Scariest moment of my life: Cruise ship rides through fierce winter storm

[Texacon]

https://www.democraticunderground.com/100210068356

jpak
Scariest moment of my life: Cruise ship rides through fierce winter storm

https://wdef.com/2018/01/06/scariest-moment-life-cruise-ship-rides-fierce-winter-storm/

NEW YORK (CBS News) — Thursday’s winter storm pummeled the Tri-State Area, but imagine being in the thick of it on a cruise ship in the Atlantic Ocean. For 21 members of the Ross family, of Stony Brook, it was supposed to be the trip of a lifetime, CBS New York reports.

They were cruising to the Bahamas for their patriarch’s 80th birthday. Instead, they returned Friday after what they called a nightmare onboard the Norwegian Breakaway.

“I thought I’d never be in a situation where I would say that’s the scariest moment of my life. This was the worst moment of my life,” said Karoline Ross, speaking exclusively with CBS New York.

She and Del Ross spoke with the station while they were en route to New York, after they said their 4,000 passenger cruise ship sailed right into the storm Tuesday night for two harrowing days in ocean swells up to 30 feet. The seasoned boaters called it traumatic.

I know there are probably a lot of us, if not most of us, who have been on a cruise. The ships I’ve been on have been huge. 1,000’ long type huge. But, even at that size it can get ... rough, sometimes. I have no idea how large the waves were on the roughest one I was on but I’d hazard a guess around 20’. It lasted about a day, maybe 2 and we were out of it. It was kind of fun.

The reason I bring this up is to show yet again that DUmmies lie, all the time. Look at this!

dhol82
2. Meh! I was on a Norwegian ship out of New York 8 or 9 years ago that was in the middle of a
Nor’easter for two days.
Going down to the Caribbean for a Christmas trip.
We were on the ninth deck in the front. Had to lock our exterior Hull doors and had waves sweeping over our balcony. Scary as shit. People were having hysterics and there was one woman who kept screaming that she wanted a helicopter to fly her out.
There was no problem getting into any restaurant on the ship.   
The crew were cleaning up vomit in every hallway.
It was quite the trip.
By the time we got to the Bahamas it was peaceful.

Get that?  The 9th deck!  Now I’ve stayed on the 9th deck toward the front and I guarantee you, if there is a wave hitting your ship that high it’s going to be a rouge wave and is going to be scary as shit!!  But on this dudes cruise it was evidently a common occurrence.

Not to be outdone;

drray23
4. i am not sure i see what the problem is.
These big ships are pretty much immune to these storms. They are not moving much even with 30ft waves outside. Apparently, they need to improve the waterproofing however.
Personally I would have found interesting to be able to witness a big storm from the comfort of a cruise ship

Uh huh. Maybe you need to talk to some people who have actually been there, done that, or simply search YouTube for some pretty incredible videos of some of these ships in really big storms.

They’re all trying to outdo one another with their lies.

KC

[SVPete]

In May, 2016 we did a northern Atlantic crossing cruise on Disney. Our cabin was deck 6, a bit forward of midships (location fore-aft does matter). We had a couple of days of significant storm with waves in the 30-40 foot range. We couldn't use our balcony, and access to the Promenade deck was closed for 2 or 3 days (I had to postpone my personal half Marathon, 40 laps around the Promenade deck, for a day). It wasn't the most pleasant part of the cruise, but it wasn't scary. If we ever do an Atlantic crossing cruise again it won't be by a northern route.

[FunkyZero]

In May, 2016 we did a northern Atlantic crossing cruise on Disney. Our cabin was deck 6, a bit forward of midships (location fore-aft does matter). We had a couple of days of significant storm with waves in the 30-40 foot range. We couldn't use our balcony, and access to the Promenade deck was closed for 2 or 3 days (I had to postpone my personal half Marathon, 40 laps around the Promenade deck, for a day). It wasn't the most pleasant part of the cruise, but it wasn't scary. If we ever do an Atlantic crossing cruise again it won't be by a northern route.

Never gave that much thought before... for some reason.
If I ever do decide to pay too much money to go on one of these cruise ships, I'll make sure i get one mid-ship or as close as possible.

[freedumb2003b]

I was on a cruise went through the center of Hurricane Waldo. 

It was pretty bad for many people -- not me as I have calcified inner ear problems which means I don't get seasick.  The line for seasick shots was about an hour long.

I was on one of the lower decks and he folks across the hall were  screaming because their portals were completely underwater.

Lots of leaks and I used to have a picture of me with a beer at a 45 degree angle.

Pretty wild.

[Old n Grumpy]

Ah, what a bunch of wussies. Back in the good old days of steel ships and iron men we did it as part of a days work.

[Undies]

I always arrange for us to have a cabin on the Lido deck or the one above.  Lots of movement in "rough seas".  I love it when the bathroom door swings back and forth - back and forth.

We've cruised A LOT, but never have I had an experience to be scared about.  Cruise ships do a wonderful job sailing around the troubled waters or, not sailing at all until it is safe.

DUmmies are full of that stuff their brains are made of.  What's it called?

[67 Rover]

Ah, what a bunch of wussies. Back in the good old days of steel ships and iron men we did it as part of a days work.

I originally posted this to the wrong thread and moved here.

I recall on one of the rare occasions my dad spoke about his time on board a "tin can" 4 stack destroyer (DD-147) was during an Atlantic hurricane and how they were sure that they were going to die. Described by him as scarier than any action they had seen, this from a man that lost his Right arm up to the shoulder during one of those actions.

Top heavy and rolling 45deg for hours, priority one was to keep the boilers going. In the end the ship did OK but many of the sailors were beaten badly, head injuries and broken bones were common.

[SVPete]

I was on a cruise went through the center of Hurricane Waldo. 

It was pretty bad for many people -- not me as I have calcified inner ear problems which means I don't get seasick.  The line for seasick shots was about an hour long.

I was on one of the lower decks and he folks across the hall were  screaming because their portals were completely underwater.

Lots of leaks and I used to have a picture of me with a beer at a 45 degree angle.

Pretty wild.

What we learned about seasick meds is that you start taking the Dramamine before you are seasick. I'm not sure why I was unaffected, but we didn't know this and there was a day or so when Mrs. SVPete could hardly eat a thing.

I imagine the high waves and being forward resulted in your portholes submerged much of the time. A scary sight, I guess, but cruise ships are designed/built for that kind of condition.

Ah, what a bunch of wussies. Back in the good old days of steel ships and iron men we did it as part of a days work.

Modern DDGs may be better, but WW2 vintage 1500-2500 ton DDs were pretty scary in a major storm. I can only imagine what post-WW1 vintage 1200 ton Wickes and Clemson class four-pipers (quite a few of which were Lend-Leased to the RN early in WW2) must've been like.

[Old n Grumpy]

destroyer sailors are definitely Iron men with steel balls!

At times in the north Atlantic the seas were so rough the boat rolled at 300 feet. It was fun to watch some newbie walking around with a garbage bag tired around their neck to puke into.

[SVPete]

I originally posted this to the wrong thread and moved here.

I recall on one of the rare occasions my dad spoke about his time on board a "tin can" 4 stack destroyer (DD-147) was during an Atlantic hurricane and how they were sure that they were going to die. Described by him as scarier than any action they had seen, this from a man that lost his Right arm up to the shoulder during one of those actions.

Top heavy and rolling 45deg for hours, priority one was to keep the boilers going. In the end the ship did OK but many of the sailors were beaten badly, head injuries and broken bones were common.

Here ya go! Roper was of the late WW1 and post-war Wickes class. For such an old ship, Roper did significant service in WW2. She did lots of convoy escort in the Atlantic and Caribbean, apparently sinking or participating in the sinking of a U-boat off NC. Mid-war she was converted to a high-speed transport, serving in the Med and later the Pacific (where she was hit by a Kamikaze).

The Wickes and Clemson class DDs were kind of basic cookie-cutter ships, ugly, easy to build in large numbers (which they were). They were designed and built at a time when the USN was going through an urgent modernization based on WW1 experience. Their cruiser companions chronologically and in ugly were the Omaha class light cruisers. When WW2 came they were obsolescent, not very well suited for surface combat or as AA and anti-submarine escorts for the carriers. But they did well as US Atlantic coast and Caribbean convoy escorts and patrols, and in so doing freed up more modern DDs and CLs for more demanding transatlantic convoy escort, Pacific surface combat, and as AA and anti-submarine escorts for the carriers in the Pacific .

The first boat to be sunk at Pearl Harbor was an IJN midget submarine sunk by the Wickes class DD, USS Ward. Several Clemson class four-pipers served in the Battle of the Java Sea, and the Omaha class USS Richmond fought in the Battle of the Komandorski Islands.

[67 Rover]

Here ya go! Roper was of the late WW1 and post-war Wickes class. For such an old ship, Roper did significant service in WW2. She did lots of convoy escort in the Atlantic and Caribbean, apparently sinking or participating in the sinking of a U-boat off NC. Mid-war she was converted to a high-speed transport, serving in the Med and later the Pacific (where she was hit by a Kamikaze).

The Wickes and Clemson class DDs were kind of basic cookie-cutter ships, ugly, easy to build in large numbers (which they were). They were designed and built at a time when the USN was going through an urgent modernization based on WW1 experience. Their cruiser companions chronologically and in ugly were the Omaha class light cruisers. When WW2 came they were obsolescent, not very well suited for surface combat or as AA and anti-submarine escorts for the carriers. But they did well as US Atlantic coast and Caribbean convoy escorts and patrols, and in so doing freed up more modern DDs and CLs for more demanding transatlantic convoy escort, Pacific surface combat, and as AA and anti-submarine escorts for the carriers in the Pacific .

The first boat to be sunk at Pearl Harbor was an IJN midget submarine sunk by the Wickes class DD, USS Ward. Several Clemson class four-pipers served in the Battle of the Java Sea, and the Omaha class USS Richmond fought in the Battle of the Komandorski Islands.

First German submarine sunk off the East coast was done in by the Roper on the surface. the Roper (DD-147) ws also one of the few ships to earn 4 battle stars in three theaters of conflict.

[SVPete]

First German submarine sunk off the East coast was done in by the Roper on the surface. the Roper (DD-147) ws also one of the few ships to earn 4 battle stars in three theaters of conflict.

I didn't realize that that was the first sinking of a U-boat, though it was fairly early in 1942. It makes sense that it was a battle surface sinking. One of the problems with the Wickes and Clemson DDs was that their small size limited modernization. So they kept their 4"/50 guns (33 pound shell, 8-9 rounds per minute, ~16,000 yards range) and I'm not sure they had sonar or radar.

[67 Rover]

I didn't realize that that was the first sinking of a U-boat, though it was fairly early in 1942. It makes sense that it was a battle surface sinking. One of the problems with the Wickes and Clemson DDs was that their small size limited modernization. So they kept their 4"/50 guns (33 pound shell, 8-9 rounds per minute, ~16,000 yards range) and I'm not sure they had sonar or radar.

4 Apr 1942
On this day USS Roper (Lt.Cdr. Hamilton Howe) sank U-85 near Cape Hatteras, USA.

U-85 was the first U-boat to be sunk off the North American coast after the start of Operation Drumbeat (Paukenschlag) on 13 January 1942.

On the day that she was sunk U-85 stayed on the surface through the engagement. After repeated gunfire hits on the boat, fatally damaging her, the order to abandon ship was given and maybe half of the crew got into the water and then U-85 started to sink again fast. USS Roper then dropped 11 depth charges onto the already sinking U-boat and its 2 dozen survivors and in the process killed everyone in the water.
-----------

My father told me that they in fact did stop to rescue survivors after the depth charging but soon after it began someone spotted a potential second sub and they left immediately pulling some survivors into the screws. 

No charges were filed against the crew of Roper and 29 sailors of U-85 were buried with military honors at Hampton National Cemetery.[3]

Roper's commanding officer, Lieutenant Commander Hamilton W. Howe, received the Navy Cross for the engagement of the submarine[4] and retired in 1956 with the rank of Rear Admiral.[5]

Former commander of German U-boat U-802 and author Helmut Schmoeckel suggested in a 2002 book that the failure of Roper to rescue the U-85 crew after they abandoned the submarine and Roper's subsequent depth charging of U-85 should be investigated. He never used the phrase war crime, as is sometimes stated, and he relied on a very inaccurate American book as his source.[6]


I would like to get a copy of that book someday.

[SVPete]

Interesting that U85 chose to stay on the surface for the engagement. That suggests that U85's battery was very low or that some critical machinery was not working. As small as USS Roper was, compared to later USN DDs, both her displacement and speed were nearly double U85's. And Roper had four 4"/50s against U85's single 88mm deck gun. U85 would have had to have made a perfect near miraculous hit in a magazine to survive.

[FunkyZero]

destroyer sailors are definitely Iron men with steel balls!

At times in the north Atlantic the seas were so rough the boat rolled at 300 feet. It was fun to watch some newbie walking around with a garbage bag tired around their neck to puke into.

At a previous job, I used to sit in the cafeteria at lunch with a bunch of the shop guys to listen them bullshit and tell stories... older fellas mostly.
There were 2 younger guys there about my age and one day were yapping about their Navy life. They were both deployed on carriers; one a fireman the other did ordinance. They sat there and told stories of the rough life, how much it sucked doing x, y or z... this went on for a while.
There was this older black guy sitting with us who never said a lot but mentioned the years he was in to the younger guys. One asked him what he did, and all he said was "F#$% frigate".
Almost as if they had choreographed the thing, the two younger guys both looked at him and without missing a step and perfectly in sync, all they said was "you poor bastard".  I got a good laugh out of that. They were pretty much dead serious.
He went on to tell us how funny it was the first few minutes walking on solid ground when they got off the thing. He was claiming in rough seas, that thing would roll 30-40 degrees sometimes. It wasn't a place where you left loose anything just laying around, because if you did, it was broken or never seen again.
I just can't imagine living like that for weeks or months at a time.

[67 Rover]

Interesting that U85 chose to stay on the surface for the engagement. That suggests that U85's battery was very low or that some critical machinery was not working. As small as USS Roper was, compared to later USN DDs, both her displacement and speed were nearly double U85's. And Roper had four 4"/50s against U85's single 88mm deck gun. U85 would have had to have made a perfect near miraculous hit in a magazine to survive.

They did have and use the torpedoes as well as the 88mm to attack the Roper.

According to the after action report, the attack occurred after midnight local time after Roper closed to identify an unknown contact (U-85) and was narrowly missed by a torpedo prior to opening fire.

[Skul]

I was on a row boat when the lake was choppy. 
9
 

[SVPete]

I was on a row boat when the lake was choppy. 
9
 

You did a karate workout with a girlfriend named Lake?

[Texacon]

I was on a row boat when the lake was choppy. 
9
 

 

^5!

KC

[Gwitness]

I've done several cruises ...aboard a 220 crab boat in the Bering Sea......it gets a bit sporty up there.

[Skul]

Sporty

  
I suppose it does.  ^5

[USA4ME]

dhol82

We were on the ninth deck in the front. Had to lock our exterior Hull doors and had waves sweeping over our balcony.

This primitive failed to thank his rich, Republican in-laws for paying their way on the cruise, because ain't no primitive can afford a room on their own higher than deck 2. And only interior rooms at that.

.

[ChuckJ]

During my cruising era (back before the Dems destroyed the economy) we were on two cruises impacted by hurricanes.

The worst was the old Carnival Celebration. It is (or was) about 730' or so long. The seas were in the 20' to 40' range. It was a five day cruise and only the first day and last day wasn't affected. My wife stayed in bed sea sick. I had swing from wall to wall to get her apple slices as they ran out of sea sickness meds by the second day. The whole deal chapped my behind because I'd payed a ton extra to get a balcony because it was our anniversary and for most of the trip we weren't allowed to use it due to the weather.

The best was on the Carnival Glory which was one of their bigger ships at the time. There were two hurricanes affecting us that trip. The captain did an excellent job of navigating the ship in relation to the storms. Then he shot the gap and maneuvered between the storms. When we got between the storms I sat on our balcony and took around 200 photos of the most beautiful sunset I'd ever seen. It was also on that cruise that I got to see a US Coast Guard rescue with a helicopter and a C-130 (I believe).