No Shuttle Damage: NCL Cruise Ship Wake Causes Minor Drama at Intrepid Museum

Updated at 10:58 AM with comment from the U. S. Coast Guard.
Updated at 10:29 AM with comment from Norwegian Cruise Lines.

The wake from a docking cruise ship in New York’s Hudson River jostled the retired submarine Growler at the Intrepid Museum, knocking its gangway into the water, according to Coast Guard Petty Officer 3rd Class Sara Romero.  The Norwegian Star, which can carry 2,348 passengers, was pulling into Pier 88 under the guidance of a New York harbor pilot on the bridge.  Norwegian Cruise Lines Public Relations Vice President AnneMarie Mathews  says propulsion and thrusters were used “which created a wake in surrounding waters.”


Norwegian Jewel pictured Not the Norwegian Star.

Describing it as a “minor incident,” Coast Guard Spokesperson Thomas McKenzie said that there were “no damages, no injuries, no collisions and no pollution released.”

There was no damage to the Space Shuttle recently put on display at the museum.

Earlier today @cbsnews reported that the Intrepid Museum was damaged in a ‘collision’ with a Norwegian Cruise Lines Ship.

Luke Sacks, at the Intrepid Museum, sent me this statement…

The initial finding is that a cruise ship thrusting its engines as it attempted to turn into its berth north of the Intrepid pier generated a strong wave that caused the retired submarine Growler to move. There were no injuries. A gangway to the Growler was damaged.  The Intrepid was not affected.

Anne Marie Mathews, Vice President of Public Relations at Norwegian Cruise Line says…

This morning at Pier 88 in New York City, Norwegian Star docked safely and securely without making contact with any other vessel or pier.

The ship was guided by a New York pilot who was on the bridge.  In the process of maneuvering to its docking position, the ship experienced strong current conditions. To keep the ship in its correct docking approach under these conditions, propulsion and thrusters were utilized which created a wake in the surrounding waters.

 

The future of onboard pools

Norwegian Star Pool and Slides
By Tom Stieghorst

As a kid, it was hard to keep me out of a pool, but now as an adult I’m less and less inclined to go for a swim.

I was thinking about this on a cruise aboard the Viking Star, the new ship from Viking Cruises, which has three pools. The main pool is midship; there is an infinity pool aft and a counter-current pool in the ship’s spa.

I can’t vouch for the third pool, but the other two did not get a lot of use that I could see. Several passengers I talked to agreed, and they had a variety of theories about why.

One was the cool April temperatures, in the 50s for the most part. The Mediterranean will heat up as summer arrives, and that alone might spur more use of the outdoor pools.

Another factor, one older woman confessed, is that she wasn’t too happy with her appearance in a bathing suit. A man said that the pools are overflow dining areas, and the presence of diners inhibited people from swimming.

The main pool on the Viking Star. Photo Credit: Tom Stieghorst
    The main pool on the Viking Star. Photo Credit: Tom Stieghorst

Unmentioned, but undoubtedly a factor, is that Viking does not encourage children as passengers. The 633 guests on my 10-day cruise between Istanbul and Venice were mainly in their 60s and 70s.

I have to think a ship operated by Carnival Cruise Line or Royal Caribbean International in the same timeframe and location would have more pool users based on demographics.

Which leads to the interesting decision by two cruise lines to get rid of swimming pools. Crystal Cruises planked over one of two pools on the Crystal Serenity in favor of a new dining area. And Windstar Cruises recently announced that it will remove the pool on the three ships it is acquiring from Seabourn, also for expanded restaurant space.

No one uses the pool, Windstar CEO Hans Birkholz said bluntly, in announcing the change at Cruise Shipping Miami in March.

It is tempting to think there will always be a pool on cruise ships. Windstar is adding a counter-current pool for exercise even as it eliminates the more traditional pool area.

Viking, which has no pools on its river cruise ships, opted for two outdoor pools on the 930-passenger Viking Star. And on large, activity-jammed ships in the contemporary segment, pools are an integral part of their appeal.

But on smaller ships that cater to mainly to older guests, there’s already been some erosion of the pool’s primacy. It leads me to wonder how much further the trend might go.

Norwegian Star cruise canceled to fix ship

Norwegian Cruise Line has canceled a Panama Canal cruise scheduled to depart Los Angeles on April 12 because of a problem with the ship’s ABB-manufactured Azipod propulsion.

In a statement, the cruise line said the Norwegian Star would undergo repairs from April 21 to 26. The Star had just emerged in late March from a scheduled drydock in which it received a variety of upgrades. See report from drydock.

Guests booked on the 15-day cruise will receive a full refund as well as a 50% future cruise credit.

Norwegian said the next cruise on the ship is scheduled to depart Miami on April 27.