Comments on: Riding Out a Hurricane in a Ship

By: Niko Koelen

Niko Koelen — Wed, 16 Jan 2013 15:41:30 +0000

nicely written thing. if you like the style, please read "handling small boats in heavy weather" by frank robb, because that is where the credits belong.

By: Ron Palmer

Ron Palmer — Tue, 15 Jan 2013 21:15:34 +0000

The vessels that gives me real concern in Hurricane/Typhoon/Tropical Depressions etc are those uige slab sided car carriers. Trying to hold those ships head to wind in 100 knots plus would require a lot of grunt. If they fell off the wind it would seem impossible to get their head back into it. I guess they would have to run before the seas and wind with the fear of broaching and/or running out of sea room. Remaining in port would be equally as difficult with their high slab sides presenting huge windage and difficulties in getting sufficient length for their mooring lines. Would appreciate a comment from a mariner who has experienced a hurricane in a car carrier.

By: fred parle

fred parle — Thu, 01 Nov 2012 18:13:44 +0000

Must have been about 1964 on board TET Caltex Colombo a T2 Vessel. I was a Junior Engineer , we got bad weather off the Hooghly Estuary off East Coast of India . We had both anchors out and engine on all of four days . It was not possible to sleep as one was constantly fecked out of the bunk or hammered by the deckhead on the way down. Watchkeeping was a pipe hugging experience with memories still vivid of being in mid air before jolting as the deck rose up from ten feet or more at a serious rate. We travelled 27 miles , I remember being told by the captain , astern during the blow and the Anchors were bright silver when lifted. There was no paint of any sort from stem to stern on the starboard side . There were no casualties TG . Afterwords I was informed that we had survived a Hurricane . Ive been dodging them ever since .

By: grahamthepipe

grahamthepipe — Tue, 30 Oct 2012 07:10:48 +0000

I commented, yesterday, about my personal experience of being in the eye of a hurricane. Reading the varying reports on what should,or should not, happen – in respect of staying in port or riding it out – I 100% agree with Max Hardberger’s (a serving Master Mariner ?) that this should be, solely, the Master’s decision.

‘Persons’, whose priorities relate to company profits rather than the safety and interests of the ship’s crew, should leave professional decisions to the professionals and not accountants!

By: Neil A. Nieminsky II

Neil A. Nieminsky II — Tue, 30 Oct 2012 05:43:53 +0000

the problem with the Bounty was more of a " modern thinking " when dealing with a ship designed 200 plus years ago.

ships built today are made to survive most anything that the sea can throw at them. This is why the US Navy would rather have their fleet out at sea instead of docked at Norfolk / Newport News. They can take the heavy swells / waves and keep going as long as they keep their bows to the storm, thus being able to give some control in how the ship faces the waves.

One look at history shows tall sail ships were not made to ride out a storm such as Sandy in the middle of the ocean.

By: Joe Semon

Joe Semon — Mon, 29 Oct 2012 23:13:18 +0000

Road out Erin in 95 aboard the USNS Hayes, an submarine acoustic testing ship moored to a buoy in mile deep water. The U.S. Navy weather guessers were telling the ship to get underway and head north. I had a Direct TV dish mounted on a handrail and we were watching the weather channel and it looked like if we followed the USN advice, we would be sailing right into it so we stayed put with the engines on an ahead bell to ease the strain on the mooring line. Lessons learned that day was to pull the acoustic array well in advance of that kind of weather because once it got bad we really didn't have a choice and also don't rely on just one source of weather info.