Man and woman overboard! Another cruise ship story from hell...

[LiberalHeart]

So a couple falls off a cruise ship (HOW does that happen? Two at once?) and the powers that be are notified -- but it takes them ten minutes to return to the spot where the report was made. What's up with that?

http://newsgrinder.blogspot.com/2007/03/man-and-woman-overboard-whyd-it-take-10.html

[evlbstrd]

1. It takes a long time to turn one of those monsters around.

[TahitiNut]

4. Indeed! The 'man overboard' maneuver takes time to perform - but not much.

EVERY ship's captain knows this maneuver and should be able to perform it in any kind of weather ... directing the ship in such a way that it re-traces the course taken and comes within boat distance of the person in the water.

Generally speaking, the helm is thrown hard to starboard until the heading of the ship reaches a predetermined point (old-timers did a 60 degree course change in the "Williamson Turn") and then it's thrown hard to port to complete a net 180 degree course change with the ship going back in it's own wake. Some compensation is made for each ship's propulsion characteristics and the winds and tides at that point on the sea - nowadays that can be computer-assisted.


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anderson_turn#The_Williamson_Turn

[LiberalHeart]

5. But didn't they keep going for ten minutes?

I thought they stopped after ten minutes of hearing someone was overboard instead of immediately stopping. And wouldn't there be smaller boats aboard the ship for use in rescue missions?

A woman from the city where I live is missing. She went on a cruise with her family a few months ago and went missing while aboard.

[pnwmom]

2. I'm just guessing, but the physics of turning a big ship around is

different than turning a car on the road. I'm not surprised it would take that long.

[xultar]

3. My mom said she was almost blown overboard during a storm @ sea

She didn't see hoow she could happen @ first but after going on a cruise and being in a storm with high winds she said that she in deed almost got blown off the ship.

[petronius]

6. I think what they might mean is that they were back at the spot w/i 10 minutes

Which would be more reasonable, since they'd have to retrace whatever distance was covered between the fall and the report getting to the crew...