I was on IOS about 50ft forward of the accident on deck 4. Some clarifications/notes/thoughts -
The azipods started up before the mooring lines were even out of the water, which I though was odd, but didn't think about the risk to the boat at that time. I looked away, and looked back to see the boat right after it flipped, and no sign of the two crewmen. The azipods were shut down pretty quickly, given that the word would have had to pass from the crew at the rear of the IOS, to the bridge, and then to the controls (but it was an interminably long time when you're sitting there watching it). Those props are too big to stop quickly, and the water kept moving for quite a while after they stopped.
With life jackets on, I think they could have held their breath and come up on the other side of Silhouette in about 20 seconds (remember that the aft end of the ship doesn't have much of a draft). But if the turbulence caused you to get knocked unconscious...
On the last night of the cruise at the goodbye show, they said that the captain was going on vacation the next day. I read that a bit differently from what they said. As an airline captain, I figured he's done as a captain for RCCL (similar to Southwest at LGA, with no loss of life in that case). It's too much liability for the cruise line to keep him, on the off-chance that something else happened with him down the road, whether or not he was at all to blame in the incident. Far better to pay him to retire.
Two Killed in Cruise Ship Berthing Accident on Independence of the Sea
in Royal Caribbean International
Posted
I was on IOS about 50ft forward of the accident on deck 4. Some clarifications/notes/thoughts -
The azipods started up before the mooring lines were even out of the water, which I though was odd, but didn't think about the risk to the boat at that time. I looked away, and looked back to see the boat right after it flipped, and no sign of the two crewmen. The azipods were shut down pretty quickly, given that the word would have had to pass from the crew at the rear of the IOS, to the bridge, and then to the controls (but it was an interminably long time when you're sitting there watching it). Those props are too big to stop quickly, and the water kept moving for quite a while after they stopped.
With life jackets on, I think they could have held their breath and come up on the other side of Silhouette in about 20 seconds (remember that the aft end of the ship doesn't have much of a draft). But if the turbulence caused you to get knocked unconscious...
On the last night of the cruise at the goodbye show, they said that the captain was going on vacation the next day. I read that a bit differently from what they said. As an airline captain, I figured he's done as a captain for RCCL (similar to Southwest at LGA, with no loss of life in that case). It's too much liability for the cruise line to keep him, on the off-chance that something else happened with him down the road, whether or not he was at all to blame in the incident. Far better to pay him to retire.