Freedom Fire

[chengkp75]

Thanks for the detailed facts and follow-up contained in your recent posts. It's always refreshing to see posts that are full of information instead of speculation.

 

I'll put a little speculation in here. The engine casing above the engine rooms, from about deck 3 up don't contain a whole lot other than some wireways, piping, and the engine exhausts. But, based on what the Captain said in his video, that the fire started down below and travelled up the casing, if it had actually been a fire that climbed that high, there would have been much more severe damage, and the ship would most likely have lost use of that entire engine room. So, here's my speculation. One of the turbochargers on the engines developed a leak of the lubricating oil seals, and the oil was sprayed into the turbine area where the 1000*F exhaust gas ignited it. (Not a common failure, but not uncommon either). This fire travelled up inside the exhaust pipe for the engine, finally burning through the exhaust pipe (generally pretty thin steel), and igniting things at various levels of the engine casing, most likely the worker's equipment and stuff up on deck 14 where they are working on the scrubbers. It would have been interesting to see if the smoke started from one of the exhausts, and then moved to the starboard side of the stack.

[APDMOM]

Over the last 2.5 years, I've defended Carnival, RCI, Oceania, and even Costa (though never that pond scum Schettino) against unfounded and uninformed accusations when marine incidents happen. Hopefully, I've brought some truth to shipboard operations and emergency procedures. And I've slammed lines like Silverseas and Carnival when they warranted it.

 

Wow, has it only been a couple years? Sure enjoy the dialog on CC. (mostly :D)

 

I have a tendency to skip over most posts and just read yours. Thanks again for the detail and explanations that we can understand. :)

[Iron-Maiden's-No1-Fan]

I've just watched a video of the abandon ship siren going off onboard.. I'm in tears.. Scary stuff but everyone looked calm.

Thanks OP for posting, I have upmost faith in all RCI crew and can't wait to sail on Indy next year.

Edited July 29, 2015 by Iron-Maiden's-No1-Fan

[Creepella]

I've just watched a video of the abandon ship siren going off onboard.. I'm in tears.. Scary stuff but everyone looked calm.

Thanks OP for posting' date=' I have upmost faith in all RCI crew and can't wait to sail on Indy next year.[/quote']

 

I honestly never thought I'd hear it outside of a drill. But, yeah, most people were very calm. There were a couple of crying kids, but that's about it. It's amazing how so many people didn't even have a sense of urgency about it. I think, though, it helped that we were within sight of land.

[Aquahound]

Over the last 2.5 years, I've defended Carnival, RCI, Oceania, and even Costa (though never that pond scum Schettino) against unfounded and uninformed accusations when marine incidents happen. Hopefully, I've brought some truth to shipboard operations and emergency procedures. And I've slammed lines like Silverseas and Carnival when they warranted it.

 

Wow, has it only been a couple years? Sure enjoy the dialog on CC. (mostly :D)

 

Ah ha...I do remember you trying to be factual in the Carnival Triumph case, though some folks on that thread just couldn't accept it. In fact, if memory serves me right, that was one of the rare occassions we didn't quite see eye to eye on some topics...respectfully, of course. :)

 

Yes, the dialogue can be quite spirited from time to time, can't it?

 

Oh, and thanks for jumping on the grenade and reading the Walker site. Now, I don't have to. :D

[chengkp75]

Ah ha...I do remember you trying to be factual in the Carnival Triumph case, though some folks on that thread just couldn't accept it. In fact, if memory serves me right, that was one of the rare occassions we didn't quite see eye to eye on some topics...respectfully, of course. :)

 

Yes, the dialogue can be quite spirited from time to time, can't it?

 

Oh, and thanks for jumping on the grenade and reading the Walker site. Now, I don't have to. :D

 

No worries. Though I'll trade the Walker site for anything you can ethically send my way about the Pride of America lifeboat accident.

[fragilek]

Rhapsody also had a fire last week-

 

don't know if it has been mentioned on here already but there was also a fire on the Rhapsody of the seas on the 12 July sailing (can't recall what night it was) but the bravo call went out some time after midnight, then cabins on deck 8 where evacuated to to allow them to be vented. The captain came on after the fire was out (about 40 mins after the call) stating that all was well now and the fire had been due to a industrial dishwasher. Not sure how long into the night the deck 8 passengers had to stay out of the cabins.

[Cindy]

Ah ha...I do remember you trying to be factual in the Carnival Triumph case, though some folks on that thread just couldn't accept it. In fact, if memory serves me right, that was one of the rare occassions we didn't quite see eye to eye on some topics...respectfully, of course. :)

 

Yes, the dialogue can be quite spirited from time to time, can't it?

 

Oh, and thanks for jumping on the grenade and reading the Walker site. Now, I don't have to. :D

 

I remember that Triumph thread...so much drama!:eek:

[davidcraig2003]

Rhapsody also had a fire last week-

 

don't know if it has been mentioned on here already but there was also a fire on the Rhapsody of the seas on the 12 July sailing (can't recall what night it was) but the bravo call went out some time after midnight, then cabins on deck 8 where evacuated to to allow them to be vented. The captain came on after the fire was out (about 40 mins after the call) stating that all was well now and the fire had been due to a industrial dishwasher. Not sure how long into the night the deck 8 passengers had to stay out of the cabins.

 

I was onboard. We were in the Schooner bar. It was sometime between 12 -1 that the Bravo call went out (we were sitting with the Piano man after his set). From that point on it was about 40 minutes before the captain giving the all clear. My recollection was that Deck 2 cabins were evacuated and it originated from an Ice Machine, but I am far from confident on that part!

 

My father was asleep on Deck 7 and unaware of the calls, he is pretty sure that it wasn't broadcast into the cabins (at least the unaffected ones).

 

Looking back at MarineTraffic, our location at that point was a few miles at sea directly out from Rome (Fumicino), with only the 80km left to Civitavecchia remaining. It would be interesting to know the time period from the Bravo call to the captain arriving on the bridge. Funnily enough, that morning at the Captains Corner, he mentioned that turnaround day in Civitavecchia was a very long day due to the very early arrival, turnaround, and the high traffic area that evening on departure. So no doubt he would be asleep 2 hours before pilot pickup.

[Studio472]

I put on my dry suit and decided to enter the scummy pond of Jim Walker to see if he had jumped on the POA lifeboat accident already (he had), and saw a couple of posts about the Freedom fire. I now see where this poster got his/her information.

 

Walker claims that the corporate PR statement contradicts the Captain's video. The Captain states that the fire started in the engine room, and went up the engine casing to deck 14. As I've stated, the engine room and casing from deck 0 to deck 14 is one common space, there are no doors, and no full decks between. Corporate states the fire was contained to "mechanical spaces", which is true. The fire never left a mechanical space and entered a public or non-engineering crew space.

 

As I suspected, the Captain noted the large number of "hot spots" and embers, which relates to the number of fire extinguishers apparently discharged.

 

As opposed to the above poster, the Captain clearly states that the Jamaican authorities gave clearance to sail, so there was an "investigation" to the satisfaction of the "port state" at the time. This is the legal, international requirement.

 

Walker then takes a passenger video and makes comments about it. He says "so the ship was burning for 35 minutes before docking" making it sound as if there was another option to proceeding to the dock in order to make a dockside evacuation possible. He also comments that no crew were seen on the video (about 3 minutes long). At this time, the crew are doing two things: deck and engine personnel are preparing for maneuvering the ship into harbor and docking, and most crew are responding to the fire at their emergency stations. There would not be a lot of crew assigned to the open pool/sports decks during an emergency (probably 3-4 each deck, just to clear folks and send them to their muster, when the alarm sounds).

 

Anyway, I hope I've debunked any idea of a cover-up or negligence on the part of the company to hide the truth. Very obviously, the Captain was given directions from Corporate to make the video, so there was no real effort by shore staff to hide the details, but the Captain, by his job, would tend to give more detail than a PR release.

 

You nailed it. I wanted to read the whole thread before posting a link to Walker's site and you beat me to it. More to the point, I'm not posting his link. Yes it can be informative but it's such a twisted view to fit his agenda.

[rtw68]

I don't post a lot on here but really felt it was important to let everyone know what a great job RCCL did with the fire. We were on our balcony on the 10th floor and saw the smoke but did not think that much of it because we were pulling into port and thought it was just a normal amount coming out of the stacks. We could not smell the smoke but had just made a comment that I had never seen it so black before. Within a few minutes they issued the alarm and made the Bravo, Bravo, Bravo with what decks the fires were on.

 

The crew was excellent! They all remained calm and helped older passengers get down the stairs. I only had a slight panic because my son was still asleep and in the cabin across the hall. I banged on his door but the alarm did wake him up. The rest of my family were with me except my Mom and brother but I knew they were together and we met at the muster station almost immediately.

 

We stayed outside for about an hour but with a lot of updates from the Captain and then they moved us into various places on the ship but kept groups together. The had water and sandwiches available almost immediately.

 

Last night they had the fire crew come up on stage. If I remember correctly, there were about 80 of them. They, of course, had a standing ovation!

 

RCCL did allow everyone to call home and free WiFi that day. The also compensated each cabin, various amounts, for the inconvenience.

 

Again, we always here the negative about RCCL and just wanted to give some good news for once!

 

Thank for you for the information. We are looking forward to our FOS cruise and am glad for how well they handled the situation!

[Thetrail]

One has to ask the question what would have happened if the ship had re-ignighted, with all these extinguishers having being used. They still had to get back to there home port. I have also heard that Royal Caribbean tried to hush this fire up abit with people on the land, it would appear as they should have had an inspection before they left, which apparently didn't happen. There could be a bit of a fine in the pipeline.

of which you have no firsthand knowledge, information or expertise in......:rolleyes::rolleyes::rolleyes:

[TheTruthCanHurt]

i am not a cheerleader or a hater. It does seem that by most accounts people seem to be very complimentary about the way the situation was handled ( from the accounts I have read of those actually on board).

However, one thing I did find interesting.. When there was the fire on the ship off of the east coast ( forgive me, I think it was the grandeur). It was immediately posted on the actual RCCL website on the front page. In this situation, although it was discussed in social media, there was never a notice on the RCCL page????? I thought that was a bit odd. ( or maybe it's just that the world thinks that social media is the only way people chose to get information)????

 

Also as I recall, people were very complimentary of the crew of the carnival triumph as well, it seems that it was the leadership that everyone was so pissed at ( and so it seemed rightfully so)..

[Aquahound]

However, one thing I did find interesting.. When there was the fire on the ship off of the east coast ( forgive me, I think it was the grandeur). It was immediately posted on the actual RCCL website on the front page. In this situation, although it was discussed in social media, there was never a notice on the RCCL page????? I thought that was a bit odd. ( or maybe it's just that the world thinks that social media is the only way people chose to get information)????

 

Also as I recall, people were very complimentary of the crew of the carnival triumph as well, it seems that it was the leadership that everyone was so pissed at ( and so it seemed rightfully so)..

 

The incidents on Grandeur and Triumph took those ships out of service and the thousands of passengers on board were severely affected. Family and friends didn't immediately know the status of their loved ones. Those cases were very different than this one.

[TheTruthCanHurt]

The incidents on Grandeur and Triumph took those ships out of service and the thousands of passengers on board were severely affected. Family and friends didn't immediately know the status of their loved ones. Those cases were very different than this one.

 

 

Of course the situations were different. BUT "no one immediately knows the status of their loved ones, and there is ALWAYS mis information and speculation the minute something severe happens (LIKE A FIRE). this website is famous for bad information ( and as you put it spirited debate). So I merely stated that It was interesting that RCCL did not post this on their site. to get in front of it and to spread the most accurate information they could.

[chengkp75]

Of course the situations were different. BUT "no one immediately knows the status of their loved ones, and there is ALWAYS mis information and speculation the minute something severe happens (LIKE A FIRE). this website is famous for bad information ( and as you put it spirited debate). So I merely stated that It was interesting that RCCL did not post this on their site. to get in front of it and to spread the most accurate information they could.

 

No, but they did open free wifi for everyone onboard for a couple of days so that the social media could be used to contact loved ones, and also the fact that the ship was in port allowed anyone who needed to to call home.

[Daghis]

So I merely stated that It was interesting that RCCL did not post this on their site. to get in front of it and to spread the most accurate information they could.

In the interest of accuracy, they did tweet:

#FreedomOfTheSeas experienced a fire this morning in a mechanical space. The fire was contained & extinguished, all systems are functioning.

 

— RCLcorp (@RCLcorp) July 22, 2015

 

#FreedomoftheSeas is alongside in Falmouth, Jamaica, as scheduled, and all systems are functioning.

 

— RCLcorp (@RCLcorp) July 22, 2015

 

All guests onboard #FreedomoftheSeas have been accounted for and there are no reported injuries to any guests.

 

— RCLcorp (@RCLcorp) July 22, 2015

 

All #FreedomoftheSeas crew members are safe and accounted for. One crew member was treated for a first-degree burn.

 

— RCLcorp (@RCLcorp) July 22, 2015

 

Since 1pm, #FreedomoftheSeas guests were able to leave the ship to enjoy Falmouth, Jamaica.

 

— RCLcorp (@RCLcorp) July 22, 2015

 

#FreedomoftheSeas current cruise will continue with its regular scheduled itinerary. Next stop is George Town, Grand Cayman, tomorrow

 

— RCLcorp (@RCLcorp) July 22, 2015

[bobmacliberty]

Thank you for your affimative post as to how the situation was handled. There have been times when I was on a ship when a drill was being conducted and I made myself the "fly on the wall" to listen and observe what was going on. Always, I have been impressed.

 

Realizing this is not a Holland America Line Message Board, but there is a blog on the Holland America website that is written by a very experienced HAL Captain, Captain Albert. He currently is aboard the M. S. Statendam conducting drills and training. He has several blog posts that describes and shows photos of the drills and what he puts the crew threw. A major fire in the ship's showroom complete with casualties is included. I find it very re-assuring that, as cruise guests, we are as safe at sea as can be made possible.

 

Thanks for pointing me to Captain Albert's blog. Fascinating to read what he has to say, not just about the drills that he is leading, but about general "behind the scenes" info related to captaining a ship, and about his recent perspective on Alaska cruising. Info on the drills/training certainly does reinforce how well cruise lines prepare for emergencies. For others, here is a link to the blog:

http://www.hollandamericablog.com/author/captain-albert/

 

Check the blog postings for July 20, July 22, and July 28 for some of the drill related information that rkacruiser mentions. That's as far back as I've read, but his blogs go back to 2007. Anyone know if any of the Royal captains also blog?

Edited August 1, 2015 by bobmacliberty

[Big_G]

Of course the situations were different. BUT "no one immediately knows the status of their loved ones, and there is ALWAYS mis information and speculation the minute something severe happens (LIKE A FIRE). this website is famous for bad information ( and as you put it spirited debate). So I merely stated that It was interesting that RCCL did not post this on their site. to get in front of it and to spread the most accurate information they could.

 

I could be wrong but think the threshold for posting on the RCI website is when a ship will be pulled from service. It seems like the notices in the past have been for next cruisers and not so much for family and friends of passengers on the ship.