M/S Explorer evacuated - Antarctica

"number6" <snumber6 RemoveThis @aol.com> wrote in message
news:b7bc757b-7bb2-4a2f-92cb-1551bfeda34b@w40g2000hsb.googlegroups.com...
> On Nov 23, 7:11 am, "JohnT" <johnSPAMNO... RemoveThis @fastmail.fm> wrote:
> > Story is athttp://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/7108835.stm
>
> Good thing the rescue ship shore excursion wasn't fully booked ...

CNN reported a fist size hole. I don't understand why the pumps couldn't
keep up with the water from a hole that size. What kind of damage control
capability would a vessel like this have? I guess they weren't prepared to
go overboard and install a canvas patch.
 >> Stay informed about: M/S Explorer evacuated - Antarctica 

On 11/23/2007 9:08 PM Newby plucked Senior Frog's Magic Twanger and said:
> "number6" <snumber6 RemoveThis @aol.com> wrote in message
> news:b7bc757b-7bb2-4a2f-92cb-1551bfeda34b@w40g2000hsb.googlegroups.com...
>
>> On Nov 23, 7:11 am, "JohnT" <johnSPAMNO... RemoveThis @fastmail.fm> wrote:
>>
>>> Story is athttp://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/7108835.stm
>>>
>> Good thing the rescue ship shore excursion wasn't fully booked ...
>>
>
> CNN reported a fist size hole. I don't understand why the pumps couldn't
> keep up with the water from a hole that size. What kind of damage control
> capability would a vessel like this have? I guess they weren't prepared to
> go overboard and install a canvas patch.
>
>
>
We're talking Antarctic water temperature here. Hypothermia would
cause the crew member(s) to have a fatal heart attack before the job
could be accomplished. This breach happened below the water line. Why
couldn't the pumps keep up? Pressure on the outside of the vessel is
greater then pressure on the inside. This makes the force of water
entering the ship greater and faster then the water being pumped out.

--
________
To email me, Edit "blog" from my email address.
Brian M. Kochera
"Some mistakes are too much fun to only make once!"
View My Web Page: http://home.earthlink.net/~brian1951
 >> Stay informed about: M/S Explorer evacuated - Antarctica 

In article <13kfou06g82386c.DeleteThis@corp.supernews.com>, BrianK
<brianBLOG1951.DeleteThis@earthlink.net> wrote:

> We're talking Antarctic water temperature here. Hypothermia would
> cause the crew member(s) to have a fatal heart attack before the job
> could be accomplished. This breach happened below the water line. Why
> couldn't the pumps keep up? Pressure on the outside of the vessel is
> greater then pressure on the inside. This makes the force of water
> entering the ship greater and faster then the water being pumped out.

The hole should not have caused so much damage. The Explorer was
designed for the arctic and the hull was reinforced against collisions
with ice.

The ship has sunk.

--
Charles
 >> Stay informed about: M/S Explorer evacuated - Antarctica 

Charles <fort RemoveThis @his.com.remove.invalid> wrote:

>In article <13kfou06g82386c RemoveThis @corp.supernews.com>, BrianK
><brianBLOG1951 RemoveThis @earthlink.net> wrote:
>
>> We're talking Antarctic water temperature here. Hypothermia would
>> cause the crew member(s) to have a fatal heart attack before the job
>> could be accomplished. This breach happened below the water line. Why
>> couldn't the pumps keep up? Pressure on the outside of the vessel is
>> greater then pressure on the inside. This makes the force of water
>> entering the ship greater and faster then the water being pumped out.
>
>The hole should not have caused so much damage. The Explorer was
>designed for the arctic and the hull was reinforced against collisions
>with ice.
>
>The ship has sunk.

In regular people's boats, it is recommended that people have plugs of
various sizes to hammer into leaks caused by puncturing the hull. Also
people use 'collision mats' which are applied to the outside of the
hull and kept in place by the water pressure to reduce the flow.

I also do not understand why a reinforced hull was damaged so
severely. But a steel ship always has to protect against rust, so
maybe the hull had not been maintained and had gotten weakened by rust
in concealed areas.
 >> Stay informed about: M/S Explorer evacuated - Antarctica 

In article <nqegk39hjqekcg2u38te57nanle8fp2vt4.TakeThisOut@4ax.com>, Rosalie B.
<gmbeasley.TakeThisOut@mindspring.com> wrote:

> I also do not understand why a reinforced hull was damaged so
> severely. But a steel ship always has to protect against rust, so
> maybe the hull had not been maintained and had gotten weakened by rust
> in concealed areas.

That is a possibility. Since the ship has sunk and because of the
location of the sinking I doubt the hull will raised or dived to for an
investigation. It might be possible to go back and check maintenance
records and whatnot from recent drydocks. They may have taken x-rays.

--
Charles
 >> Stay informed about: M/S Explorer evacuated - Antarctica 

In article <nqegk39hjqekcg2u38te57nanle8fp2vt4.TakeThisOut@4ax.com>, Rosalie B.
<gmbeasley.TakeThisOut@mindspring.com> wrote:

> In regular people's boats, it is recommended that people have plugs of
> various sizes to hammer into leaks caused by puncturing the hull. Also
> people use 'collision mats' which are applied to the outside of the
> hull and kept in place by the water pressure to reduce the flow.

Also to add to what I just posted after you, they could have been human
error in responding to the damage. I am sure investigators will
interview the crew. Happily all the passengers and crew survived and I
have not heard of injuries.

Here is a good picture of her before she went down. I saw it this
morning on the front page of the Washington Post. This link is from a
site that does not require registration.

<http://www.latimes.com/news/printedition/asection/la-fg-ship24nov24,1,8
09748.story?coll=la-news-a_section>

--
Charles
 >> Stay informed about: M/S Explorer evacuated - Antarctica 

Picture of Explorer sinking.
http://aycu37.webshots.com/image/36316/2002809885374324721_rs.jpg


"Charles" <fort RemoveThis @his.com.remove.invalid> wrote in message
news:241120071013077111%fort@his.com.remove.invalid...
> In article <nqegk39hjqekcg2u38te57nanle8fp2vt4 RemoveThis @4ax.com>, Rosalie B.
> <gmbeasley RemoveThis @mindspring.com> wrote:
>
>> I also do not understand why a reinforced hull was damaged so
>> severely. But a steel ship always has to protect against rust, so
>> maybe the hull had not been maintained and had gotten weakened by rust
>> in concealed areas.
>
> That is a possibility. Since the ship has sunk and because of the
> location of the sinking I doubt the hull will raised or dived to for an
> investigation. It might be possible to go back and check maintenance
> records and whatnot from recent drydocks. They may have taken x-rays.
>
> --
> Charles
 >> Stay informed about: M/S Explorer evacuated - Antarctica 

"Charles" <fort.TakeThisOut@his.com.remove.invalid> wrote in message
news:241120070740240078%fort@his.com.remove.invalid...
> In article <13kfou06g82386c.TakeThisOut@corp.supernews.com>, BrianK
> <brianBLOG1951.TakeThisOut@earthlink.net> wrote:
>
>> We're talking Antarctic water temperature here. Hypothermia would
>> cause the crew member(s) to have a fatal heart attack before the job
>> could be accomplished. This breach happened below the water line. Why
>> couldn't the pumps keep up? Pressure on the outside of the vessel is
>> greater then pressure on the inside. This makes the force of water
>> entering the ship greater and faster then the water being pumped out.
>
> The hole should not have caused so much damage. The Explorer was
> designed for the arctic and the hull was reinforced against collisions
> with ice.
>
> The ship has sunk.


According to the NY Times article, the ship did not have a double hull, only
a double bottom.

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/11/24/world/americas/24ship.html?_r=1&th&e...th&oref

The Explorer is registered in Liberia. Built in Finland in 1969, it was
designed to operate in Antarctic and Arctic waters, according to a spokesman
for G.A.P., Dan Brown. It was small, to move swiftly through dangerous
waters, and had a double bottom, a second layer of steel. But the vessel did
not have a double hull, a complete second steel sheath, the kind developed
after the Titanic sank.

--Jean
 >> Stay informed about: M/S Explorer evacuated - Antarctica 

"BrianK" <brianBLOG1951 RemoveThis @earthlink.net> wrote in message
news:13kfou06g82386c@corp.supernews.com...
> > We're talking Antarctic water temperature here. Hypothermia would
> cause the crew member(s) to have a fatal heart attack before the job could
> be accomplished. This breach happened below the water line. Why couldn't
> the pumps keep up? Pressure on the outside of the vessel is greater then
> pressure on the inside. This makes the force of water entering the ship
> greater and faster then the water being pumped out.
>
>

The pumps should have been able to keep up, but apparently the
breach was in the engine room and they lost power. No power, no
pumps!

Pete
 >> Stay informed about: M/S Explorer evacuated - Antarctica 

Not real true, any ship has a few underwater pumps usually located in
propeler shaft tunnel that are fed from Emergency generator, located near
the funnel of the ship.
These pumps can be used as fire fighting or bilge pumps and motor is located
under a so called helmet(metal Dome so water does not get insde them.

The Explorer had been writen up by inspectors for non working or failing
watertight doors on last inspection.

Jaap van Dorp.


"Uncle Peter" <radioconnection.RemoveThis@cox.net> wrote in message
news:jj%1j.1142$iw1.399@newsfe22.lga...
>
> "BrianK" <brianBLOG1951.RemoveThis@earthlink.net> wrote in message
> news:13kfou06g82386c@corp.supernews.com...
>> > We're talking Antarctic water temperature here. Hypothermia would
>> cause the crew member(s) to have a fatal heart attack before the job
>> could be accomplished. This breach happened below the water line. Why
>> couldn't the pumps keep up? Pressure on the outside of the vessel is
>> greater then pressure on the inside. This makes the force of water
>> entering the ship greater and faster then the water being pumped out.
>>
>>
>
> The pumps should have been able to keep up, but apparently the
> breach was in the engine room and they lost power. No power, no
> pumps!
>
> Pete
>
 >> Stay informed about: M/S Explorer evacuated - Antarctica 

This message is not archived
 >> Stay informed about: M/S Explorer evacuated - Antarctica 

Capt Mary Kidd wrote:
> The message <VpmdnQjKyPtrB9XanZ2dnUVZ_t2inZ2d.DeleteThis@suscom.com>
> from "Jaap van Dorp" <GEjockey.DeleteThis@comcast.spam.net> contains these words:
>
>
>> The Explorer had been writen up by inspectors for non working or failing
>>watertight doors on last inspection.
>
>
> This was of no significance, it was back in May and what the news
> reports failed to add in their write-ups was the further comment made
> by the MCA.
>
> "An MCA spokesman, Mark Clarke, said: "These were not huge problems and
> were all rectified before the vessel sailed. It would not have been
> allowed to depart if everything had not been sorted out.""
>
> That point is not however newsworthy to the media.
>
Just who will be responsible for providing the
definitive report on the Explorer's sinking?

Cheers,
John in LALALand (On the Left Coast)
 >> Stay informed about: M/S Explorer evacuated - Antarctica