Dozens Rescued From Stranded Cruise Ship

Captain Ran Ship Aground In Virginia After It Began Taking On Water

(CBS/AP)  The captain of a cruise ship with 66 people aboard ran the vessel aground early Thursday after it began taking on water, the U.S. Coast Guard said. No one was injured, and the Coast Guard got everyone off the boat.

The captain wanted to keep the ship from sinking when it encountered trouble in the Intracoastal Waterway in an isolated, rural area of Virginia Beach, along the Atlantic Coast, officials said.

The Coast Guard received a report about the ship at about 6 a.m. CBS affiliate WTKR-TV in Norfolk, Va., reports a rescue helicopter from Coast Guard Air Station Elizabeth City responded with dewatering pumps.

It wasn't clear why the ship began taking on water.

Two 41-foot Coast Guard boats picked up the ship's passengers and crew and took them to a ferry landing about 2 miles away, Petty Officer Christopher Evanson said. The Virginia Beach police and fire departments helped with the rescue, which was completed about 11:15 a.m., he said.

Earlier, Evanson described the situation as serious but said no one's life was at risk. Passengers ate breakfast as they awaited rescue, he said.

The boat was stuck in the mud in water about 9 feet deep and was stable, Evanson said. It was only about 100 feet from shore, but the area is a wooded swamp, he said.

"You can't just take passengers into the woods. You take them to the closest safe haven," he said.

The boat, the Spirit of Nantucket, was on a 10-day cruise from Alexandria, Va., to Charleston, S.C.

It is owned by Cruise West, a small cruise line based in Seattle. The vessel eased onto a mud shoal while damage was being assessed, the company said in a statement.

Cruise West made arrangements to take the passengers to a hotel.

The boat is 207 feet long, can accommodate 102 guests and has an 8-foot draft, making it suited for cruising shallow waterways, according to Cruise West's Web site.

[antoniof123]

Hey good one there captain at least you saved lives by bringing her in to shore.

Now I bet they fire this guy for not putting his finger in the leak and keeping the cruise ship going.

[hungry1968]

***!!

IT WAS ONLY SUPPOSED TO BE A THREE HOUR TOUR!!!

[godofredo29]

I blame myself.

[adventurepa]

I wonder what it hit?
A tree? A submarine? A sunkin boat? A USO? Trash?
My bets on trash.
Anyone want to guess?

[hwy71so]

I wonder what it hit?
A USO?

Posted by adventurepa at 11:03 AM : Nov 08, 2007

A USO... That''s funny. Wonder if Bob Hope was involved. lol

[newsjunky5]

Probably didn''t hit anything, that would have been felt/noticed by the helmsman. More likely some mechanical failure of a cooling pipe or gaskets carrying seawater, or a through-hull fitting(Prop shaft, etc). If alqueda had torpedoed it, there would have been a big splash/noise.

[hawksprings]

It''s Bush''s fault.
&%?@ Neocons!

[rwgatifp]

OK, OK! It''s George Bush''s fault. Now, is everyone happy that we have someone to blame?

[ianlou]

Funny how the headline "Cruise Ship Runs Aground In Virginia" makes it sound like the captain screwed up when he actually saved the ship by running aground.
When they fix the leak and pump out the water, the ship should be able to float away. the headline should be something like "Ship Captain turns Tragedy into No-Big-Deal"

[adventurepa]

On Cnn''s Web site they said it hit something in the water.
CBS news left that little tidbit out of the news!!!!

http://www.cnn.com/2007/US/11/08/ship.rescue/index.html

"Ship hit something in Intracoastal Waterway in Virginia, began taking on water"

Oh and a USO is Unidentified Submersed Object or something similar. UFO under water.

[gheemaster38]

Hey maybe he ran over Saddam''s Weapons of Mass Destruction arsenal!!

[j-whitman]

adventurepa,,,, I''ll take a guess --- It hit a pile of rotten republicans

[j-whitman]

Senate just beat Bush''''s veto on the Water Bill

[lawchicksc]

"***!!

IT WAS ONLY SUPPOSED TO BE A THREE HOUR TOUR!!!

Posted by hungry1968 at 10:45 AM : Nov 08, 2007"

That *** Gilligan again! LOL, LOL, LOL!

[nana31-2009]

As a parent of one of the crew members, which should be noted consists of many college grads, I resent the comments made regarding the accident. First and foremost the safety of all aboard should be considered, some of the comments reflect a very sad commentary of this country and its citizens.

[rafterman1]

Nice going, Captain Stubing.

[stephengosson]

Video showed a big ol'' oil slick trailing away from the ship and no sign of a containment boom.
Oops!

[barbaraf4]

Well, I''m glad everyone, including the crew, was rescued.

How much did it cost for us to send the Coast Guard out to pick them up? It seems like it is always one or another special interest group.

Nice touch that they got breakfast.

[gheemaster38]

Senate just beat Bush''''''''s veto on the Water Bill

Hmmm Veto Water bill. Ship runs aground in water.. hmmm. Yep it is official.. Bush did it. with Gilligan''s (Cheney) help..

[j-whitman]

nana31,,, I respect your comment... But, let me say this ---- Instead of a vacation tour, have them enlist in our military ------- Uncle Sam Needs Them

[adventurepa]

j-whitman
It hit a pile of rotten republicans.

Lol Good guess.
Anyone else want to guess?

[gunnerv1]

nana31- Theres no accounting for the stupidity of the idiots on these blogs, They mean well, they are just stupid (I already know I''ll take a hit for this)

[klewt]

Before every idiot with an internet connection was able to comment on news stories, I used to assume that most people understood what they read. Not anymore! The captain deliberately ran the ship aground in order to protect his passengers -- just what I would hope a ship''s captain would do if I were aboard. So why all the snarky comments?