Tornado hits Santorini near Navigator

[jakenashleysmom]

Just received e-mail from my Dad who is aboard Navigator. Ship was docked, and they were about to disembark for a tour at 9:30. At 9:00 a small tornado hit at the port, tipping over a tour bus and sending metal flying which hit the ship. A rope holding the ship at the dock was dammaged, Captain left port and they will arrive in Athens early. Thats all the details I have, but found it interesting.

[little britain]

My friend is also on board - she texted me to say there was a Tornado at Cagliari (Sardinia) - they weren't able to dock and now have 2 days at sea.

[jakenashleysmom]

Sorry all, after re-reading my dads e-mail, it was Sardinia that they were docked at and I guess one of the large ropes holding the ship to the dock was actually broken. Just a freak storm I guess, they report having a "grand" time otherwise!

[sea-cruise]

Wish I was in Sardinia instead of NJ right now....:o

[CruisinManiac]

You had me getting upset that it was Santorini (my favorite port.) However, I couldn't understand how the Navigator could be docked, since Santorini is a tender port, only.

 

I sure no one was hurt??? :(

[English_in_Spain]

I am currently on the Navigator.

 

Yes it is true. There was a tornado this morning just after we docked. A tour bus on the dock was overturned and there was a lot of flying debris. The ship broke away from its mooring ropes and the gangway fell into the sea.

 

Because of local damage and flooding the captain decided to set sail immediately for our next port of call, Athens. It means we will get an extra 5 hours there.

 

There was minor damage to the ship. Mainly broken glass. Today we have had rain and fairly rough seas (force 7).

 

It could have been very serious if it had been half an hour later if passengers had been on the gangway or on the bus.

[wrp96]

If you left immediately, had all the passengers gotten back on the ship or did you leave some passengers behind?

 

It's sad when nature rears her ugly head. Hope the only damage was to the ship and buildings and not to people.

[ladylawyer]

If you left immediately, had all the passengers gotten back on the ship or did you leave some passengers behind?

 

It's sad when nature rears her ugly head. Hope the only damage was to the ship and buildings and not to people.

 

Wrona, I read the post to say that the tornado came in before anyone was able to leave the ship.

 

What surprised me is that tornados usually don't come out of no where ... wouldn't you think that they would have seen it coming?

 

Who thought that Sardinia would have something in common w/ Kansas??? :rolleyes:

[wrp96]

Thanks Lorna, I guess I misread that.

 

And as someone who (unfortunately) does live in an area where tornadoes are common, yes they can appear from what looks like nowhere.

[English_in_Spain]

The captain said there was no warning. It was raining heavily and it was windy but the tornado came from nowhere.

 

We had just docked and were waiting for clearance to go ashore.

 

The only casualty was the driver of the bus who, we have been told, was taken to hospital but is in a "stable condition".

 

The ship's security cameras captured the incident. It was on the ship's TV station last night. The images are not very clear but you can see how serious it was.

 

I have photos of the dockside showing the damage and I will post these after I have returned home.

[jakenashleysmom]

I will post as soon as my dad sends them.

[CruisinManiac]

How scary!

 

Glad no one was seriously hurt that we know of. :)

[cruise pup]

I'm wondering if this was a waterspout that made landfall since it was at the dock. I'm no meteorologist so I don't make any claim to know the first thing about this. But I have seen reports where this is the case. It's a waterspout over water and a tornado over land.

[snausman]

Glad everyone is ok, and hope the bus driver recovers quickly.

 

Looking forward to the pictures.

 

Laura

[English_in_Spain]

We have now heard that 4 people died in Cagliari. None of the fatalaties had anything to do with the ship. I do not know if one of them was the driver. I have no further details. Cannot find anything on the internet about it.

 

We were told it was a tornado. It was on land (quayside).

[ILoveScotland]

Santorini and Docked didn't fit as Santorini is a tender port. Thanks for the clarification.

 

So sorry to hear there were deaths on shore and yet glad no one had disembarked the Navigator. An extra 5 hours in Anthens will be time well spent.

[DavidJrandRichard]

I am a meteorologist. I have not found any data yet on this storm..but to me this sounds like a waterspout on the water came ashore. Many times they are rain wrapped and are difficult to see. Tornadoes are fairly rare in that part of the world-but not impossible. They are usually much weaker than what we deal with in the U.S.

[Elizanessie]

I found this-

 

http://www.ukweatherworld.co.uk/forum/forums/thread-view.asp?tid=26449&posts=7&mid=384952

 

But when I follow the links to the story/details within the site they are not in English...and I havent got a clue as to what the video/charts etc mean...sorry but this is all I have found at the moment.

 

The link does confirm what EIS said...sadly 4 dead.