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Author
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Topic: Oriana hit by 50ft wave
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sread
First Class Passenger Posts: 145
From:London, England
Registered: Jul 99
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posted 09-29-2000 08:38 AM
   
REPAIRS AFTER FREAK WAVE HITS LUXURY LINER
A luxury British cruise liner was being repaired at sea today after being struck by a 50-foot wave which smashed through toughened glass and flooded cabins.
Three passengers and an officer aboard the Oriana were cut by flying glass and received treatment in the ship’s hospital, along with four other passengers who were suffering from shock.
The P&O liner was carrying 1,525 passengers and 800 crew as she sailed back from New York to her home port of Southampton when she became caught in a storm force 10 winds at about 3.40pm yesterday.
A freak wave crashed through the widows of six cabins on the lower passenger deck on the vessel’s port side, flooding rooms and sending sea water pouring down the main centre staircase.
The liner, skippered by Captain Richard Fennelow, was answering a Mayday call from a yacht in distress when the wave struck. The yacht later received help from the RAF.
Temporary repairs were being carried out on the ship, which has been brought to a halt some 600 miles west of Cork, in the Irish Republic.
The 69,000-tonne ship was on her first north Atlantic trip to and from New York, although she has sailed to the Caribbean many times.
A P&O spokesman said: “At no time were the ship or her passengers in danger.
“Passengers who suffered minor injuries and shock were treated by the ship’s medical staff and have been released from the ship’s hospital.
“The passengers concerned have contacted their relatives to reassure them and the Oriana has hove to while repairs are made.”
He said the liner, officially due into Southampton at 6am tomorrow, was already running three hours behind schedule due to poor weather before she was hit by the wave.
P&O said the ship would reach Southampton some time tomorrow, but it was not clear when.
Oriana was due to set off on a Mediterranean cruise tomorrow evening.
The liner, constructed by German shipbuilder Meyer Werft, made her maiden voyage in 1995. end IP: Logged |
Malcolm
Cruise Director Posts: 2775
From:London (UK-Birth place of many of the worlds greatest ships)
Registered:
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posted 09-29-2000 10:29 AM
I seem to recall that the QE2 had a similar experience a few years back! O.K. experts, what were the details?IP: Logged |
Terry
First Class Passenger Posts: 391
From:Brandon, Norfolk, UK
Registered: Aug 99
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posted 09-29-2000 02:29 PM
ORIANA is now scheduled to reach Southampton on Sunday morning. Sailing for her next cruise will be delayed 24 hours.Terry Donegan IP: Logged |
Terry
First Class Passenger Posts: 391
From:Brandon, Norfolk, UK
Registered: Aug 99
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posted 10-01-2000 09:23 AM
Here is a BBC News update:====Start=====
BBC News Online
Sunday, 1 October, 2000, 10:28 GMT 11:28 UK
P&O launches Oriana inquiry Richard Fennelow and David Dingle: Promised inquiry A full internal inquiry has been launched into how luxury cruise liner Oriana could have been damaged by a freak wave on a cross-Atlantic trip.
Three passengers were injured and three suffered from shock when a 50-foot wave struck the ship, shattering the windows of six cabins and flooding 20. The ship was 600 miles west of Ireland on a cruise from New York to Southampton in force 10 seas when the incident occured on Thursday at about 1540BST. I've seen seas of greater ferocity, but this is more than I experienced before
Captain Richard Fennelow
Speaking for the first time about the incident, Captain Richard Fennelow told a press conference in Southampton he had never experienced anything like it in more than 20 years at sea. "These things do happen to transatlantic liners on occasions," he added. "The ship was handling the weather very well before this ocurrence. It was rolling easily and staying ahead of the sea and the swells. "Witnesses said the wave was about twice the height of the others we were navigating which were about 20 feet high. "There was no panic. There was obviously apprehension that I was able to alleviate by telling them by broadcast what was going on." Floods Captain Fennelow said he did not have the technical expertise to say why the windows, built to international safety specifications, had shattered. Eight passengers and one crew were in the six cabins struck by the wave. One cabin was flooded to a depth of three foot and water leaked down the stairs and across corridors. Following the incident, Captain Fennelow turned the ship into the wind and slowed her speed to three knots an hour in order to carry out repairs. The windows were boarded up with metal shutters welded into place. P&O managing director David Dingle stressed the incident could not be compared to events this week in the Aegean Sea, when two ferries hit rocks. The Oriana was launched by the Queen five years ago
"The ship was specifically designed to withstand the toughest ocean going conditions, and really this was an absolute freak," said Mr Dingle. "It was extremely rare and hard to anticipate. Behind schedule "At no stage was the ship in any danger whatsoever. The ship has an unblemished record and we would like to stress that all our passengers can be confident they will be travelling in safety. "We need to undertake a precise investigation as to why this happened and take any remedial measures accordingly." The Oriana arrived in Southampton at 0130BST on Sunday morning, 18 hours behind schedule. It was another seven and a half hours before its 1,525 passengers and 800 crew could disembark. After repairs were carried out, it will set sail on Sunday evening for Madeira and the Canary Islands, a day after its scheduled departure. That cruise has been shortened from 12 to 11 days and passengers will be compensated accordingly. Oriana was launched five years ago by the Queen. The £200m P&O flagship has had a number of technical problems since its launch. Its propellor broke down on its maiden voyage and it twice broke down within its first month of operation.
====ends==== Terry Donegan IP: Logged |
gohaze
First Class Passenger Posts: 531
From:Vancouver.BC
Registered: Sep 99
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posted 10-01-2000 10:16 AM
Malcolm...a while back I put a UK gov site on that has a report on the investigation into heavy weather damage suffered by the QE2. The Master was criticized for poor seamanship. www.open.gov.uk/maib/sd297/pl.htm#1 The Crown Odyssey had a similar incident earlier this summer in the Gulf of Lyon where some cabin windows were broken by a freak wave.
....peter IP: Logged |
Malcolm
Cruise Director Posts: 2775
From:London (UK-Birth place of many of the worlds greatest ships)
Registered:
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posted 10-01-2000 02:30 PM
Thanks gohaze, but the URL did not seem to work from my end?IP: Logged |
PauloMestre
First Class Passenger Posts: 226
From:Alhos Vedros, Setubal, Portugal
Registered: Sep 2000
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posted 10-01-2000 02:46 PM
There is a problem with the url you gave, gohaze, it doesn't work.
The conclusion of the QE2 enquiry is a bit idiot: who can the master get the blaim of a natural phenomenon? If there was a way of detecting freak waves and the ships got early warning then if the collision occurs the master can be considered guilty. But since they are unpredictible nobody needs to be found guilty.
Besides trying to avoid a freak wave on the last minute can be extremely dangerous since turning the ship in order to hit the wave sideways could capsize it. PS: I saw a documentary on Discovery Channel about the now famous 1991 "Perfect Storm" and a thought that came to my mind was: what could have happened if QE2 was caught in the middle of it? Think about it. Regards
Paulo Mestre [This message has been edited by PauloMestre (edited 10-01-2000).] IP: Logged |
Malcolm
Cruise Director Posts: 2775
From:London (UK-Birth place of many of the worlds greatest ships)
Registered:
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posted 10-01-2000 02:54 PM
The BBC (UK) news web site has an article about Oriana's accident: http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/uk/newsid_951000/951048.stm  Picture borrowed from bbc.co.uk
[This message has been edited by Malcolm (edited 10-01-2000).] IP: Logged |
gohaze
First Class Passenger Posts: 531
From:Vancouver.BC
Registered: Sep 99
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posted 10-01-2000 03:24 PM
Sorry about that...try this one www.open.gov.uk/maib/sd297/p1.htm#1 Paulo Mestre...
The reason the Master was criticised was for putting his ship in the wrong quadrant of a TRS and not slowing down. Both of those were things we were taught about as Cadets. Please read the report before calling it stupid.
....peter IP: Logged |
PauloMestre
First Class Passenger Posts: 226
From:Alhos Vedros, Setubal, Portugal
Registered: Sep 2000
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posted 10-01-2000 04:55 PM
Sorry, peter, if I hurt your feelings but I didn't have a full understanding of the circunstances involving the accident.
Well, if you have perfect knowledge that a storm is sitting directly on the ship path and you don't change course and ship speed then you are in for serious trouble.
But freak waves are not only associated with tropical storms. Ex: a land slide on the edge of the continental shelf can provoke a depression at sea level that might create a big wave.
Peter, thanks for the "eyeopener".Regards
Paulo Mestre [This message has been edited by PauloMestre (edited 10-01-2000).] IP: Logged |
gohaze
First Class Passenger Posts: 531
From:Vancouver.BC
Registered: Sep 99
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posted 10-01-2000 06:56 PM
Paulo....most 'freak' 'rogue' or just unusual waves come about when you have two swell systems running in the same direction but about 40 to 60 degrees apart. Where they cross they can peak to 2 to 3 times the normal height.
Tsunamis are often accused of being 'freak' waves..the old Rotterdam was hit by one off Casablanca which caused a bit of damage.
The point today is that with all the information available from satellites etc there is really no need for a Master to put his ship in a potentially dangerous situation. Although there will always be exceptions to prove the rule such as the 'Fantome'.....peterIP: Logged |
Gerry
First Class Passenger Posts: 117
From:miami, florida, (originally UK)
Registered: Jun 99
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posted 10-03-2000 11:37 AM
Gohaze, Peter,I was the ship's navigator on QE2 when the big wave hit her. We were tracking the path of the Hurricane and were fully aware of what was taught us about the navigable semicircle of TRSs and actions of avoidance. We decided on an alteration to port and the south over 1000 miles from the eye (It was Hurricane Luis) At that time there were very valid reasons and it was after considerable discussion on the Bridge. - At that time we had 9 (yes nine) British Master Mariners in the Deck dept and according to the data we had, the track was likely to continue or possibly veer to the north,north west. It was a manoever taken under advise from the best meteorological advise available from the shore aswell.
The rogue wave occurred due to the unique situation of the virtually unlimited fetch combining with the frequency of the significant wave and the ground effect of the Grand Banks. It could not have been predicted. The Canadian weather service (Jim Abraham) wrote to us to confirm the wave height from one of their buoys of 30.2 metres and to thank us for continuing to send 3 hourly weather reports throughout. Once again, I find it frustrating to be critisized by people who do not have all of the information at their disposal. The report in the UK MAIB safety digest 2/97 was critisixed by some of the Met folk after its publication. As for the Oriana incident, it may be interesting to note that QE2 was crossing at the same time. She left NY later, overtook Oriana on Friday night and arrived in Southampton on time a day ahead of Oriana's scheduled arrival time. When we heard of Oriana's experience we asked Paul Wright, the Captain of QE2, about the crossing. He was surprised by the question, answering that there was nothing untoward weather wise at all. A typical North Atlantic he said. It amuses me to hear people claim that Oriana was "designed to withstand the toughest ocean-going conditions" Obviously not.
Perhaps the cruise ships should leave the North Atlantic to the Ocean Liners IP: Logged |
gohaze
First Class Passenger Posts: 531
From:Vancouver.BC
Registered: Sep 99
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posted 10-03-2000 12:25 PM
Gerry.....that is very interesting and it's great to have someone who was actually there to tell what happened. Obviously I was going by the MAIB report which leaves something to be desired.
Having conducted and been part of several inquiries over the years - including one under both the Shipping and Air Acts...a collision between a hovercraft and a vessel, and that involved some juggling believe you me - I'm well aware of how the outcome can be somewhat different from what actually occurred.
BTW...interesting articles in the Times and Telegraph this morning about the Marchioness /Bow Belle collision. Seems the DoT and PLA had been expecting something like for years and done nothing about it.!!!!!As for the 'freak' waves I recall one afternoon when we were hit head on by one. We were just jogging along nicely with about a 25 foot swell running with another smaller one coming across it a bit when suddenly dead ahead it crested well over double the height - too late to do anything so I grabbed the Quartermaster in a rapid dive for the chartroom. If the wheelhouse doors hadn't been closed we'd have been swimming in there. Luckily not much damage but it sure woke everybody up. Sure scary looking at that wall of water.
And I agree with you, the fancy floating Hyatts should stay off the Western Ocean, and away from other places like Antarctica. How the insurance boys could allow the Rotterdam to go down there beats me completely. Once again, thanks for that interesting input
.......peter IP: Logged |
hallsuk2
First Class Passenger Posts: 17
From:Bury,England
Registered: Sep 2000
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posted 10-17-2000 06:35 AM
Just returned from Q.E.2 cruise scheduled to take place and cover most of the same ports of call as Oriana.Obviously the oriana didn't sail untill a day later and it was allways playing catch up.We dined at the Captains table in this case Captain Paul Wright.His story about the night Oriana was struck by the wave that his ship and Oriana were about sixty miles apart and that the coastguard instructed a large container ship to intercept the stricken yacht because it was closer.He did go on to say that the Q.E.2 was purpose built for these rough seas and could handle most things thrown at her.However whilst returning through the Bay Of Biscay in a force nine gale my wife and experienced a very large swell whilst having breakfast in the Lido.I ended up on the floor as did more elderly people with table and chairs upended and crockery smashed.Shortly afterwards the Captain passed through the lounge with a slightly more serious face after attending a stretcher party in the Lido and then taking the decision to shut the Lido down. IP: Logged |
Malcolm
Cruise Director Posts: 2775
From:London (UK-Birth place of many of the worlds greatest ships)
Registered:
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posted 10-17-2000 08:06 AM
Gohaze, which Hovercraft, which vessel and where?IP: Logged |
gohaze
First Class Passenger Posts: 531
From:Vancouver.BC
Registered: Sep 99
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posted 10-17-2000 08:00 PM
Hi Malcolm...it was about 20 years ago and involved a Coast Guard SRN6 and a fairly large tri-maran in the Gulf of Georgia, which is between Vancouver Island and the mainland.. The whole scenario was rather unique. It was a beautifull warm holiday weekend, the first of the summer with thousands of boats out to enjoy it. A good forecast of light winds when about 10pm on the Saturday the winds went from 0 to 70+ in literally seconds. [the met office later said it wasn't a storm, it was a pressure gradient] The airwaves went mad with distress calls, boats going ashore, dismasted etc and even a couple of anchored freighters going aground. The CCG hovercraft on SAR standby was called out and whilest en-route in marginal conditions collided with the yacht which had the mast blown out of it and was in bad shape with no lights or any way of seeing it.Whilest I carried out the official inquiry for the Minister, there was no subsequent Formal Inquiry found necessary.
....peter [This message has been edited by gohaze (edited 10-17-2000).] IP: Logged |
