Fatal Accident on QM2

[Mark Baber]

A local news radio station in NYC just broadcast a bulletin to the effect that a gangway collapsed on QM2 today, killing "at least 11 people." No further details were provided at this time.

 

[Tracy Smith]

I just read about it on yahoo.

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap/20031115/ap_on_re_eu/queen_mary_accident&cid=518&ncid=716

 

[Tarn Stephanos]

my god, if the stokers head being visible aloft Titanic's 4th funnel was a bad omen for Titanic, this incident casts a enormous dark cloud on QM2...

 

[Tarn Stephanos]

After a riveter was sealed into the hull of the Great Eastern, that ship had one misfortune after another....
I expect the same for the QM2....
Sorry, Ive worked on boats all my life, and I am superstitious..

 

[John Clifford]

Actually, this tragedy may affect the shipyard more than the Queen Mary 2.

The cause of the accident is being investigated, and at this time the focus is on the gangway and the shipyard's owners, French heavy engineering firm Alstom. The gangway was installed by a French firm Endel, a unit of utilities giant Suez.

We'll hear more about what happened, in the next few weeks.

My prayers are with the victimes and their families.

 

[Jake Angus]

The myth of the riveter being sealed in the hull of the Great Eastern is untrue. How horrific that this story is true.

 

[Tarn Stephanos]

Really? According to all the accounts I have read the story is true...

 

[Jason D. Tiller]

What a terrible tragedy. According to CNN, most of the victims were children.

Thanks to John for the link. My prayers are with the victims and the families as well.

Best regards,

Jason

 

[Jake Angus]

Here's the update: http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/national/apeurope_story.asp?category=1103&slug=Queen%20Mary%20Accident

No children were injured.

As for the Great Eastern, the cells in the hull were too small to hold anybody. I read this in 'The Sway of the Grand Saloon', mentioned on an earlier thread on this board.

 

[Jason D. Tiller]

Hi Jake,

Thanks for the update.

Best regards,

Jason

 

[Michael H. Standart]

The hell of it all is that the ship was sitting high and dry in the drydock when this happened. No storm surges or wave action to blame here. I wouldn't be surprised if this ended with criminal sanctions somewhere.

 

[Tarn Stephanos]

Heads will roll, rest assured...

Not a good year for sea faring vessels-
there was the Staten Island ferry mishap that resulted in some truly gruesome deaths, now this...

 

[Michael Shetina]

...and something happened to the Norway earlier this year, right?

 

[John Clifford]

I just read, in the New York Times, that the gangway that fell had been installed on Friday, specially for the weekend visits. Therefore, the investigation will likely focus on how the gangway was installed and secured, at both ends, especially since the ship, itself, would have all the apparatus to make sure the gangways, at the various ports, would be secured when the ship comes in.

The ship's finishing touches will probably be completed while the investigation is conducted. I doubt this will affect the January 12th maiden voyage.

Again, my prayers are with the victims and their families.

 

[Erik Wood]

Heads will role, but whose heads?? The ship is not yet in the possession of Carnival Corp. Captain Warick is not responsible for what builders do to his future command, until the company which builds the ship puts it in Warick's possession.

Who put the gangway in place and who supervised and approved it's use?? There will the man/woman who will be headless.

 

[Jerry Nuovo]

Yesterday I heard maritime historian John Maxtone-Graham in a radio interview.He said that any attempt to compare this tragedy with the Titanic or Great Eastern is meaningless and that the Cunard Line and the shipyard are not to blame and that a company that installed the gangplank and which this same company is not associated with the shipyard may be the one to blame.John also stated that at the same shipyard built the Royal Caribbean Cruise Ship Monarch of the Seas over a decade ago.While Monarch of the Seas was being built a bad fire broke out in her bow section.The fire was so bad that her bow section had to be replaced with a new bow section.John did admit that there were no loss of life in this fire and that accidents at shipyards are a fact of life.I do think that John Maxtone-Graham did make a lot of good points in this radio interview. Sincerely,Jerry Nuovo

 

[Chris Mazzella]

Here's some more news on the accident: https://www.encyclopedia-titanica.org/discus/messages/6937/79961.html?1069088586

 

[Michael H. Standart]

According to the CargoLaw website, the death toll is now up to 16.

 

[Kyrila Scully]

I just read about this horrible accident. It sent chills up and down my spine and I was wearing a heating pad at the time. I hope this is not a foreboding event.

Kyrila

 

[Michael H. Standart]

While I'm not a believer in foreboding events, seamen as a whole still tend to be a superstitious lot. How this will effect the QM2 is anybody's guess, but people who expect misfortune have an uncanny knack for finding ways to make it happen.

Oh, and remember what I said about criminal sanctions? Check out the CargoLaw site above. They revised the death toll down to 15. They also said the following: "Two inquiries into disaster under way, including criminal investigation into manslaughter & involuntary injury -- 48 people thought on gangway to Cunard's new flagship cruise liner at time of loss. (Mon. Nov. 17 2003)"