Tale told of harrowing ordeal at sea
By Curtis Lum
Advertiser Staff Writer
The seas had been rough since 665 college students left Vancouver, British Columbia, Jan. 18 for the Semester at Sea program aboard the MV Explorer. But the constant rocking was nothing compared with what they would experience eight days into their journey to South Korea.
Richard Ambo • The Honolulu Advertiser
In the early morning hours of Jan. 27, wind gusts up to 115 miles per hour and seas topping 50 feet began to pound the 590-foot-long Explorer. Furniture, books and other items were thrown to the floor and huge waves swamped the ship's seventh-floor bridge.
The educational ship Explorer pulled into Honolulu yesterday after cutting short a cruise. The Bahamian-flagged vessel was hit by huge waves that shattered windows and damaged bridge controls.
"It was a straight-up wall right up in front of us, coming right after us," Becky Drury, executive dean of Semester at Sea, said yesterday after the ship docked in Honolulu for repairs. "We saw numerous waves of that magnitude. It was such that you couldn't hold on."
The huge waves and wind blew out the bridge's windows and shorted out power to the controls. The ship's four engines also were disabled for a while as the crew struggled to maintain control of the vessel, which was nearly 2,000 miles northwest of Hawai'i.
The ship's crew called for help. The Coast Guard launched the Hawai'i-based cutter Jarvis, which was on patrol near Alaska, and dispatched a HC-130 aircraft. Meanwhile, the Explorer's crew struggled to keep control of the ship, while students and 62 faculty did the same for themselves.
Most of the passengers were asleep when the huge waves began to rock the boat. Several people said they were thrown out of bed and heavy tables bounced around like aluminum furniture.
The rough conditions lasted for nearly 12 hours.
"It was frightening to see everybody in their life jackets as we're all huddled on the floor," said Cody Aichele of Moscow, Idaho. "Some of us were crying, some of us were praying and some of us were singing. But everybody was together."
Tana Bleser of Key Largo, Fla., said everyone had gone through emergency drills, but nothing would prepare them for what they experienced. She said she knew something was wrong when she saw the concerned looks on the crew members' faces.
"At times I was wondering if I would see my mother again," Bleser said.
Rhea Santangelo, a native of New York, said the Pacific crossing had been rough and she thought the ship was going through another minor storm. She said she was trying to sleep when things got crazy.
"There was a second wave and it threw me out of my bed and threw me into my door, and my nightstand came crashing into me at the door," Santangelo said. "I was like, whoa, something's not right this time."
As people gathered in hallways and large rooms, Santangelo said there was a party atmosphere for some as the boat rocked and people slid from one place to another. During the ordeal she said the ship's captain and crew, as well as Semester at Sea faculty, kept things under control.
"The people around me were like, 'Don't cry, don't get scared, we're gonna be OK. The lifeboats are fully equipped and if we have to go out there, that's what we have to do,'" Santangelo said. "We were ready for whatever was gonna come our way."
The decision was made to turn around and head to Hawai'i for repairs. The 25,000-ton Bahamian-flagged ship will stay here until repairs are completed.
The Semester at Sea Program is operated by the Institute for Shipboard Education in partnership with the University of Pittsburgh. The program offers two 100-day, around-the-world tours and a shorter 65-day summer cruise.
Reach Curtis Lum at 525-8025 or culum@honoluluadvertiser.com.
