Why Tie Stuff Down in a Storm . . .

[SaltyMonkey]

Check this video out

Crazy Footage Shows Inside Of Cruise Ship During Rough Seas (VIDEO)

[Messman]

Near the end of that there is a crew member who is damn lucky he turned around or he may not have been around much longer.

[Dockhead]

Originally Posted by SaltyMonkey

Check this video out

Crazy Footage Shows Inside Of Cruise Ship During Rough Seas (VIDEO)

What's terrifying is the PERIOD of those waves. Must be 50 footers at least. Wouldn't want to be out in my boat in that.

[SaltyMonkey]

Surprising it came on so sudden like...

Read just now a lot of injuries...broken bones, shoulders, and lost fingers. Most of the injuries were from loose gambling machines. This was off NZ on the SS Pacific Sun

[Stillraining]

I bet the cruise line reevaluates their storm preparedness procedures after this.

[SaltyMonkey]

little late for that...its also an older ship

[Stillraining]

Never to late to reevaluate for the future is it?

[DeepFrz]

I wonder who turned off the stabilizers?

[Pblais]

Never mess with a cruise ship gambling machine - the sea always wins.

I think a little less wax on the decks might have helped. You notice once it gets going one way it comes back a little faster. The fork lift truck was pretty much the end for me. You just have no chance with those. Furniture is a world of hurt as it is.

The bartender seems like he was pretty calm. The guy on the post seemed to have a good sense of windward and leeward. It's not at all funny but it gives a clue what having all your kitchen tools nailed down would prevent.

On a smaller boat it's a lot more airborne objects and less sliding along the cabin sole. Crew members can be launched as well as meeting other things going the other way in mid air. It's a good lesson about why you secure things before you slip the lines. Closing hatches would be on the list too.

[Aussiesuede]

P & O Pacific Sun Hit By Huge Wave

July 30, 2008

At about 2000 hours the P & O Pacific Sun was bobbing in heavy seas, 21 foot swells and 50 knot winds, when the force of the wind and seas was too much for the cruise ship, and rolled her onto her side, tossing passengers about. About 42 passengers were injured as they were slammed against the walls and floor of the ship due to a severe storm in and around New Zealand. The ship took two very strong rolls, each causing damage to contents and passengers aboard. The captain of the ship knew before it embarked on the cruise, and in fact, before the ship left Vanuatu to return to the home port that rough seas were ahead, and inspite of that knowledge, plowed on ahead.

Great Stormy Seas Videos on this site:

Cruise Ship Tossed By High Seas - P & O Pacific Sun Hit By Huge Wave - July 30, 2008

[David M]

That has to be fake. I think they put big magnets under the deck.

[markpierce]

My father had a similar experience on the QE2 (on the North Atlantic) with furniture sliding/crashing too. But the event was much longer. Passengers were restricted to their cabins at one point and told to lie down with life jackets on. There were several times he thought the ship wouldn't right itself. And the QE2 was an ocean liner, not a plump cruise ship.

[SaltyMonkey]

Wow mark QE2?? You have to wonder what the point of the life vests were. If a ship that size cannot make it, how in hell are little squrrel-meat passengers gonna survive?

That site pointed to a number of other videos

http://www.cruisebruise.com/Cruise_V...er_Videos.html

[markpierce]

Originally Posted by SaltyMonkey

Wow mark QE2?? You have to wonder what the point of the life vests were. If a ship that size cannot make it, how in hell are little squrrel-meat passengers gonna survive?

I've the same thoughts. In my imagination the life vests could serve to protect the chest from blows such as rolling off the bed and in possible future evacuation after the ship is possibly incapacitated and the storm has let off. Regardless, it never stopped my Dad from going on many other ocean cruises.

The worse storm I experienced was on a Norwegian Cruise Line ship from England to Florida, a maiden voyage for this ship for paying passengers. The fore-casted storm was under-rated, and turned into a hurricane a couple days out. Fortunately, the waves were head-on, causing spray to rise above the 14th deck, creating pitching but not rolling. Also, our cabin was on a very low deck and mid-ship. As far as damage, all we saw were broken ceramic figurines in the gift store and some chipping of the upper ends of columns in the main dining room. ... During the storm at the top-deck-forward lounge, we had to wait some time for any service. When the "bar maid" appeared, I asked where all the crew was. The answer: "recovering from the sickness." ... Later, watching the spray rain down on the forward windows of the lounge, I spoke with a fellow passenger. I asked if he had been in such a storm. He said he was on an NCL cruise ship in the west-central part of the Atlantic when a rogue wave broke into the forward cabins. Nevertheless, it was an enjoyable experience for me, avoiding the sickness and seeing the tops of waves being cut down by the wind. ... Still, maybe I won't expand beyond gunk holing in protected waters in my itsy-bitsy boat.

[mintyspilot]

OK - here's a thought. A big wave hitting a big ship is a bit like the old conundrum of the irresistible force meeting the immovable object. A big ships' inertia stops it moving with the wave and this translates the wave force into tipping the ship.

Would you actually be better off in a small boat (assuming it is properly watertight). At least a yacht with its smaller inertia would be able to ride up and down the wave more than a cruise liner.

I'm not saying you won't spill your coffee in a yacht.....