Bay of Biscay

[James Curry]

However, while in the Bay of Biscay - a notoriously rough area for boats - the storm hit and the ship's safety system kicked in, causing it to veer suddenly to the left and effectively stop.

I wonder what ships safety system that was then??

[Keith Tindell]

These people go on holiday in these floating hotels, not expecting the ship to move, i wonder who they will blame for this terrible situation, who would ever expect them to meet a storm, some are demanding their money back, what a terrible situation to put them through, god help us.

[Glennys Faulds]

My first trip away with my husband and did we run into a storm in the Bay of Biscay. We had to hove to. I was convinced I was going to die, and by the green faces of even the seasoned sea dogs I think they wished they could die. It was bloody awful and quite terrifying.

[Des Taff Jenkins]

I remember a storm in Biscay,back around early fifties, two German seamen where washed overboard, We thought that was it, but they where picked up, some amazing things happen at sea.
Des

[happy daze john in oz]

On one cruise we did hit a bit of rough sea.
Crossing to NZ and that can geta bit rough.
Loved it so went out on deck forward, had a job to get out as moat doors had been closed off.
But found a way.
Was out there for about ten minutes loving it, the spray, the pitch and roll.
Then a hand on my shoulder, 'captain of the watch said go and get that idiot back inside'
Nothing more was said about it just a notice over the PSA to say all doors would reopen once we were in calmer waters.

[Doc Vernon]

Did you tell the Captain of the Watch, that you were In a Daze and from Aus! LOL

[Tony Taylor]

These people go on holiday in these floating hotels, not expecting the ship to move, i wonder who they will blame for this terrible situation, who would ever expect them to meet a storm, some are demanding their money back, what a terrible situation to put them through, god help us.

The pattern on that carpet with afew books scattered around would be enough to make anyone sick.

[vic mcclymont]

I read in today's papers she was hove to with her engines stopped for safety reasons.
The only reason I can think of why her engines were stopped. Bridge control system monitors propellors, if they come out of the water they cavitate, auto engine will shut engines down in this scenario.
Engineers could put controls on manual and restart engines thus giving the Ship some headway. Wonder why this wasn't done.
Vic

[j.sabourn]

How is she going to be hove to without engines ? She couldn’t have had a scavenge fire could she ? Think the likelihood of her being able to launch a sea anchor to hold her head into the seas are remote .with all the best will in the world think the articulation of the descriptive words of hove to comes from a landlubbers vocabulary. Cheers JS

[Ivan Cloherty]

I read in today's papers she was hove to with her engines stopped for safety reasons.
The only reason I can think of why her engines were stopped. Bridge control system monitors propellors, if the come out of the water they cavitate, auto engine will shut engines down in this scenario.
Engineers could put controls on manual and restart engines thus giving the Ship some headway. Wonder why this wasn't done.
Vic

Was that report from their 'Shipping Correspondent' Vic who has probably never heard the expression 'hove to' however I suspect that the DPS (Dynamic Positioning System) may have been activated and this was being used to keep the ship on a suitable heading to ride comfortably and M/E would not have been required, had it been used it invariably cancels the DPS system. The DPS is used a lot on cruise ships in various bays around the world rather than anchoring where the bay is festooned with underwater cables and services.

If the vessel did not have DPS (unlikely) and the M/E had not been utilised, then with the wind area of the vessel she would have quickly gone beam onto the sea (broached to) that is only supposition on my part, not having been on cruise ships but on vehicle carriers with a similar wind surface that I was supt of that is something that happened and in strong winds they listed to leeward even underway, that was in the days before counter-balance tanks. Others may be better placed to comment having had more recent up to date info and experience with the systems