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WHAT REALLY HAPPENED ABOARD THE CRUISE SHIP EXPLORER?

Dec 5, 2007 | Lea Anna Cooper | American Chronicle

With a possibility of sounding presumptuous or perhaps being too far fetched to be real please understand I'm taking a stab at the sinking of the Explorer anyway. This article is somewhat accurate, however, especially when I see photos such as the aerial shot to the left of this editorial. It makes me wonder who's kidding who.

In a critique from the Associated Press, I found a statement that was made by Lief Skog, a former Captain of the Explorer. His testimonial was, "I'm totally shocked and surprised. She was just outstanding in her design, perfect for ice navigation. It's very unlikely pack ice caused this." Mr. Skog was the Captain of the Explorer for six years, from the mid 1980s to the early 1990s. The article went on to say that, it was difficult to suppose this mighty, meant for ice cruise ship would sink so easily, although as of now that remains to be seen. Someone appears to have some explaining to do.

In addition, when watching the Yahoo! news broadcast I listened to the daughter of one of the passengers, who was on the Explorer. She stated that her dad was fine and ‘it was an adventure.' I can now ask with that certain question, why didn't dad speak for himself? Was he told to ‘not speak' to the press, and if he did maybe there was ‘something' he could ‘not' say to them? The truth, maybe? I also listened to the newly wed couple who were interviewed, and they had their video cam hidden inside the husband's vest. They spoke with CNN, who are known on the Internet as the ultimate ‘cover up' news. However, I'm certain this couple was paid well for their exclusive footage; yet I still wondered ‘what it was they did NOT say.'

I am not a person who has experienced the luxury of a cruise. However, there is one thing I do know, and that is my experience as a boat owner; one that was over 33 feet in length, which on Michigan Great Lakes is considered a yacht. With that much said, as any insurance company will clearly state it is necessary for anyone who is going to Captain or pilot any vessel of this size or larger, they MUST, in no uncertain terms, take classes from the U.S. Coast Guard and MUST pass that exam before being allowed behind a ships wheel. At that time, I was married and both my husband and I took those classes, passing each section with flying colors.

I'd taken ‘many turns piloting' that 33 foot CC Roamer, with her 10 foot beem. It weighed tons because she was the older, quarter inch steel hull vessel. Its exceedingly sharp bow, coupled by the tonnage would cut through 3 foot waves on Lake St. Clair, during a storm, without even so much as a shudder down below. It was powered by finely tuned, twin, inboard Chevy engines, which were each over 300 horsepower and it was a definite winner on the waterway.

I would spend hours on end lying atop the bow, dipping my head over as far as I safely could, watching our wave-cutting edge plow through the water. There were also times I hung over the stern as well, to view the churning of the water as we glided across the Great Lakes. I also unquestionably knew ‘what' our "Lady of the Lake" looked like when going in reverse at a fairly high rate of speed, and the wake she created. There is also one other fixation that I do find irresistible, and that is aerial photography. It has a vast propensity to ‘display the truth.' The reality pictured here appears to be the ‘shocker.' If investigators look at this photo really well, they will see for themselves that this accident, or should I say sinking could have possibly been ‘Captain's Error.' Let's try that one on for size shall we?

If the readers will look closely at the photo, you will notice that under the surface of the ‘flattened' water, beneath the bow of the ship is actually a hidden ICEBERG, or ‘submerged ICE.' If the reader will also observe that flattened area at the bow of the ship, and along the port and starboard sides, you will notice the vessel is creating a REVERSE WAKE! The only way to flatten the ocean is to plow through it. Has anyone ever noticed how the ripples become ‘calmed' water until the waves (wake) catches up?

This liner was backing away at a fairly high rate of speed; otherwise, there would be NO reverse wake. I've also had several other people who ‘know yachting' take a look at this photo, and they agreed that the ship IS going backwards in this photo. In doing so, this ‘could' have caused the vessel to ‘take on water much faster.' It rather reminds me of the Titanic, (too little, too late) and makes a person wonder ‘who' was piloting and what it was they were ‘not' watching for. However, in this case I would say ‘the Captain is at fault' here because who in their right mind would move an already listing vessel? The Explorer WAS already sinking at this point, as anyone can see from this photo and this type of maneuver would only take a correctable problem and make it substantially WORSE. The questions now remain ‘what' kind of error was it? ‘Who' did it? ‘Why' did they do it and ‘when' was it done, before or after they ‘knew' she could sink? Was it done ‘on purpose, or by lack of knowledge?'

If the owner of the cruise ship line does not ‘buy' the story, then I might suggest he and the other CEO's take a good look at this photo. It most certainly speaks for itself.