Princess Cruise Ship Hits Whale In Alaska

AOL Travel News:

A dead whale, believed to be a juvenile humpback, was discovered on the bulbous bow of the 2,670-passenger Sapphire Princess as the ship cruised from Ketchikan to Juneau, two of the most popular Alaska ports.

Read the whole story: AOL Travel News

Comments

[kareemachan]

09:52 AM on 08/03/2010

FTA: 'In a statement, the cruise line says, "We were surprised and concerned by the discovery, as the ship felt no impact. It is unknown how or when this could have happened as we were not aware that any whales were sighted in close proximity to the ship when the whale was discovered."

Yeah right.

It's things like this, their sewage dumping in the ocean, health concerns from cramming that many people into a relatively small area, and the fact they run their engines the whole time they are in port here in Seattle with the resulting exhaust, that makes me sure that it would be a cold day in he// before I would take one of their cruises.

[Claw2122]

01:08 AM on 08/02/2010

sarah palins version of a joy ride i believe

[Seafarer61]

10:13 PM on 07/30/2010

I'd hedge a bet the whale was already dead.

[LazloTu]

12:03 AM on 08/01/2010

As a former Alaskan from Juneau, and also a seafarer, I doubt it was dead. History of whale hits in Alaska disputes your hunch.

The Inside Passage has narrow passages and large numbers of whales; cruise ships are notorious for ignoring the 'rules' of maintaining specified distances from whales...

[SwingingFromCenter]

02:55 PM on 07/30/2010

Well, obviously the solution to this is to create a law banning cruising and to shut down all these cruise companies. No worries though, they've got all the free unemployment they could ever want.

[jnik]

01:27 PM on 07/30/2010

The ship's captain, a Mr. Ahab, refused to comment.

[Ishmael1]

05:59 PM on 07/31/2010

A Former Crewman, Elijah. WAS available for comment:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sVK9aaTEWbE

" At sea one day, you'll smell land where there be no land. On that day. Ahab will go to his grave, but he will rise again within the hour. He will Rise and Beckon. And then ALL, All save one shall follow."

[Morgantheaxe]

03:24 AM on 07/30/2010

Pffft the whale took out the sailboat......the cruise ship got revenge. Eye for an eye.

[Amalek]

12:29 AM on 07/30/2010

I was on a cruise recently above Norway near the ice Cap. The whales were thick as flies. I was amazed we did not hit more of them. (maybe we did - it was a big boat). Polar bears are smarter though, they tend to stick closer to the ice.

[BurritoT]

11:42 PM on 07/29/2010

O well, there are 4 or 5 more hundred left in the Ocean - no need to worry.

[SouthJerseySteve]

06:43 PM on 07/29/2010

Well if it isn't a whale you run over, it's a Duck Boat.....

[Elizabeth Schwartz]

04:22 PM on 07/29/2010

We should examine the cruise industry in general - they are terrible for the environment, dumping tons of crap/year in our oceans.

[lioness39]

07:49 PM on 07/29/2010

Yes, they are. They are the reason for pollutions for generations with their waste and general disregard for marine life.

[Erzsebet Gilbert]

03:06 AM on 08/02/2010

I have to say that though I am quite glad that people have the opportunity to see different places around the world and enjoy themselves, the cruise ships I have seen from various shores have been, well, sort of offensive, ostentatiously enormous and loud, and I have often thought that this kind of thing has to have a pretty malignant environmental impact.

[Beowoof]

03:13 AM on 08/02/2010

.......which once again comes down to picking our fights. Unfortunately, it's on a long list of b@ttles which seem to stem from ostentatiously enormous and loud sources.

[O K Ali]

04:05 PM on 07/29/2010

I guess if the cruise ship was named "Research", there wouldn't be a story.

[kareemachan]

09:54 AM on 08/03/2010

If the ship was named "Research", it would have KNOWN the whale was there. Duh.

[lilydoggone]

02:55 PM on 07/29/2010

Alert the Sea Sheperd...

[sarapy]

02:42 PM on 07/29/2010

all those accidents - seems like Princess is NOT safe to float on...

[ThePlague]

02:15 PM on 07/29/2010

Whales are overpopulated. We need to get back to whaling to take care of this problem. Whales provide vital resources like oil from their blubber, not to mention products that can be made from their bones and teeth, and obviously the food industry could really profit from whale meat as well. Pacific Rim countries especially like Japan could really benefit. Yes, whale hunting needs to be regulated, but we need to get back to it. There are too many resources that can be obtained from doing so to simply ignore. And their overpopulation is starting to hurt the overall ecosystem. Let's get the great American industry of whaling operational again which could create heaven-knows how many jobs.

[macungieman]

02:21 PM on 07/29/2010

Overpopulation? Says you?

[MCJanes]

02:38 PM on 07/29/2010

There's a BIG difference between "not-endangered" and "overpopulated".

[sprootles]

02:01 PM on 07/29/2010

Perhaps they should invent a nautical verson of 'whistlers'...

('Whistlers' are tiny, bullhorn shaped objects people put on the hoods of their automobiles to supposedly scare away deer...I personally feel they don't work, but whatever...)