Coast Guard and Navy Assist Stranded Cruise Liner

This was the story I never got to on Tuesday.

A stranded Carnival cruise ship, disabled by an engine room fire Monday, is being towed to San Diego where it is expected to arrive Thursday night with 4,400 passengers and crew on board.

“The ship has been operating on auxiliary generators, and engineers have been unable to restore additional power to the vessel,” said the Carnival statement. “Thus far, one tug boat has reached the ship and has begun towing, with additional tugs en route to expedite the vessel’s return.”

This is the assist from the maritime services:

Three U.S. Coast Guard cutters, a Coast Guard HC-130 Hercules aircraft and a 965-foot container vessel that was in the area initially responded to the distressed cruise ship. Also assisting was a Mexican Navy 140-foot patrol boat and aircraft. Two of the cutters, including one from San Diego, have since left the scene, as has the plane, according to the Coast Guard.

A Coast Guard team did board the ship board to inspect the damage, assess the health of the crew and passengers and ensure the food and water are safe, said Coast Guard spokeswoman Jetta Disco. In addition, two members of the Coast Guard in San Diego are assisting with the initial investigation of the fire. Because it is a Panamanian-flagged vessel, Panama is overseeing the probe, she added.

At the Coast Guard’s request, the U.S. Navy’s aircraft carrier Ronald Reagan was diverted from training maneuvers to take a position south of the Carnival ship to help deliver needed supplies, the Navy said.

Two planes from North Island Naval Air Station in Coronado made a total of eight flights to the Reagan Tuesday, delivering 65,000 pounds of supplies, including bread, canned goods, utensils and frozen milk, “all stuff you could serve cold,” said Cmdr. Greg Hicks of the Navy’s Third Fleet in San Diego. Once aboard the carrier, a helicopter was took the supplies to the cruise ship.

The whole story by Lori Weisberg is worth reading.

The always excellent USS Ronald Reagan Facebook page had this update late Tuesday evening:

Ronald Reagan just completed sending requested supplies to the Carnival Splendor. We took 7 CODs with supplies today, and sent 60 pallets via 20 helicopter lifts with food and supplies.

And this photo album of the assist. I can't imagine anything being more comforting to a passenger on a stranded cruise liner than a US Coast Guard Cutter off the bow, except perhaps the silhouette of a US Navy nuclear powered aircraft carrier on the horizon.