Fleet Reduction?

[chengkp75]

19 hours ago, Essiesmom said:

Fantasy class are about 10000 tons  larger than the current hospital ships.

Well, here's the problem.  Yes, the hospital ships, being on the small end of the Aframax tankers, have a GT of about 62,000, while Fantasy class have a GT of 70,000.  But, all of that 62,000 GT volume is in the water, meaning it can be used to lift a lot more weight. A San Clemente tanker like the Comfort could load 89,000 tons of cargo (or hospital beds, cabins, and equipment), which is more than the Fantasy class ships weigh in total.  So, you can put a whole lot more hospital, including a large superstructure, if wanted, than you could possibly take out of a cruise ship and replace with a hospital.

[chengkp75]

1 hour ago, jimbo5544 said:

Tanker as a hospital ship???? Uuummmm.    Also confused by the black eye comment

Both the Mercy and the Comfort started life as San Clemente class tankers.  They sailed for 11 years carrying Alaskan crude oil from Valdez, before being converted to hospital ships (they were not double hulled, so would become illegal in a few years, and the steam power plant was too inefficient).  Each of the 18 cargo tanks (and the original tank bulkheads were retained in the hospital ships) has a completely open volume of 5000 cubic meters, allowing for virtually anything you want to be fabricated and dropped into the tank, with just the main deck removed.

[jimbo5544]

1 minute ago, chengkp75 said:

Both the Mercy and the Comfort started life as San Clemente class tankers.  They sailed for 11 years carrying Alaskan crude oil from Valdez, before being converted to hospital ships (they were not double hulled, so would become illegal in a few years, and the steam power plant was too inefficient).  Each of the 18 cargo tanks (and the original tank bulkheads were retained in the hospital ships) has a completely open volume of 5000 cubic meters, allowing for virtually anything you want to be fabricated and dropped into the tank, with just the main deck removed.

Are they the only two?

[rolloman]

58 minutes ago, jimbo5544 said:

Are they the only two?

Yes...the US Navy only has these two hospital ships. I have to feel this is one reason the President stated he wanted two more added to the fleet. 

[chengkp75]

9 minutes ago, rolloman said:

Yes...the US Navy only has these two hospital ships. I have to feel this is one reason the President stated he wanted two more added to the fleet. 

I'm sure that if two new ones are built, these two will go to the scrapyard, they are 44 years old.

[DryCreek]

52 minutes ago, chengkp75 said:

I'm sure that if two new ones are built, these two will go to the scrapyard, they are 44 years old.

Or, more likely to the ghost fleet anchored-up in the James River.

[chengkp75]

2 minutes ago, DryCreek said:

Or, more likely to the ghost fleet anchored-up in the James River.

That or Beaumont.

[Organized Chaos]

11 hours ago, jperry2011 said:

Highly doubtful the government would buy cruise ships. They may pay a premium to lease them long term though.

 

Agreed. Cruise ships would require a major overhaul to convert them into what they'd need, and even though the govt. is notorious for wasting money, I don't see them going that route. If anything, they could possibly take Arison up on his offer to use them as temporary hospitals, but it'd only be short term for this situation. If that were to happen, the govt. would compensate Carnival handsomely, so Arison & Co. would be rewarded with more than just good feelings.

[DryCreek]

1 minute ago, chengkp75 said:

That or Beaumont.

Beaumont would be cool!

 

When I was stationed in Norfolk, and later worked for NNS&DDCo, we would take our boats out and "visit" the ghost fleet in the James, on our way up to Scotland Wharf.

 

There is a lot of work that goes into pickling a ship for long-term storage.  I read tons about it, and strangely enough, I think I remember there being at least a whole chapter on that in the MM 2&3 manual. 

[Chip1]

On 4/2/2020 at 8:39 PM, Organized Chaos said:

Did anyone else catch that Colleen McDaniel, Editor-in-Chief of Cruise Critic, wrote that the Sunshine was formerly the Carnival Conquest? 😬

 

"Carnival Radiance will be the third ship Carnival has completely revamped -- and renamed -- joining Carnival Sunshine (formerly Carnival Conquest) and Carnival Sunrise (Carnival Triumph)."

I noticed it the day the news story was posted. Under the story there was a feedback link which I clicked on and left a message that the story was wrong about the Carnival Sunshine having previously been the Carnival Conquest when it is the former Carnival Destiny.

 

[Joebucks]

Could they be reducing their fleet? I don't believe any option is off the table for anyone, anywhere at this point.

 

But to permanently reduce a ship to become a hospital boat? Not very likely. That would require a lot of effort and a lot of resources to build something that frankly, isn't realistic at the moment, and won't be needed long-term. Taking ships that aren't in use now, and assisting the government is a smart business move. It is good PR and extra incentive to receive some sort of funding from the government.

 

I think it is pretty obvious that any future refurbs/enhancements would be put on hold, where possible. This isn't the time to spend hundreds of millions in upgrades. It's probably also going to impact future ship orders to some degree.

 

Now if someone made a solid enough offer for lets say, a Fantasy class, I'm sure they would consider. I doubt anyone is looking to pay top dollar for an old cruise ship at this time.

[jimbo5544]

3 hours ago, Joebucks said:

Could they be reducing their fleet? I don't believe any option is off the table for anyone, anywhere at this point.

 

But to permanently reduce a ship to become a hospital boat? Not very likely. That would require a lot of effort and a lot of resources to build something that frankly, isn't realistic at the moment, and won't be needed long-term. Taking ships that aren't in use now, and assisting the government is a smart business move. It is good PR and extra incentive to receive some sort of funding from the government.

 

I think it is pretty obvious that any future refurbs/enhancements would be put on hold, where possible. This isn't the time to spend hundreds of millions in upgrades. It's probably also going to impact future ship orders to some degree.

 

Now if someone made a solid enough offer for lets say, a Fantasy class, I'm sure they would consider. I doubt anyone is looking to pay top dollar for an old cruise ship at this time.

The Fantasy has been floated on the market for a good while now, with no takers.  More than a mothballing of some of the fleet, I think they would cold store some if demand slowed and also think restoring sailing will be staged for logistical purposes as well as port openings as a considered factor.

[dgreeney]

FEMA leased a Carnival ship to house federal aid workers after hurricane Maria. They paid $74.7 million.  After Katrina, FEMA leased 3 Carnival  ships for 4 months at $13 million per month.

[Foggyzx9r]

Well it wouldn’t be the first time a cruise ship was converted to a hospital ship.

She was ready after a three day refit.

 

Admittedly the demand and requirements might differ but it is possible.

 

SS Uganda

[chengkp75]

9 minutes ago, Foggyzx9r said:

Well it wouldn’t be the first time a cruise ship was converted to a hospital ship.

She was ready after a three day refit.

 

Admittedly the demand and requirements might differ but it is possible.

 

SS Uganda

And I can guarantee that the three day refit was expedited by the UK armed services already having the equipment necessary stored in a warehouse somewhere, and pre-planning of the conversion, most likely at time of build, by the UK military for potential future use.  Another example of this was the QE2, which had pre-made custom crates for her chandeliers and other fittings, and pre-cut plywood to cover the carpeting, all stored against possible use as a troopship, which did come to pass in the Falklands as well.

[Foggyzx9r]

1 hour ago, chengkp75 said:

And I can guarantee that the three day refit was expedited by the UK armed services already having the equipment necessary stored in a warehouse somewhere, and pre-planning of the conversion, most likely at time of build, by the UK military for potential future use.  Another example of this was the QE2, which had pre-made custom crates for her chandeliers and other fittings, and pre-cut plywood to cover the carpeting, all stored against possible use as a troopship, which did come to pass in the Falklands as well.

Your perfectly correct.

 

The UK forces had experienced a greater degree of preparation and investment at that period of time. Still ll a remarkable feat though.

Edited April 4, 2020 by Foggyzx9r

[quattrohead]

Ship	Built	Price	Date listed
Celebrity Millennium	2000	$280,000,000	Feb 2020
Celebrity Summit	2001	$300,000,000	Feb 2020
Celebrity Constellation	2002	$300,000,000	Feb 2020
RCCL Majesty of the Seas	1992	$100,000,000	Mar 2020
RCCL Grandeur of the Seas	1996	$100,000,000	Feb 2020
RCCL Rhapsody of the Seas	1997	POA	Mar 2020
RCCL Radiance of the Seas	2001	POA	Mar 2020
RCCL Brilliance of the Seas	2002	POA	Mar 2020
Carnival Ecstasy	1991	$100,000,000	Feb 2020
Carnival Inspiration	1996	$200,000,000	Feb 2020
Carnival Triumph/Sunrise	1999	$350,000,000	Feb 2020
Pullmantur Horizon	1990	$65,000,000	Feb 2020
Pullmantur Monarch	1991	$95,000,000	Feb 2020
Sun Princess	1995	$170,000,000	Mar 2020
SuperStar Gemini	1992	$70,000,000	Jan 2020
SuperStar Aquarius	1993	$130,000,000	Feb 2020
Holland America Maasdam	1993	$120,000,000	Mar 2020
Holland America Veendam	1996	$140,000,000	Jan 2020

[quattrohead]

Here is a shopping list, which one shall we buy to run for CruiseCritic lol

 

[N7786W Flyer]

22 hours ago, chengkp75 said:

Well, here's the problem.  Yes, the hospital ships, being on the small end of the Aframax tankers, have a GT of about 62,000, while Fantasy class have a GT of 70,000.  But, all of that 62,000 GT volume is in the water, meaning it can be used to lift a lot more weight. A San Clemente tanker like the Comfort could load 89,000 tons of cargo (or hospital beds, cabins, and equipment), which is more than the Fantasy class ships weigh in total.  So, you can put a whole lot more hospital, including a large superstructure, if wanted, than you could possibly take out of a cruise ship and replace with a hospital.

 

Looks like MSC is giving the hospital conversion a shot on their ferry Splendid.  The attached article doesn't mention if they're utilizing the car deck and, thus far, sounds like the conversion is minimal at this point with the new 'hospital' offering only 25 beds.

 

https://www.msccruisesusa.com/en-us/About-MSC/News/GNV-Floating-Hospital.aspx?utm_source=CRM&utm_medium=email&utm_content=OS_WEEKLY_1_A&utm_campaign=NEWSLETTER0404&mkt_tok=eyJpIjoiT1RSaE9USXlNRFk1TXpsbSIsInQiOiIwM2lYdjZlbUF4aXZ0ZmU3YmVVQW1Rc0doeGVvSjFyVGViMDZKbUpHYlRqcGhPZDRVUG13cDZhcHlETmFrbWtiR0FaQVd2ZkttejcrTnl5WTh5emNkMk1XTW5PQlhHWnhSSWZsTnR1NnhGT1JcL0krZHN1SHJ5a21CQ2NTNGF1eWMifQ%3D%3D

[N7786W Flyer]

It also looks like the Queen Mary is being considered for conversion to a hospital ship/building.

 

Garnett

 

https://www.foxnews.com/us/queen-mary-hospital-ship-coronavirus

[chengkp75]

26 minutes ago, N7786W Flyer said:

It also looks like the Queen Mary is being considered for conversion to a hospital ship/building.

 

Garnett

 

https://www.foxnews.com/us/queen-mary-hospital-ship-coronavirus

Not sure how updated her systems are, but I would think this is the worst possible scenario of converting a cruise ship/ocean liner to a hospital ship.

[Editor Colleen]

On 4/4/2020 at 12:45 AM, Chip1 said:

I noticed it the day the news story was posted. Under the story there was a feedback link which I clicked on and left a message that the story was wrong about the Carnival Sunshine having previously been the Carnival Conquest when it is the former Carnival Destiny.

 

Thanks everyone for catching this! I really appreciate it. I think my fingers might have worked faster than my brain on that one. It's been fixed. Thanks for reading. 

[crusinpsychRN]

On 4/4/2020 at 2:13 PM, quattrohead said:

Here is a shopping list, which one shall we buy to run for CruiseCritic lol

 

 

Love this idea!

[quattrohead]

It would have the best critical passenger input in the world lol

I had a good look through all the cruise ships for sale and really like some of the 80's offerings for classic style cruising for the discerning customer. There are some bargains that have just been put up for sale so fully ready to continue working as soon as able.

[DryCreek]

I've been thinking - while a lot of people think that the smaller Fantasy Class ships may be sold off at bargain basement process, I think that maybe they may be the first ones Carnival thinks about leading the return to cruising with.  Start out small to assess the demand, and then slowly start filling the larger ships as the smaller ones sell out.