With visions of the Titanic racing through their heads, on this newly launched ship, passengers scrambled to save their lives, quickly putting on life jackets, and racing to muster stations, though muster was not called, when the Crown Princess suddenly listed hard for about 30 seconds during a turn as the vessel was leaving port, on the fourth voyage since being christened. The listings was described as a 15 degree list by USCG investigators. But video from helicopters showed the pools empty, and experts say that would require a 30-35 degree list. A 45 degree is unrecoverable.
Princess Cruise Line Crown Princess
Severe Tilt - Listing Injures Passengers
July 18, 2006 Near Port Canaveral Florida
Cruise Bruise Date: July 18, 2006
Cruise Bruise: Passenger injuries
Cause: Severe Listing
Bruise Location: Port Canaveral Florida
Passenger Injuries: 238
Crew Injuries: 2
Ship Damage: Considerable Interior
Decks Affected: All
Captain: Andrew Proctor
Attorney: Jack Hickey
Details:
The lifeboats are seen in the image to the left.
The incident is the worst incident in modern history for a U.S. based cruise ship, with more injuries to date than other incident involving a cruise ship with a U.S. home port.
Crown Princess was 11 miles southeast of Port Canaveral, headed for New York at the end of a 9 day Western Caribbean cruise. The vessel left Port Canaveral at 3:25pm local time.
Level Ship
A total of 240 people have been injured, 94 were treated in hospitals, with 20 of them classified as serious. Fourteen of those 20 were transported by ambulance to local hospitals. The other two were airlifted in critical condition after passengers and crew were toss across the ship, along with anything and everything not tied down. Those passengers with more minor injuries were evacuated by several buses.
Injuries consisted of bruises, cuts, head, neck, back injuires and broken bones, primarily and were transported to three local hospitals. At least several passengers were transported by helicopter life flights. Many passengers required wheelchairs or stretchers.
14 ambulances, 8 fire trucks, 3 medi-vac helicopters all raced to the scene and waited for the vessel to pull back in port. The ship arrived in port about 7:00pm after passengers had endured several hours of horror.
Dishes, tables, chair were tossed, two upper decks were flooded, and elevators wouldn't work. The ship was described as a mess. Casino machines were tossed everywhere, as well as televisions, lamps and passenger belongings. There is a lot of broken glass, dishes, food and blood all over the decks.
One passenger said the night's movie on the ship was supposed to be, Titanic. The planned movie was an almost prophetic prediction of what the day would hold, and perhaps a blatant thumbing of the nose at history. The decision to play the movie, seemed like a subliminal message of superiority over the ill fated Titantic, and the resulting movie of her death and destruction at sea. The Titantic's owners had also been so arrogant in her day to openly dismiss her vulnerablity. The night before, another inappropriate sea terror movie was show, Jaws. Read more about the Titanic Here.
Passengers say there was wide spread panic, with some passengers on every deck injured and even the crew had paniced handing out life jackets. Many passengers were screaming and crying. Passengers desperately clung to railings, trying to keep from going overboard, as tables and chairs and debris were washed out to sea, and the sea rushed in to several decks.
Passenger on decks, 6, 7, 8, and 9 said the water rushed in their open windows, and covered closed windows. The swimming pools were entirely emptied.
Passengers with children in the day care center, raced to their children amid corridors filled with debris and water.
One passenger says the listing was nearly unrecoverable, and passengers thought the vessel was going to go completely over, before the crew got control of the vessel and countered the port list to upright the vessel.
Another said the sea water was up to his seventh deck stateroom window.
When the swimming pools tossed out their water passengers said it created a mini-tsunami, with passengers tossed out of the pools and slammed against walls. The water from the pools flooded down stairways and elevators creating waterfalls rushing at passengers as they tried to get out.
Passengers said the captain sounded terrified, and aroused passenger and crew panic. But, they credit a NYC doctor who took charge of the medical recovery operation situation as a hero. Another doctor hero, Gerald Brock a surgeon from Ontario, Canada also assisted with treating the wounded. Dr. Brock said that the captain blamed a computer glitch that affected the rudders and caused the sudden listing.
Crew members later told him the computer system was immediately disconnected and the ship righted itself.
The story continues on Page 2, see the links below.
15 degree Tilt
