Board Meeting Animations - Heeling Accident onM/V Crown Princess

January 10, 2008

Atlantic Ocean off Port Canaveral, Florida
July 18, 2006

The animation presented at the Board Meeting on January 10, 2008, in Washington, D.C.

Animation Description/Disclaimer - See below

Brief Version with View of Horizon (no audio)

Full Version (contains audio)

Animation Disclaimer

This three-dimensional animation depicts the heeling accident of the passenger cruise ship M/V Crown Princess on July 18, 2006, near Port Canaveral, Florida. The primary display shows the view from the bridge of the ship and the inset displays a chase view.

The animation displays performance data, information from the voyage data recorder, the local time of day, and the heeling degree angle. Selected bridge voice recorder comments at the time they occurred are displayed as text. The rudder command and response and the rate of turn are displayed as indicators. Weather and visibility conditions at the time of the accident are not shown. This animation contains audio voice-over narration.

The Brief Version with view of Horizon is a segment of the full version with the indicators dimmed. There is no audio in this segment.

Selected bridge voice recorder comments:

15:24:20            4/O                  port ten
15:24:21            2/O                  I know
15:24:22            4/O                  Port ten, … man you are port ten, you are port ten…
15:24:23            2/O                  Yeah I am coming over to starboard
15:24:26                                 Sound of warning (Beep, Beep continues until 19:30:52)
15:24:28            4/O                  …you are at port ten
15:24:29            2/O                  Yeah I am coming over; get a fin out
15:24:32            4/O                  Yes
15:24:39            2/O                  OK
15:24:41            4/O                  … push on the button, push on the beep
15:24:43            REL/CAP            Reduce the speed, reduce the speed, reduce the speed
15:24:48            REL/CAP            Reduce the speed

Narration:

• This animation graphically demonstrates the heeling accident on the passenger ship Crown Princess.
• Slightly more than an hour after departing Port Canaveral, the ship’s automatic steering system began a turn to port.
• The second officer sees the ship turning to port at a high rate and becomes concerned.
• He turns off the autopilot and takes manual control of the steering.
• Instead of turning the wheel to starboard to slow the port turn, he turns the wheel to port.
• He then starts turning the wheel back and forth between port and starboard.
• The ship begins to heel to starboard.
• The second officer continues turning the wheel between port and starboard.
• The three senior officers return to the bridge.
• An officer orders, “Reduce the speed”.
• The ship reaches its maximum angle of heel to starboard.
• The captain orders, “Stop the engines”.
• The captain uses the public address system to advise the passengers to sit down where they are.
• While the ship slows, a senior officer turns to wheel hard to starboard.
• As the rate of turn is reduced, the ship approaches even keel.
• About three minutes after the second officer engaged manual steering, the Crown Princess returns to even keel.