NavArch64

To brisalta ... excellent discussion of repair ... thank you for the reference.

Weather in Ketchikan looks very nice ... for those who stayed onboard, finally a good outcome. Afternoon temp up to 69 ... beautiful.

Ruby Princess almost to Ketchikan ... looks like all is well ... due to the berth at 0730 local time.

All good comments. I am particularly impressed by those of brisalta and Boatdrill ... excellent. In conclusion, I enjoyed the discussion.

As usual, you are perfectly correct. (I did choose my words very, very carefully, however. Therefore, I would ask that no one add any words to my post that I did not use.)

It was painted on the hulls soon thereafter.

We wish all 2677 passengers a safe and enjoyable voyage. Everything else concerning this incident is up to the USCG and PCL. My personal conclusions are unimportant ... I apologize to any who were offended. Ruby Princess is one of my favorite ships ... perhaps I was more concerned with the ship than anything else. (Taken at Grand Turk in 2012)

And with that, Ruby Princess is off the berth and on her way.

Given the excellent video provided earlier today showing the details of the allision, and given that the only "hands" on the thruster controls were a Princess Navigation Officer (presumably the Master), assuming the SF Bar Pilot did his/her job of properly advising the Captain, and assuming that there were no ship system failures (which we don't know yet), it appears that we can come to a preliminary conclusion, pending additional information. I am interested in any comments.

Just to be clear, the bridge voice recorder is a component of the voyage data recorder VDR. I would be most interested in hearing (or viewing a transcript) of the dialogue between the Captain, Staff Captain and SF Bar Pilot, before, during and after the allision. I would also be curious as to the type of conversation between the three principals during today's 4pm (scheduled) departure on the bridge of Ruby Princess. I can only guess that it will be a different SF Bar Pilot than the one on Thursday morning ... but no conjecture on this either.

Of course, the VDR will be very important in the USCG investigation as well ...

I agree with your comments ... in the first approach, it appears as if the tug on the after port side pulls away, as if the tug Captain fears getting crushed between the ship and the pier. Also, during this first approach, it does not appear that there is any change in heading or speed of the ship as the allision becomes imminent. That to me, doesn't make sense. But, as is always pointed out on CC, conjecture is dangerous and can often be wrong. The bridge voice recordings will be most revealing when they are eventually released in the USCG accident/incident report.

The video will be an important component of the USCG investigation. I would guess that Santa Clarita (PCL HQ) and Miami (CCL Corp HQ) will find it interesting as well. I see clearly what happened, but I still don't know why.

The key to a 4pm sailing today ...

For those onboard Ruby Princess waiting to sail, I recommend a visit to the Jeremiah O'Brien currently moored on the west side of Pier 35. SS Jeremiah O'Brien is a Liberty ship built during World War II and named after the American Revolutionary War ship captain Jeremiah O'Brien (1744–1818). Now based in San Francisco, she is a rare survivor[a] of the 6,939-ship 6 June 1944 D-Day armada off the coast of Normandy, France.[5]

To Mike45LC ... current Ruby Princess position ...

To SCX22 ... thank you for the info.

Why only those two schools? What about Maine Maritime, Mass Maritime, NY Maritime, Texas A&M, or Great Lakes Maritime? Are they lesser schools than the two you mention? To chengkp75 ... I should have named all 7 schools. As usual, you are perfectly correct. I stand corrected.

I would guess that William Burke will lead the internal investigation for Carnival Corporation ... William Burke, retired Vice Admiral, joined Carnival Corporation & plc in December of 2013, as the Chief Maritime Officer, where he heads the Maritime Policy Department, which is responsible for driving the company’s commitment to safety. A native of Hornell, N.Y., Burke graduated from the United States Naval Academy with a Bachelor of Science in Systems Engineering and completed a Master of Business Administration at Marymount University. He earned a Master of Science degree in National Security Strategy at the National War College in Washington, D.C. and is also a graduate of Massachusetts Institute of Technology Seminar 21 Program in International Politics.

Using a nominal estimate of $300 per person per day in expected revenue for the 10 day voyage of Ruby Princess, with a nominal 3000 guests onboard, this incident has already cost Princess Cruises (and therefore Carnival Corporation) at least $300 x 10 x 3000 x (0.75 + 0.75) = $13.5 million in guest compensation alone (refund + FCC). Add in the repair costs, less the fuel costs saved for the shorter voyage, and this incident is no doubt costing over $15 million. If I were in Santa Clarita or Miami, I would be more than curious. (If I have made a mistake in my arithmetic, please let me know)

I would be curious to know if he/she was a graduate of either the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy at Kings Point, NY or the California Maritime Academy at Vallejo, CA. Also, whether he/she was a graduate of the Maritime Institute of Training and Graduate Studies at Linthicum, MD. Just an idea of the skill level he/she brought to the bridge of Ruby Princess. Given the news report you referenced, it would appear that the Pilot was very experienced and highly skilled. So, the interesting question is why did this happen? A state-of-the-art cruise ship under the command of a skilled and experienced Captain with the advice and counsel of a skilled and experienced Pilot. Yes, as one who has been on the bridge of Ruby Princess, I am curious. PS I served as Director of the Office of Advanced Ship Operations at the US Maritime Administration in Washington, DC for much of my career.

To SCX22 ... thank you for the info ... the Master of Ruby Princess appears to be Capt. Mario Tani from your post. Does anyone know the name of the SF Bar Pilot who was onboard?

Hopefully, Ruby Princess will be on her way to Alaska soon and all guests onboard will have a safe and enjoyable voyage.

If conditions were perceived to be "normal", the Bridge Team would be expected to consist of the Captain (Master), Staff Captain, Senior Watch Officer, Junior Watch Officer, Quartermaster, Lookout and SF Bar Pilot. All members of the Bridge Team would be expected to participate actively in the dialogue necessary to achieve safe maneuvering to the berth. The Captain (Master), Staff Captain and SF Bar Pilot would be at the center of such dialogue. Again, the USCG can be expected to issue a report on the incident at some future time.