In a post yesterday, we raised the general question of why Royal Caribbean Line (RCL) would run winter cruises which passed off Cape Hatteras, an area known for bad weather, particularly in the winter months? Today many are asking the specific question, why would RCL send the Anthem of the Seas with over 4,000 passengers straight into a major storm which had been predicted days in advance?
The National Weather Service’s Ocean Prediction Center had issued an alert for a strong storm on Wednesday morning, four days in advance of the ship’s sailing, Susan Buchanan with the weather service said. The early forecast predicted that winds on Sunday would be 40-55 knots (about 51-63 mph) and seas to 20 feet. The first warnings for possible hurricane-force winds off the Carolinas were issued on Saturday. The Anthem of the Seas left the dock from the Cape Liberty terminal in New York harbor on Saturday afternoon and encountered the storm on Sunday afternoon.
RCL represented the storm as being more severe than predicted. From their blog: “Royal Caribbean’s Anthem of the Seas was caught in a big winter storm over the weekend that reportedly had waves of over 30 feet and hurricane force winds.
Royal Caribbean spokeswoman Cynthia Martinez released a statement regarding Anthem of the Seas situation, “On Sunday, February 7, while sailing to Port Canaveral, Florida, Anthem of the Seas experienced extreme wind and sea conditions, with wind speeds higher than what was forecasted.”
Others thought that RCL should have seen it coming.
Angela Fritz, writing for the Washington Post noted: “A massive storm exploded in intensity just off the Southeast coast on Sunday afternoon, driving hurricane-force winds and whipping waves into a frenzy. And in the middle of this monster storm was a comparatively tiny cruise ship on its way to Florida — rocking, roiling and taking a major beating from the most powerful storm we’ve seen in the western Atlantic so far this winter…
What makes this story so inexplicable is that this storm has been in the forecast for days. Weather can be an uncertain science, but this was the one thing we knew was going to happen early this week.”
Sen. Bill Nelson on Monday called on the National Transportation Safety Board to investigate the circumstances surrounding RCL’s decision to sail into the storm.
This is not the first winter storm that has disrupted RCL operations on the East Coast. Two weeks before the Anthem of the Seas and Grandeur of the Seas were delayed in their arrivals in New York harbor and Baltimore, respectively, by Winter storm Jonas.
Why?
He wasn’t paying attention to weather radio, he was close enough to shore to pick it up, he also had weather radar on the ship and it is also online. http://www.opc.ncep.noaa.gov/Atl_tab.shtml
Here he is on ABC News telling his side of the story:
http://abcnews.go.com/US/royal-caribbean-cruise-captain-weather-forecast-happened/story?id=36813685
I’m glad the NTSB is looking into this.
In my day the Master was in charge….I suspect in this case the owners pressure to sail was the overriding factor.
Arrogance and the inevitability of confidence wrapped in unquestionable belief in the superiority of technology has taken down many a good ship and her crew. Where does the maritime community especially naval architects think these increasing cruise ship incidents are pointing toward?
Imagine a loss of power of these high aspect, high center of gravity sea-going condos admidst (read broached) heavy seas or encountering God- forbid a “rogue wave.”
John R. Rochelle (RET.),1999
22 years at sea, 32 years in college classroom
University of Louisiana
Houma,La
A.B.- Unlimited-Any Oceans
SOCONY-Mobil tankers including two T-2 WW II tankers
It’s so very sad, but decisions like this have always been, and will continue to be made in the Boardroom rather than on the Bridge, as well as Military Objectives & Strategies being formed by & ordered by the White House, Congress & Corporate Boardrooms instead of at the Pentagon.