Coast Guard Responds to Cruise Ship Grounding

JUNEAU, Alaska - The 299 foot cruise ship Empress of the North ran aground 49 miles west of Juneau near Hanus Reef in Lynn Canal, Alaska this morning at about 2a.m. local Alaska time. Coast Guard and other Good Samaritan vessels coordinated the evacuation of the 248 passengers on board. No injuries have been reported.

The weather on scene is calm. The Coast Guard is working with other state and federal agencies to ensure the safety of everyone on board and to mitigate any potential environmental damage. The vessel is owned an operated by Majestic America Line of Seattle, WA.

Category:

News & Politics

Tags:

• Coast
• Guard
• rescue
• cruise
• ship
• aground
• reef
• Alaska
• Juneau
• Empress
• North

[krt1934]

Thanks for posting this. I was a passenger aboard the Empress of the North on this sailing. The crew onboard and the Coast Guard handled everything like clockwork - a job well done by all. I went back aboard the Empress a year later to complete the trip!

[zaamael]

the uscg posting videos up here of what they do is actually a pretty good idea, it lets people know how important they really are

[Apache1334]

My dad was stationed on the USCGC Liberty (The big white one) for this. I remember him calling home to say a cruise ship had run aground and would be late coming home. I had never seen any pics or anything from the event though. Cool!

[doughesson]

@TomTom0Go What kind of ships do you think were in use in the late 1800s when the ships that this one replicates were in use.Propellors were not the first means of moving a powered vessel around,even though Archimedes invented the screw propellor centuries ago.

[beverlygomez]

omg!

[stealthy2]

Great choice of music.

[welshben23]

Well it's still not a cruise ship. LOL. Looks more like a paddle-steamer.

[TomTom0Go]

what were they thinking, taking Colonel Sanders flat bottomed holiday boat all the way up there, madness

[NikitasGuitars]

good to hear you weren't deterred from sailing again.

[Kadets6]

that so cool man

[razzaqnz]

Yeah, I spent almost 6 years in the military and got out years ago, but I've only recently become aware of how important the USCG's role is. It's too bad their efforts aren'nt more widely broadcasted.