Celebrity ship comes within 100 ft of home

[jlemieu1]

I'm doubting we would ever see this with DCL ships

From the video the guy shows, I really think the cruise line and port authorities were lying about staying in the channel.

http://www.local10.com/travel/fort-...lebrity-equinox-got-within-100-ft-of-his-home

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. - Bill Todhunter and his wife are used to seeing cruise ships pass by their waterfront home. But on Friday night, the Celebrity Equinox ship was way too close for comfort.

"I looked up and all I could see was the bow of the vessel, and it was towering over the house," Bill Todhunter said.

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• Cruise ship passengers say construction at sea spoiled vacation

Todhunter looked over at Port Everglades from his backyard, where cruise ships regularly pass by, but he said the night’s experience was a first.

"We've been here for six years. We've never seen anything like that," Todhunter said. "We've never seen anything that close."

He believes that ship was about 100 feet from his house.

"When the cruise ship's thrusters stopped, there was silence and I yelled, 'Somebody's going to get fired,' and everybody on the cruise started applauding," Todhunter said.

He said that the ship was so close, those on board could hear him.

"As Equinox departed on Friday, March 3, she was in her assigned channel at all times under the guidance of specialized local port pilots," Celebrity Cruises said in a statement. "The ship operated safely and did not put guests or crew at risk. We can also confirm the ship did not touch bottom."

Todhunter doesn’t believe the statement.

He researched the Equinox online and found the ship's information.

"So you know that there's 25 feet of ship below the waterline, and so it's obviously touching bottom," Todhunter said.

He the ship used its thrusters and eventually backed out and then took off.

"To say it's in the proper channel is a bogus statement," Todhunter said.

Todhunter contacted the U.S. Coast Guard and said the agency is planning a full investigation.

Copyright 2017 by WPLG Local10.com - All rights reserved.

 

[Hillbeans]

I saw this posted on the DM earlier...they had an Arial view of the house and where the dock sits in relation to the water and that ship was very, very close to his dock - easily within 100 feet.

 

[KalamityJane]

You can tell by the video that that ship is WAY too close. The sand is stirring up at the bottom from the thrusters.

 

[Dug720]

Wow. First the Infinity crashed into the dock in Ketchikan last summer and now this....

 

[truck1]

When any DCL ship leaves Port Canaveral they stir up the bottom. It's not an uncommon thing.

I looked at another boards that shall remain nameless and someone else posted they were having really strong winds up to gale force that week. I also pulled the chart for Port Everglades and where the ship was, the channel extends to within 20 feet or so of the deck the homeowner was on. The channel is 40 feet deep up to that point. Looking at the date stamp, the chart and location, I think the ship was turning around because of a tanker that rolled over dumping 8000 gallons of diesel and gas near her original pier and she got moved to another. The area she was in is considered a turning basin. I'm not surprised that the ship was churning mud with her thrusters, at that point, or that they heard him on the ship as sound travels better over water. What I am surprised at is that the homeowner waving his arms and striking a superman pose thinking that was going to stop the 140000 ton ship.

BTW, the CG already closed the investigation so nothing serious happened.

 

[truck1]

I'm doubting we would ever see this with DCL ships

.

We did see something similar. When the Dream was being christened in Port Canaveral, she was tied port side to the pier. She did a practice run the day before. She came off the pier but as she did she drifted backwards towards the RCL ship that was behind her. She got to with in about 50 feet or so of the RCL ship before she moved foward.

 

[KalamityJane]

When any DCL ship leaves Port Canaveral they stir up the bottom. It's not an uncommon thing.

I looked at another boards that shall remain nameless and someone else posted they were having really strong winds up to gale force that week. I also pulled the chart for Port Everglades and where the ship was, the channel extends to within 20 feet or so of the deck the homeowner was on. The channel is 40 feet deep up to that point. Looking at the date stamp, the chart and location, I think the ship was turning around because of a tanker that rolled over dumping 8000 gallons of diesel and gas near her original pier and she got moved to another. The area she was in is considered a turning basin. I'm not surprised that the ship was churning mud with her thrusters, at that point, or that they heard him on the ship as sound travels better over water. What I am surprised at is that the homeowner waving his arms and striking a superman pose thinking that was going to stop the 140000 ton ship.

BTW, the CG already closed the investigation so nothing serious happened.

Thanks for doing the legwork I did laugh at the guy waving at them. It must have been a bit shocking to see a cruise ship THAT close but what you said explains it well as to why.

 

[truck1]

Thanks for doing the legwork I did laugh at the guy waving at them. It must have been a bit shocking to see a cruise ship THAT close but what you said explains it well as to why.

Your welcome. Theres a lot of tattle tales that tell most of the story. The one thing I'm still not sure on, is how they came to be 45 degrees off in relation to the channel. Either she got pushed by the wind, or she was facing inland and had to turn. Either way she wasn't in danger.

 

[jlemieu1]

When any DCL ship leaves Port Canaveral they stir up the bottom. It's not an uncommon thing.

I looked at another boards that shall remain nameless and someone else posted they were having really strong winds up to gale force that week. I also pulled the chart for Port Everglades and where the ship was, the channel extends to within 20 feet or so of the deck the homeowner was on. The channel is 40 feet deep up to that point. Looking at the date stamp, the chart and location, I think the ship was turning around because of a tanker that rolled over dumping 8000 gallons of diesel and gas near her original pier and she got moved to another. The area she was in is considered a turning basin. I'm not surprised that the ship was churning mud with her thrusters, at that point, or that they heard him on the ship as sound travels better over water. What I am surprised at is that the homeowner waving his arms and striking a superman pose thinking that was going to stop the 140000 ton ship.

BTW, the CG already closed the investigation so nothing serious happened.

That is why I love this board. I know there are always a couple people with old sea legs that can set the records right thanks.

 

[Neptune's Fork]

I don't see the newsworthy aspect to that. It just looked like it was pivot turning and didn't appear at anytime like it was in danger of hitting any dock. I think that guy was being over dramatic about it. And why yell at the ship that someone is going to get fired? That seems like such a ridiculous thing to be saying in that circumstance.

 

[jdb in AZ]

Did Celebrity charge extra for the "shore excursion?"

 

[EpicBilynn]

All I could think was how cool that would be to see in person!

 

[lorimay]

I like his wife screaming in the background, she should have been screaming at her husband to move, because if the ship would have hit their dock he was a goner.

 

[Weedy]

If it was going to hit his dock he was very stupid to stand there and wave at the ship. Like a train the ship can't stop on a dime.

 

[lucas]

I'm doubting we would ever see this with DCL ships

Never say never.

 

[truck1]

I don't see the newsworthy aspect to that. It just looked like it was pivot turning and didn't appear at anytime like it was in danger of hitting any dock. I think that guy was being over dramatic about it. And why yell at the ship that someone is going to get fired? That seems like such a ridiculous thing to be saying in that circumstance.

I don't see it as being news worthy either. It must be a slow news week as I heard it on the radio this morning taking my wife to work. They were being overly dramatic. It shows how ignorant they are of the waters literally in their backyard.

 

[truck1]

Found a statement from Port Everglades. Short version, she was exiting berth 25 and as she exited and was turning into the channel, she was caught in a gust of wind pushing her a little further to one side then normal. The pilot and capt kept her in the channel, and life went on.

The only thing missing from the video, was Rodney Dangerfield on the bridge yelling, you scratched my anchor!

 

[Capt_BJ]

using Google Earth I found the house (by watching video closely and noting pool and chairs on the deck). Next found this location on a nautical chart of Port Everglades. The edge of the channel is about 75 yards from the shoreline as placed on the chart. I've actually SCUBA dove in this channel (different story) and know that the edges are virtually vertical walls of rock. In other words, you are either IN the 45 foot deep channel or you are out of the channel in less than 10 feet of water. There is NO gradual transition. If the ship went out of the channel it hits a rock wall underwater. The thruster wash DID stir up the bottom of the shallow water outside of the channel. Did the ship overshoot the centerline of the channel? Clearly. Was it 'out of the channel'? close but probably not. I also see the pilot boat was hanging off the starboard bow (right edge of the video) and the water shoals SO fast here that it would have been aground in less than 3 feet of water if the ship had 'hit the wall' of the channel's edge IMO. Some 'pucker moments' for the pilot and Master tho .... that's for sure! And makes one understand why ports require tugs to be standing by for assist work when the winds are up. Which raises the question, where was the tug that should have been in position to help push the bow around?