It's always a heart breaker to lose one of those beautiful tall ships. Thhey are reminders of how the USA was borne, and how the seas were our lifeline for commerce. It's sad there aren't more of them still afloat!
Scotty, you're ex-Navy. I'm sure you can figure out why the captain put the ship to sea with a gale coming. Any ship is safer at sea than tied up to the dock -- although why he didn't run south or SSE away from the storm track beats me.
Yes, the Navy ALWAYS goes to sea in the face of bad weather, because it's actually SAFER for the ship and crew. It's easier to fight the storm at sea than to try and keep the ship from beating itself to death against the pier! I guess the crew got turned around, and sailed right into the worst of the storm. It is a tragic loss, no matter how you look at it!
I remember Hurricane Andrew back in the 90's. My ship sortied out of Norfolk to ride out the storm at sea. Pretty impressive the way it rocked a Nimitz class aircraft carrier around.
My little frigate survived two hurricanes during my time aboard her - one at sea - eewww, that was rough....!! - and one in drydock in NorVa. We darned near went down at sea - frigates don't like being on their side.....
Sad about the Bounty. I still have a scale model of her.
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My dad was in a least one typhoon in the Pacific in WWII. He was on an escort carrier, no big ship, but he felt really sorry for the guys in the DDs and DEs.
I think Halsey got in hot water for taking TF-58 through a typhoon.
At 180 feet, that ship wasn't really big enough to take on a storm 800 miles wide and already announced as being monumentally bad.
I think I would have sought out some shelter somewhere, It's a modern ship built in the old style, likely had engine power, etc. BUT, being a midwesterner, my thoughts are not too relevant.
I do remember some slides (remember slides?) my uncle showed that he had taken from the deck of a freighter on which he had booked a cabin for a crossing of the North Atlantic. Two of the same passing ship stick in my mind. In the first, both the bow and stern are sticking out of the water as a wave lifts the ship. You could easily see the screws and rudder. The second one, the bow and stern were in the water, but you could see air beneath the keel amidships. I don't know how large the ship was, but Uncle Bill and my dad, a WWII Merchant Mariner in both theaters, were pretty impressed. This was sometime in the late '50's.
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Currently being reported right now by a Coast Guard Lt. Commander.
That two members are still missing.
And the ship is partially sunk, with the masts still above water.
Said the water pumps on board of the ship.
Could not keep up with the over wash, from the waves of water.
The Coast Guard needs to be commended, for their outstanding rescue/recovery job.
These brave men & women, are constantly putting their own lives in danger.
To rescue others, and are Angels of the seas!
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Scotty, you're ex-Navy. I'm sure you can figure out why the captain put the ship to sea with a gale coming. Any ship is safer at sea than tied up to the dock -- although why he didn't run south or SSE away from the storm track beats me.
I'm betting he got set by the current of the Golf Stream, and with a square rig--no closer than 60 deg to the apparent wind in most cases, was unable to make good his desired course.
Keeping her tied up would have battered her to death on the pier.
The US navy sortied their major ships ahead of the storm as well.
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I just saw a news report that included the Coast Guard rescue efforts. I have to hold out a LOT of respect for those rescue swimmers. Amazing guys. The report said that they have found one of the bodies and the captain is still missing. The other 14 have been rescued. The news reporter said they were headed from Connecticut to Florida.
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