentionally grounded on a sandbar to prevent further sinking. All passengers were evacuated by crew members and local tender operators. No lives were lost. The grounding breached two of the ships diesel fuel tanks and an overflow tank causing a small fuel spill of approximately 100 US gallons (380 l; 83 imp gal). There was also severe damage to the ship.^[12][13] A joint investigation by the Norwegian Maritime Investigator and the United States Coast Guard found that the accident was due to "…a myriad of human performance deficiencies." Reports also indicate that navigation out of the port was done visually rather than using of electronic navigation and that the relocation of a vital buoy was not reflected on charts.

 

(WIKI again, but the NTSB report is still on the NTSB site)

 

Most interesting! I just searched on WIKI however and this incident does not come up. If I search for it specifically by name, of course, then it appears. 

Edited April 11, 2019 by gretschwhtfalcon

[OnTheJourney]

Just read this again...here...http://www.alaska.net/~jcassidy/Readers_Digest.htm   It seems that the helicopters pulled everyone out of the lifeboats (using baskets) and then about a 30-minute transfer to the Williamsburg. So now it still makes me wonder if there was ever a heli evacuation from a cruise ship directly to land. Thanks again for this info. 

Edited April 11, 2019 by gretschwhtfalcon

[Michelle1234]

The MTS Oceanos comes to mind.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MTS_Oceanos

"Captain Avranas and many crew members were criticized for leaving hundreds of passengers behind with no one other than the ship's onboard entertainers to help them evacuate. "

 

I remember the Concordia captain did the same thing, left the passengers behind.

 

There is alot of video on the Oceanos helicopter rescues.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9BFux2AAMso

 

The guitar player entertainer took control and organized the whole thing. Nova did a special on him. 

 

Edited April 11, 2019 by Michelle1234

[OnTheJourney]

Never heard of this one either....thanks.

[MMDown Under]

2 hours ago, Michelle1234 said:

The MTS Oceanos comes to mind.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MTS_Oceanos

"Captain Avranas and many crew members were criticized for leaving hundreds of passengers behind with no one other than the ship's onboard entertainers to help them evacuate. "

 

I remember the Concordia captain did the same thing, left the passengers behind.

 

There is alot of video on the Oceanos helicopter rescues.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9BFux2AAMso

 

The guitar player entertainer took control and organized the whole thing. Nova did a special on him. 

 

Thank you so much for sharing this wonderful example of true leadership.  Love the line when urgent help was requested from the Bridge "What rank are you?".  I am just the guitarist!  He wasn't just the guitarist, he was a true hero!

 

I do remember that, when I was researching cruising in Antarctica, I came across a story of a small ship rescue of passengers there.  Despite this, the draw to see Antarctica was so strong, I still went.

[Heidi13]

21 hours ago, gretschwhtfalcon said:

Heidi13....Of the previous mayday incidents you refer to, would you happen to know which cruise lines this involved? The 'swiss cheese' model is indeed an interesting viewpoint and certainly can be applied to many different situations. Thanks for your very well thought-out response. I didn't even really consider the Concordia since that was a bit of a different situation and WAS totally preventable had captain Schettino not decided to steer closer to Giglio as a 'salute'. Bad call. Then the guy deserts the bridge yet (and the second master)...unbelievable. Glad our captain didn't hitch a ride off the Sky with the CHC!  (just kidding of course)

Off the top of my head - HAL (Princendam), RCCL (Monarch OTS), Cost (Costa Concordia), Epritoki (Oceanos -sunk off S/Africa), White Star Line (Titanic), Townsend Thoresen (Herald of Free Enterprise), BC Ferries (Queen of the North). Many others, but memory not as good as it used to be.

 

Probably the most unique Mayday was issued by the Queen of Coquitlam while docked in a floating drydock in North Vancouver that capsized in the middle of the night.

[imcpa]

There is a lot of video on the Oceanos helicopter rescues.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9BFux2AAMso

 

The guitar player entertainer took control and organized the whole thing. Nova did a special on him. 

 

That guitar player is Moss Hills, now a CD on Silversea.  I have sailed with him twice on the Silver Spirit.  He is a great guy, puts on a great show and is fun to talk to.

[OnTheJourney]

4 hours ago, Heidi13 said:

Off the top of my head - HAL (Princendam), RCCL (Monarch OTS), Cost (Costa Concordia), Epritoki (Oceanos -sunk off S/Africa), White Star Line (Titanic), Townsend Thoresen (Herald of Free Enterprise), BC Ferries (Queen of the North). Many others, but memory not as good as it used to be.

 

Probably the most unique Mayday was issued by the Queen of Coquitlam while docked in a floating drydock in North Vancouver that capsized in the middle of the night.

 

Off the top of your head??? Wow...most impressive memory!!!  I can't always remember what I ate for dinner a few days ago!  I'll have to check some of those out. Guess we're not as unique as I might have thought. 

[OnTheJourney]

1 hour ago, imcpa said:

There is a lot of video on the Oceanos helicopter rescues.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9BFux2AAMso

 

The guitar player entertainer took control and organized the whole thing. Nova did a special on him. 

 

That guitar player is Moss Hills, now a CD on Silversea.  I have sailed with him twice on the Silver Spirit.  He is a great guy, puts on a great show and is fun to talk to.

 

AND certainly has quite some stories to tell I'll bet about the Oceanos incident! 

[Michelle1234]

6 hours ago, imcpa said:

There is a lot of video on the Oceanos helicopter rescues.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9BFux2AAMso

 

The guitar player entertainer took control and organized the whole thing. Nova did a special on him. 

 

That guitar player is Moss Hills, now a CD on Silversea.  I have sailed with him twice on the Silver Spirit.  He is a great guy, puts on a great show and is fun to talk to.

Thanks for this info! Honestly, I would consider sailing on that ship just to meet him. Such an impressive person.

[OnTheJourney]

I watched that video...amazing!  "What rank are you"?   "I'm the guitarist"..... LOL.....probably unprecedented in the history of rescues for a non-officer to have saved the day. 

[CharTrav]

On 4/10/2019 at 8:59 PM, gretschwhtfalcon said:

 

LOL..had not heard of this before..had to google it. Sounds like it was a good old stinky time....

Costa Concordia is an object example of craven ineptitude.  Not a valid example for comparison. It's such an outlier. Thank God. 

[OnTheJourney]

"Craven ineptitude"...now there's a great description!!