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Conference unifix::sailing

Title:	SAILING
Notice:	Please read Note 2.* before participating in this conference
Moderator:	UNIFIX::BERENS

Created:	Wed Jul 01 1992
Last Modified:	Mon Jun 02 1997
Last Successful Update:	Fri Jun 06 1997
Number of topics:	2299
Total number of notes:	20724

311.0. "Pride of Baltimore sinks" by PULSAR::BERENS (Alan Berens) Mon May 19 1986 19:43

Associated Press Mon 19-MAY-1986 13:09                      Baltimore Clipper

   BALTIMORE (AP) - The Pride of Baltimore, a clipper ship which
this port city used to promote tourism and development, sank in a
sudden squall last week on its way back from Europe and four crew
members were missing, officials said today.
   Eight other crew members who spnt five days on a life raft were
rescued. One of the survivors reported seeing two crewmates dead in
the water, but reported no sign of the other two, said Christopher
C. Hartman, secretary of the board of directors of Pride of
Baltimore Inc., the non-profit group which operates the ship.
   There were conflicting reports of where the rescue occurred and
where the ship sank.
   The initial announcement by Barbara Bozzuto, director of the
city-sponsored promotional venture, said the ship went down
Wednesday somewhere east of the Bahamas.
   Jim Abbott, spokesman for Rep. Barbara Mikulski, D-Md., who
christened the Pride of Baltimore in February 1977, said the ship,
a replica of a 19th century clipper, went down east of San Salvador.
   In Miami, Coast Guard spokesman Gary Starks said the eight
people were rescued from a raft about 300 miles north of San Juan,
Puerto Rico, at 2 a.m. EST by the Norwegian freighter Toro Horton.
   All were reported in good condition and none needed immediate
medical attention, Starks said. They were to be taken by heliopter
to SanJuan for treatment, he said.
   Hartman said the crew apparently had little advance warning
before the ship was toppled by winds of 30 to 90 knots.
   ``It simply rolled over and went under very quickly,'' Hartman
said. ``The eight who survived in our judgment did everything they
possibly could.''
   Hartman said crew members were able to release two life rafts
initially, but lost one.
   ``The second life raft was released, but in the tremendous size
of the wind, it blew up into the rigging and exploded.''
   It took them about six hours to inflate the other, which was
stocked with provisions, he said.
   Mayor William Donald Schaefer said he was stunned at the
sinking. The Pride of Baltimore had toured both coasts of the
United States and made the trip to Europe without trouble, and
Schaefer was proud of its durability.
   He said the Pride took on a new captain in Europe, who Schaefer
said was experienced. Schaefer did not disclose the captain's name
and said he did not know whether the captain was among the eight
rescued.
   The Pride of Baltimore was returning from a 15-month mission to
Europe which city officials said had been cut short because of
fears of terrorism.
   It had been due to arrive in Baltimore on June 14 and then go to
New York City for the Statue of Liberty rededication July 4.
   Names of all 12 crew members were withheld pending notification
of relatives.
   In Severna Park, Md., Emily McGeady said her son Joe was among
those rescued and called her at 4 a.m. to report he was safe.
   ``I'm still shaking,'' she said.
   She said her son sounded fine, ``but I think he's probably still
in a state of shock.''
   Mrs. McGeady said she gave Baltimore officials first word of the
sinking, passing on details provided by her son.
   The Pride of Baltimore was constructed meticulously to match an
1850 Baltimore clipper.
   Two major modifications were made, however, to improve safety,
according to city promotional materials. The ship had an
85-horsepower diesel backup engine and a watertight bulkhead.

T.R	Title	User	Personal Name	Date	Lines
311.1	last tuesday	RDF::RDF	Rick Fricchione	`Tue May 20 1986 12:54`	15
	It was Tuesday night last (via NPR). I was caught in the same storm (no squall... at least to me) in the Virgin Islands. There was some trough all over the caribbean wreaking havoc for quite a few days. After 1 1/2 weeks of nice sailing, the weather turned ugly for the last couple days. No sleep that night. 35-45 knot winds, heavy seas (in a supposedly protected anchorage), two anchors and a kitchen sink out, boats on heavy moorings dragging into one another..etc. Four charter boats were lost that night (8 unaccounted for sailors), two off Anegada when they were driven into the reefs. The storm came from the south, moving around to the west, and headed north. The "Pride of Baltimore" apparently didn't even have time to get off a message. Rick
311.2	The Skipper	BACH::GREEK		`Tue May 20 1986 13:35`	7
	I heard last night on the news that the skipper of the "Pride" was Armin Alsasaer, who is missing. He was the skipper on the "Spirit of Massachusetts" when we sailed her to Halifax for her maiden voyage. Can anyone confirm this? - Paul Anagnostopoulos
311.3	Reluctant confirmation	PSYCHE::GRANT	I've saved $300.00 since I quit smoking.	`Tue May 20 1986 14:34`	4
	RE .2 Yes, it was him. He was one of the two unconfirmed that the survivors had not seen.
311.4	The Lawyers will get rich!	GIGI::GINGER		`Thu May 22 1986 17:34`	28
	It looks like we are headed into a real controversy about sailing ship stability over this one. The Globe has already quoted Roger Long, a naval architect ( and a close personal friend of mine), as saying the Prode was lacking in stability. I just heard some interesting facts from Roger. The Pride was sailed by a professional crew, basically as a PR stunt for Baltimore. She did NOT carry passengers or students, only paid hands, hence she was a private ship not subject to inspection or CG certification. Roger noted an error in her design documents while serving as an expert witness for the Marques sinking inquiry. The basic problem is unbelievable. When the designer of the Pride sent the lines out to a computer service for stability calculation, they digitized her hull cross section to the rail cap, not the deck. WHen Roger recomputed stability on a deck line she was barely passable. Her designer and the PR people decided to ignore Rogers data. I guess lots of lawyers will make a bundle onthis one, a couple good sailors are dead, and sailing ships in general get another hit of bad PR. Dont be surprised if good school ship operations, and lots of Maine Schooners get locked out of liability insurance before this is over. The steamengine almost killed off sailing ships, but the lawyers will finish the job. Ron Ginger, traditional boat fan.
311.5	Wood is Good	IMBACQ::SIEGMANN		`Thu May 22 1986 18:31`	4
	Yea, but the original 'crime' was committed by the PR and designers and they sure won't pay.. Ed
311.6	Poor stability	WHO::FANEUF		`Tue May 27 1986 18:17`	9
	I can confirm Ron's info from Roger Long; I have heard essentially the same story from his former partner, Parker Marean, another expert on sailing ship stability. He indicated that the stability work on the Pride was among the most poorly informed in his experience (my term, not his. As a frequent expert witness in legal matters, he is much more circumspect and discreet in his utterances). Ross Faneuf
311.7		SWSNOD::RPGDOC	Dennis the Menace	`Wed Oct 22 1986 13:24`	37
	Associated Press Tue 21-OCT-1986 16:55 Pride of Baltimore New ``Pride of Baltimore'' To Be Built BALTIMORE (AP) - A bigger, more stable Pride of Baltimore will be built beginning next year to replace the one that sank in an Atlantic storm in May, sponsors announced Tuesday. The vessel to be constructed at a cost of $4.5 million will not be a replica of the original ship, said officials of Pride of Baltimore Inc., a non- profit civic development group. The new schooner, capable of sailing all waters, will be built to meet or exceed all U.S. Coast Guard regulations, according to the organization's statement, with state-of-the-art technology and design. As a result, some of the historical accuracy of the 19th century Baltimore schooners will be lost. Loss of the original ship, along with four crew members and its captain, was followed by revelations and some criticism of the ship's instability and vulnerability in severe weather. The new ship will be called the Pride of Baltimore as ``a living tribute'' to those who were lost, officials said. It will not bear a ``II'' after its name. The sponsoring organization said it would raise money to build the new vessel primarily through corporate and individual donations. Some have already been pledged and more will come through a television station's on-air fundraising drive. Although Pride officials say they also hope for city and state contributions, no public money has yet been pledged. The designer will be Thomas J. Gillmer, who was the naval architect for the original Pride built for $476,000 and launched in February 1977. It sailed on a series of goodwill voyages to Atlantic and Great Lakes ports, to the West Coast and the Caribbean. The new Pride will carry passengers on coastal and inland waters, officials said.