Historic storm in Alaska

[julia]

Keeping fingers crossed that all ships, vessels, and residents in SW Alaska remain safe.

 

NPR: Typhoon's remnants could bring seas of up to 54 feet toward Alaska's coast.

https://www.npr.org/2022/09/16/1123512183/alaska-typhoon-merbok-storm-coast

[ski ww]

Would not want to be caught out in that.

[JT1962]

Hopefully it won’t affect the area where cruise ships are currently. Most lines used to end their Alaska season in early September due to the worsening weather.  Many have extended the season over the years with warmer temperatures lasting longer, with some sailing Alaska into October.

[aliaschief]

Will be interested to know whether this storm will affect any of today’s Alaska sailing departures.

[rafinmd]

With the storm apparently headed North and West of the Aleutians, I see very little likely impact on cruises.  There's a Silversea ship headed for Dutch Harbor that might be but I doubt any big cruise ships will see much.

 

Roy

[Horizon chaser 1957]

The article shows Small Craft Advisory for the areas the cruise ships frequent. It would affect tendering, but not the ships themselves. When my husband was still working, they had a saying ‘ It’s **** all on a big ship.’ referring to any situation that was easier handled by some than by others. Interesting how some nautical,expressions just don’t translate into print.🤔

[rkacruiser]

Volendam, 2002, enroute to Russia, we encountered the trail end of a typhoon in the Aleutian Islands area.  Seas so rough that the ship had to slow, point its bow into the direction of the waves, the bow dropping into a trough with the displaced water cascading over the top of the Crow's Nest, many guests ill, and the Chief Engineer injured that required an unscheduled stop at Dutch Harbor had to be made to take him ashore.  It was exciting.  At least for me.   

[Quartzsite Cruiser]

2 hours ago, rkacruiser said:

Volendam, 2002, enroute to Russia, we encountered the trail end of a typhoon in the Aleutian Islands area.  Seas so rough that the ship had to slow, point its bow into the direction of the waves, the bow dropping into a trough with the displaced water cascading over the top of the Crow's Nest, many guests ill, and the Chief Engineer injured that required an unscheduled stop at Dutch Harbor had to be made to take him ashore.  It was exciting.  At least for me.   

 

We were also on that cruise in 2002.  There was a crew member reported to injured the night before in the rough seas.  That was probably a cover story for the unscheduled stop near Dutch Harbor.  

 

DH, our older DD and I were watching when the tugboat pulled along side the Voelndam.  We saw an older gentleman step aboard.  He was definitely not an officer or injured.

 

The next day in the Times Digest was a small article about a pedophile priest from LA, who was fleeing to Japan,  being taken from the Volendam and placed in custody.  In his noon announcement Captain Peter Harris admitted they had been caught since they did not edit the Times Digest thoroughly.

 

This was in the article, and the Captain told us that when US law enforcement determined the priest was on board, they requested the ship enter US waters off Dutch Harbor so officials could take him into custody.

 

This picture is of the priest on the tugboat.  He is the one with a life vest on the upper deck.

 

The seas were rough enough that for three or four days, the meteal hatches that covered the portholes in our DD's cabin were bolted down.

 

I found a picture of the priest climbing the ladder to the upper deck.

Edited September 18, 2022 by Quartzsite Cruiser

[RuthC]

7 minutes ago, Quartzsite Cruiser said:

DH, our older DD and I were watching when the tugboat pulled along side the Voelndam.  We saw an older gentleman step aboard.  He was definitely not an officer or injured.

 

The next day in the Times Digest was a small article about a pedophile priest from LA, who was fleeing to Japan,  being taken from the Volendam and placed in custody.  In his noon announcement Captain Peter Harris admitted they had been caught since they did not edit the Times Digest thoroughly.

This is the story I heard from one of the entertainment staff when I was aboard the ship a year later. He was also on board for the Dutch Harbor incident. 

[rafinmd]

12 hours ago, RuthC said:

This is the story I heard from one of the entertainment staff when I was aboard the ship a year later. He was also on board for the Dutch Harbor incident. 

I hope that was NOT the official Priest for the cruise.

 

Roy

[Quartzsite Cruiser]

1 hour ago, rafinmd said:

I hope that was NOT the official Priest for the cruise.

 

Roy

 

Roy, as far as we know, it wasn't the official priest.  Accodimg to the article in the Times Digest and what Captain Peter Harris told us, the priest was from LA.  He was wanted by the authorities in a pedophile case, and he was on the ship fleeing to Japan.  We're not sure what finally happened to the priest.

[rkacruiser]

9 hours ago, Quartzsite Cruiser said:

he was on the ship fleeing to Japan.  We're not sure what finally happened to the priest.

 

He is in prison.  I heard that he was headed for Australia.  

 

10 hours ago, rafinmd said:

I hope that was NOT the official Priest for the cruise.

 

Roy

 

No, he was not.  But, he apparently was a good Bridge player and his team mates wondered why he had disappeared.

 

22 hours ago, Quartzsite Cruiser said:

There was a crew member reported to injured the night before in the rough seas

 

That was the Chief Engineer.  He was replaced by a younger man, the second in command in that Department.  

 

Both were disembarked at Dutch Harbor.  I did not see that happen and appreciate you posting those pictures.  I have not seen them before.  

 

I just have to wonder if we met during the cruise.  Did you participate in the HAL shore excursion to Bejing, then Xian, then to Shanghai to rejoin the Volendam?  

[Quartzsite Cruiser]

3 hours ago, rkacruiser said:

 

That was the Chief Engineer.  He was replaced by a younger man, the second in command in that Department.  

 

Both were disembarked at Dutch Harbor.  I did not see that happen and appreciate you posting those pictures.  I have not seen them before.  

 

I just have to wonder if we met during the cruise.  Did you participate in the HAL shore excursion to Bejing, then Xian, then to Shanghai to rejoin the Volendam?  

 

I thought I remembered that the priest was convicted and sent to prison, but since I was not sure, I decided not to say that.

 

It's interesting that DH, DD, and I were at the rail watching as the tugboat approached and until it left.  We never saw the chief engineer getting on the tugboat, or someone on a stretcher being carried on the tugboat.

 

Until I looked for my pictures, I'd forgotten I had a couple that included the priest.  I just looked at the pictures again, and there are none with anyone else boarding.  BTW, I never posted any pictures from that day before this thread.

 

We may have met, but it was not on the tour you mentioned.  We heard there were problems with the Chinese officials on the tour.  But then, the officials gave Peter Harris trouble in just about every port in China.

[rkacruiser]

20 hours ago, Quartzsite Cruiser said:

But then, the officials gave Peter Harris trouble in just about every port in China.

 

Yes!  Did you remember after the last official was off the ship from our last Chinese port?  Can't quote it--may have it in a journal--but, it was not complimentary to the them.

 

20 hours ago, Quartzsite Cruiser said:

I thought I remembered that the priest was convicted and sent to prison, but since I was not sure, I decided not to say that.

 

It's interesting that DH, DD, and I were at the rail watching as the tugboat approached and until it left.  We never saw the chief engineer getting on the tugboat, or someone on a stretcher being carried on the tugboat.

 

The Priest was convicted and may still be in prison.  No explanation by me why you did not see the Chief Engineer left the ship.  But, he did and I am 100% sure of that.  When I attended the Welcoming Ceremony after our arrival in Tokyo in the Wajang Theater, the Acting Chief Engineer was introduced and it was a younger man than the person who was introduced at the start of the cruise.  How did I learn that the Chief had been injured?  And how?  Somehow, I learned both, but, 20 years ago and that bit of my memory isn't clear.  

 

Whatever!  That cruise was and is my Number One favorite cruise and tops my world cruise on the Amsterdam!  I won't have another like that.