Posted on 06/03/2016 10:46:57 PM PDT by gettinolder
Linking to a YouTube video showing Cruise ship Infinity slamming into berth 3 Ketchikan Alaska.
I use the float adjacent to pick up clients from here till September (fishing charter)
My wife left work less than hour before collision and could hit this berth with a rock from her office.
We had high winds today gusting 40 knots plus. You can see thrusters in full on mode and I understand pilot/captain attempted to drop anchor.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=fEPNfLmcUO0
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=fEPNfLmcUO0
Active Link: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=fEPNfLmcUO0
Seems like they should have held off on docking until the wind died down a bit. Always surprises me that these cruise ships can stand so high out of the water and not be wanting to flip in the wind. Incredible ballast.
I fly through Ketchikan to/from Sitka every few months. Beautiful areas.
Thank you!
As a newbie boat operator, I have enormous sympathy for the captain. Hard for those that never herded a boat to understand how the darn things want to keep going, especially if a wind is helping things along.
The inertia of that ship had to be enormous, and with a wind messing with him................
True. I’m sure not going to judge him (I probably know the pilot).
Occasionally but usually in September a ship will just pass on by due to high winds.
Crunch! (Well, that’s gonna love a mark.)
Trumps fault.
In the 70’s I was on the Coast Guard Cutter Resolute docking in Juneau when we hit the Coast Guard Buoy Tender Planetree that was already tied up the dock. We took off her gun tub. The tides can be real strong with 25 foot difference from low tide to high tide common. The officer who had the conn was Lt. Ramsey, subsequently to be known as Ramming Ramsey the Tender Bender.
My kids took an Alaskan cruise on that ship exactly ten years ago. They brought back a Christmas ornament model of the ship. I hope it didn’t sustain much damage.
Sad that people can’t speak today without gutter garbage coming out of their mouths.
Would have been better with some music.
Put some ice on it !
Beautiful ship, I’ve been on it. Love Celebrity cruises.
ping
Fender bender.
All the recently built tour vessels appear too top heavy to me.
I hope to take an Alaskan cruise one day.
Some ports send their own pilots to bring ship in.
Having been on many cruises it always amazes me how they can maneuver these behemoths. Having been a power boat owner (30 ft) for many years, and having had to dock in strong winds, I can appreciate (on a smaller scale of course) how VERY difficult this can be. It bears no comparison with parking a car.
For you landlubbers, boats are difficult to maneuver in close proximity to fixed objects. Add tides, currents, and especially wind and you have a high anxiety environment.
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