Cruise Ship and the "willing" USCG

[spartonboat1]

Geez, I am watching the evening news, NBC, and their reporter on the story of the cruise ship adrift off of CA. A Carnival Line boat, as I could see "video at 6".

What cheezed me off was the reporters 'authoritative, but breezy' report. "Well Brian, the USCG Cutter (name?) is floating nearby and is reported to be willing to remain, until all are safe!". Willing? Willing!? Maybe she had "orders to standby" and render assistance from USCG command. It is for sure that she (the cutter) was not there due to the friendly willingness of her skipper, cordial as he might be; certain he is not a good samaritan.

These reporters really are irritating. Worse that I sit and watch them every day. I am really a grump about the media.

Oh, yeah. And Katie Couric (the perky or the cutie?) refers to her planned visit to the Midwest after the elections, to interview and learn why we are so out of sorts. She refers to us as "the great unwashed". Well, maybe on the weekend, after changing the DD's oil, but where does she come up with condescending attitude?

Enuf grump...

 

[rsmith]

If I turn on the tube and see Katie Couric's condecending face I change back to Fox news.

 

[Genesis]

Yeah, an engine room fire is no small issue. From reports I've heard they managed to get auxiliary power back up and have running cold water and toilets, but not much else. The fire apparently did enough damage that they can't restart any of the mains....

Those cruise ships are primarily electrical plants in the engine room; the modern ones aren't direct-drive to the screws. You lose the mains and your primary electrical power is gone. NOT GOOD!

 

[Bob Bradley]

Aw c'mon, Spam isn't that bad.

 

[Avenger]

This morning my local channel called it a "harrowing ordeal" for the passengers. Maybe it's just me, but I usually reserve terms like that for fear of imminent death type of stuff, not for when the A/C is off and the toilets are backed up.

But I guess the news media isn't above a little hyperbole to sell a story, right?

 

[Canuck Dennis]

Reporters bunch of deadbeats, still don't believe the election results, they push the line that the electorate "did not really understand the issues" and the dems were at fault for not explaining in more detail what their plans were. Sounds better than the truth "the people are really pissed off with the Government"

I see the potus is again placating the Muslim community with more apologies, maybe a look at what's happening in Europe might give him a better insight.

Just my 2c from across the 49th....

 

[MikeP]

I don't know how these disgusting vessels ever get "certified" for carrying passengers. They look inherently unsafe and every time one of them encounters rough seas there are accounts of the balcony windows being smashed. I mean really, who the heck came up with the design? And better yet, who the heck approved it?

An old U-boat captain probably wouldn't have even bothered to torpedo one, knowing it couldn't last long in the North Atlantic anyway...

 

[Genesis]

I dunno.... I was on one coming into Miami in.... "sporty" conditions (TS-strength winds and waves) and was up at 5:00 the morning we were docking.... I enjoyed the pool deck - was the only one up there in the rock-n-roll.....

It's amusing to be out in conditions you'd NEVER intentionally take YOUR boat out in and find that it's just a bit of a change in your gait when walking.... I found the motion kinda-pleasant actually...

 

[MikeP]

Well, I admit I've never been on a cruise in a "modern" boat but if given a choice between "cruising" in one of the current boats or something like the Queen Mary or SS United States...