NISSWA (AP) — A Minnesota woman is breathing easier knowing her son survived the sinking of a tall ship off the coast of North Carolina.
Jo Svendsen of Nisswa learned Monday that her son, John Svendsen, was among crew members rescued from the HMS Bounty.
John Svendsen was first mate aboard the Bounty, which sank in turbulent waters as Hurricane Sandy roared ashore.
Jo Svendsen worked the phones all morning trying to find out if her son was among the crew members who were rescued. KARE-TV reports she finally heard from relatives on the East Coast that her son had been rescued by the Coast Guard.
The Coast Guard continues searching the Atlantic 90 miles off the North Carolina coast for the captain of the HMS Bounty, which sank during Hurricane Sandy.
Coast Guard Capt. Joe Kelly said Tuesday that 63-year-old Robin Walbridge from St. Petersburg, Fla., could still be alive in the Gulf Stream waters more than a day after the replica 18th-century sailing vessel sank in high winds and waves. The Coast Guard says the ocean temperature in the search area is nearly 80 degrees.
Kelly says Wallbridge went overboard early Monday when the ship rolled as the deck slid below 18-foot waves.
The Coast Guard rescued 14 crew members by helicopter Monday. Hours later they found 42-year-old Claudene Christian, who was later declared dead.
Comments (7)
Add commentJudgement
Do we know why the Bounty was out there, given the week long advance warnings of Sandy.
Big ships
fare better in open seas, rolf... They were trying to get out of path of the storm. Normally the Navy orders ships and carriers to "sortie out" during big storms. Big ships damage themselves and piers if left in port. I have a few friends stationed in Hampton Roads and Norfolk. I've been trying to stay in contact with the spouses, they're without power while their husbands are out to sea. I'd assume an old clipper like the Bounty doesn't move over 10 knots in rough seas, they probably just couldn't get out of the way fast enough..
Praise the Lord for the good news the Svendsen family received!
Very sad to lose such a
Very sad to lose such a beautiful ship. Hope they find the captain still alive. Thank goodness they found 14 of the crew alive and well, and very sad that 1 did not make it.
Thanks Household 6
I was wondering the same thing myself. Makes sense.
Navy ships
Those navy ships in NOrfolk that go t sea in storms are strong with well maintained equipment. Best to leave an old wooden ship in harbor with no people aboard to die.
I wonder if the ship will be
I wonder if the ship will be retrieved? Or will it be left at the bottom of the ocean?
Oh fickle rolf..
And then a 300 gross ton ship breaks loose from dockside, goes careening into a residential area from a storm surge, crushes houses and kills people.. Ships that size can't be tied up like your 20 ft Crestliner and left.
Naval ships and cargo ships that don't sortie are able to be safely secured by a differing anchor placement and have crews of hundreds or thousands of sailors to assure they stay put by the use of alternating bilge pumping systems and changing the buoyancy a ship by weight distribution. It's called freeboard adjustment. If a ship is left unattended, they turn into huge floating wrecking balls, and pose serious danger to places you'd assume are landlocked and safe.. Sailors and Mariners know this before they make the decision to leave port or stay, the term "Safe Harbor" never applies during a storm; to sailors or sandcrabs..
I guess I view this Captain and his crew and brave souls who took their ship away from a populated area to keep others safe. This probably weighed the danger posed to the public if they abandoned the ship in port.