CMHCruiseCouple Posted August 9, 2017 #1 Share Posted August 9, 2017 This just came across my phone. A sad picture if you want to search for it. http://www.ktva.com A dead humpback whale entered the port of Ketchikan, Alaska, on the bow of Princess Cruises’ Grand Princess on Wednesday, Aug. 9, 2017. (Fred Burk/NOAA Office of Law Enforcement) A dead humpback whale was found on the bow of a ship arriving in Ketchikan Wednesday morning, according to federal authorities. The National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration announced the discovery in*a brief statementWednesday, saying it was “unable to provide any additional information.” “At this time, NOAA Fisheries is coordinating to have the whale carcass towed to a nearby location suitable for a necropsy to determine the cause of death,” NOAA officials wrote. A Princess Cruises statement said that the vessel involved was the cruise ship Grand Princess. Officials with the cruise line were “surprised and saddened” by Wednesday’s discovery on the ship’s bulbous bow, noting that the company has whale-avoidance programs which require changing course and speed as needed. “It is unknown how or when this happened as the ship felt no impact,” Princess officials wrote. “It is also unknown, at this time, whether the whale was alive or already deceased before becoming lodged on the bow. No whales were sighted in close proximity to the ship, by the bridge navigation team, as it sailed towards Ketchikan overnight.” NOAA spokeswoman Allyson Rogers emphasized that investigators haven’t yet determined whether the whale was killed by a ship strike. She declined to discuss when and where the ship’s crew first noticed the whale, or the whale’s apparent age or gender Wednesday morning. “Because it’s part of the investigation, those details won’t be released later until further parts of the investigation have been solidified and witnesses have been spoken to,” Rogers said. Princess officials said the whale, which they were told by NOAA biologists initially appeared to be a juvenile, had been removed from the bow by a tugboat Wednesday. Last year,*a juvenile fin whale was found dead on the bow*of the Holland America Line’s MS Zaandam when it arrived in Seward in late May. Sent from my SM-G950U using Forums mobile app Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CMHCruiseCouple Posted August 9, 2017 Author #2 Share Posted August 9, 2017 It appears to be a young whale the was lodged perpendicular to the bow, wedged against the "bulb" that is a few feet below the water surface. Sad ... just saw these lovely creatures in July. Sent from my SM-G950U using Forums mobile app Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CruiserBruce Posted August 10, 2017 #3 Share Posted August 10, 2017 Sad, but happens from time to time. It IS NOT an indicator the ship caused the death of the whale. The whale may have been dead already. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
easyboy Posted August 10, 2017 #4 Share Posted August 10, 2017 Sad when this kind of accident happens. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colo Cruiser Posted August 10, 2017 #5 Share Posted August 10, 2017 Sapphire had the same thing in Vancouver a few years ago. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lucky TGO Posted August 10, 2017 #6 Share Posted August 10, 2017 Very sad accident. Tony Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
f-mattox Posted August 10, 2017 #7 Share Posted August 10, 2017 Sapphire had the same thing in Vancouver a few years ago. As I remember it was determined that the whale was already dead when it became lodged in the bow. Very sad to see this happen to such a magnificent beast, but it can happen. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
floridalover5623 Posted August 10, 2017 #8 Share Posted August 10, 2017 Sounds like it was a slow swimmer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
john watson Posted August 10, 2017 #9 Share Posted August 10, 2017 Sapphire had the same thing in Vancouver a few years ago. Yes sad event but accidents happen. This event was in 2009. Crew will always try to avoid it, but sometimes it must be inevitable. Regards John Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brian1 Posted August 10, 2017 #10 Share Posted August 10, 2017 Sounds like it was a slow swimmer. Hope you are a slow swimmer if a jet ski is heading towards you lol. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
floridalover5623 Posted August 10, 2017 #11 Share Posted August 10, 2017 Hope you are a slow swimmer if a jet ski is heading towards you lol. The quick & the dead I was always taught. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mrs.Gosse Posted August 10, 2017 #12 Share Posted August 10, 2017 It seems likely that if they felt no impact that maybe the whale had already passed away and just kind of floated into the ship? Wishful Thinking I say? And the Grand Princess what's in Alaska ? Sent from my SM-G955U using Forums mobile app Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CMHCruiseCouple Posted August 10, 2017 Author #13 Share Posted August 10, 2017 The Grand weighs in at roughly 109,000 tons. You would never feel a thing on the ship. Sent from my SM-G950U using Forums mobile app Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chengkp75 Posted August 10, 2017 #14 Share Posted August 10, 2017 The Grand weighs in at roughly 109,000 tons. You would never feel a thing on the ship. Sent from my SM-G950U using Forums mobile app While you are correct that the ship would never feel anything, even striking a live whale, the Grand Princess does not "weigh" anywhere near 109,000 tons. That is her Gross Tonnage, which is a unitless number that approximates the internal volume of the ship. "Gross Registered Tonnage used to be used, until the 80's, and that was equivalent to 100 cubic feet of volume. Gross Tonnage now used, is not even directly proportional to internal volume. Given Grand's size, I would estimate her displacement (how much water she displaces, and therefore how much she weighs) as closer to 65,000 tons. Even Oasis of the Seas (225,000 GT) only has a displacement of about 100,000 tons. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rguy123 Posted August 10, 2017 #15 Share Posted August 10, 2017 Thank you chengkp75, always good info from you. Sent from my iPad using Forums Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CMHCruiseCouple Posted August 10, 2017 Author #16 Share Posted August 10, 2017 While you are correct that the ship would never feel anything, even striking a live whale, the Grand Princess does not "weigh" anywhere near 109,000 tons. That is her Gross Tonnage, which is a unitless number that approximates the internal volume of the ship. "Gross Registered Tonnage used to be used, until the 80's, and that was equivalent to 100 cubic feet of volume. Gross Tonnage now used, is not even directly proportional to internal volume. Given Grand's size, I would estimate her displacement (how much water she displaces, and therefore how much she weighs) as closer to 65,000 tons. Even Oasis of the Seas (225,000 GT) only has a displacement of about 100,000 tons. Thanks for the info and correction ... good stuff. Sent from my SM-G950U using Forums mobile app Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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