Captain Ken Shortridge, San Diego, California

Some answers to the perplexing questions about the sinking of the cruise ship Costa Concordia

noreply@blogger.com (Captain Ken) — Sun, 29 Jan 2012 05:19:00 +0000

Photo from CNN

These are the events of the last hour and a half that Costa Concordia was afloat.

These events also give rise to further questions.

The attached link will take you to the Reconstruction of last hour and a half before the grounding of the Costa Concordia. The narration is by Captain John Konrad, a USCG Licensed Master Mariner Unlimited, using the AIS Data (Automatic Identification System) by www.QPS.nl. The AIS Data information is constantly transmitted from a ship to give data to other ships in the area regarding position, speed and course. The narrative starts at 8:27 p.m., about 18 minutes before Costa Concordia hit the rock that ripped a hole in her side.

You can see step by step the decisions made by the Captain from before he hit the rocks that ripped the gash in Costa Concordia’s side until the final grounding at about 10:00 p.m.

The ship was cruising at 15.5 knots, heading straight for Giglio Island which was less than a mile away. The captain still had options that he did not exercise that could have saved the ship from any damage.

The unanswered question is why?

Why did the captain not reduce Costa Concordia’s speed or even reverse the engines? Reversing the engines may have been uncomfortable for the passengers but the ship and lives would have been saved.

Why did the captain continue to steam toward Giglio Island at 15.5 knots for almost 10 minutes past the best point to turn to make a close run past the port of Giglio? Every foot he continued past the optimum turning point would increase the angle of the turn he would have to make to miss the rocks. That increasing angle would put him further and further away from the port of Giglio where he was trying to make the close pass.

When the captain finally made the turn to avoid the rocks, why did he make a shallow turn instead of a FULL turn to starboard? A full starboard turn, with the rudder all the way over, would have been very uncomfortable for the passengers at that speed and there may have even been some injuries, but it could have saved lives and the Costa Concordia.

In this day of GPS, Radar, Chart Plotters and every other electronic aid on the bridge this tragedy should never have happened. Part of it is explained in the Captain’s testimony; he was not using all of the electronics so close at hand, he was navigating visually.

This reconstruction of events video is 14 and a half minutes long and it gives us a good idea of what happened, but not why all of these options were ignored.

To see the video, follow this link: http://vimeo.com/35351659

The probable reason the Costa Concordia ended up laying on her starboard side is that she was drifting sideways at a little over 0.5 knots when the stern grounded. At that point the bow increased its speed to 0.7 knots as it swung around before it grounded, the bottom of the ship on the starboard side hitting the sand and rocks first.

The Costa Concordia is a tall sided ship with a lot of weight in the upper decks. As the bottom starboard side of the ship hit the sand and rocks, the momentum would cause the stability pendulum (center of gravity) to shift to starboard. The water in the damaged hull would also rush to the starboard side, like a water hammer, increasing the stability swing, and these two factors could cause the ship to roll toward that side.

Hopefully when the Voyage Data Recorder is analyzed, we will have a better understanding of the details of what happened.

I don’t think we will ever know why it happened.

Disaster at Sea – Perplexing Questions About the Sinking of the Costa Concordia

noreply@blogger.com (Captain Ken) — Sat, 14 Jan 2012 22:17:00 +0000

90-foot gash in port side of the Costa Concordia - from CNN

It is too early to know all the facts and perhaps we will never know them all, but the sinking of the Costa Concordia raises some perplexing questions.

When a ship is taking on water due to major damage on one side, it will start listing as the water rushes in and that side of the ship gets heaver. The danger in this is if the list gets too big the ship will roll over and capsize. A 90 foot gash in the side of a ship will cause major compartment flooding especially if the end of the gash extends just past a bulkhead and into an additional compartment. This would be especially true in large compartments such as the engine room or machinery spaces.

The usual procedure to offset this is to counter flood; that is to flood compartments on the undamaged side of the ship thus easing the list. The ship will settle deeper in the water but it will minimize the list and avoid capsizing. The result would be a minimal list which would allow the life boats on both sides of the ship to be deployed safely.

The odd thing about the Costa Concordia sinking is that the damaged port side of the ship is out of the water. Is it possible that both sides of the ship were breached at the same time? Perhaps there is a larger gash ripped in the starboard side causing her to list and sink on that side. That does not seem likely. She was holed on her port side for 90 feet. If there was greater damage on the starboard side, you would think that she would have sank like a rock.

We don’t know what the bottom terrain is like at the sink site. It is possible, but unlikely, that a sharply sloping bottom caused her to go over on her starboard side and expose the 90 foot gash in her side. However, the bottom generally slopes down getting deeper the further you get away from an island.

Is it possible that counter flooding was ordered and it got away from them causing the ship to sink on the starboard side?

It may take months or even years for these questions to be answered.

Whatever the answer the Costa Concordia ended up in the best position for salvage with most of the damage exposed for ease of temporary repair before being refloated.

It is unthinkable to suspect that the Costa Concordia was purposefully sunk on her starboard side for ease of salvage at the risk of the passengers safety. At the time of this writing, the black box was just recovered. Perhaps it will answer some of these questions.

Launching a boat at a super high tide

noreply@blogger.com (Captain Ken) — Sat, 29 Oct 2011 03:48:00 +0000

On October 27, 2011 at 9:33 am there was a 6.9 foot high tide. It just so happens that at 9:32 am I was launching my boat to take a family out to bury their father/grandfather at sea. As you can see in the picture, the high tide was up over the launch ramp and actually on the level part of the approach area. I knew that this was going to be a problem.

I have a hard and fast rule: I NEVER put the back tires of my truck in the salt water! This day, I backed toward the ramp and stopped as usual with my back tires at the water’s edge.

Problem 1: My trailer has reached the edge of the ramp and is starting to go under the water but the boat is still 90% out of the water.

The best thing to do at this point is to go and get a bite to eat and wait until the tide recedes a little.

Problem 2: The family is waiting to take their loved one’s ashes to sea – NOW.

I had no choice but to back up into the salt water. I backed up until the surge was up past the driver’s door. At this point the back tires of my SUV are only in about 2.5 inches of water because the ramp is almost level at this point. I am not going to go any further into the water so I figured I would give it a try.

As I unhooked the winch strap from the bow of the boat it did not move – it was solid as a rock. Usually the stern of the boat would be afloat by now, but not today.

I had already warmed up the engine before I left home, so I started the boat, put it in reverse and nothing happed – it was solid as a rock.

The wave surge that was coming in was only about 3 inches high. So I waited for a surge to hit the back of my boat and gunned the engine to about one quarter throttle for about 1 or 2 seconds until the prop just started to cavitate and lost its bite on the water. I had to do this 4 times, timed with the surge until the hull broke free from the skids and I was able to back off of the trailer.

If you encounter this problem, you must pay close attention to the engine RPM and be very careful. When the prop cavitates and loses it bite on the water the engine will over rev very quickly and you could easily damage or ruin the engine. As soon as the prop starts to cavitate you need to drop the throttle back to an idle or neutral.

Whenever your back tires get into the salt water be sure when you get home to hose down the tires, rims, back axle and wheel wells to reduce the risk of corrosion.

The day turned out beautiful. The water was super calm and we scattered the ashes of the family’s father/grandfather about ¾ of a mile off of Crystal Pier.

The second picture is when I reloaded my boat at 11:00 am - an hour and a half later. You can see the kelp left at the high water mark just ahead of my front tires. When I launched, that kelp line was under my front door.

All turned out well but be careful: tomorrow, Saturday October 29, 2011 there is a 6.4 high tide at 10:58 am.

Enjoy the water and safe boating!

Unprovoked attack on a US Aircraft Carrier today in San Diego Harbor

noreply@blogger.com (Captain Ken) — Tue, 06 Sep 2011 03:41:00 +0000

The Schooner Californian making a stealthy approach on the USS Midway

On this cloudy day, with scattered showers, there was an unprovoked attack on a US Aircraft Carrier in San Diego Harbor. The USS Midway Museum (CV-41) was the victim of a surprise attack during a mock cannon battle today. The Schooner ‘Californian’, the official California State Tall Ship, made the surprise attack on the Midway.

The Schooner Californian fires on the USS Midway

Several shots were fired as the Californian crossed the bow of the USS Midway (CV-41). As the smoke cleared, there were no signs of damage or reports of injuries – they were, after all, firing blanks.

Festival of Sail – San Diego September 2 - 5, 2011

noreply@blogger.com (Captain Ken) — Mon, 29 Aug 2011 07:07:00 +0000

The Tall Ships are coming to San Diego!

This one arrived Saturday August 27.

Talk about a Green Burial

noreply@blogger.com (Captain Ken) — Thu, 16 Jun 2011 01:06:00 +0000

This is a picture of an ‘Eternal Reef’ on the ocean floor.

The cremated ashes are encased in a concrete reef ball with the same PH as the ocean. The reef ball is lowered to the ocean floor and you have the beginnings of a whole new underwater ecosystem.

It begins with microscopic creatures moving into the specifically designed nooks and crannies on the reef ball surface. As these start to grow and multiply, larger sea life moves in to harvest this new bountiful food source. This continues until you have a whole new ecosystem from the microscopic to a larger fish habitat.

All of this new life because one person wanted their ashes put in a reef ball on the ocean floor.

That is about as ‘Green’ as a burial can get.

Ashes on the Sea is proud to offer this final resting place through Eternal Reefs.

Back from Near Extinction.

noreply@blogger.com (Captain Ken) — Sun, 08 May 2011 04:01:00 +0000

In the late 1960’s the future of the Brown Pelican was bleak. DDT was causing their egg shells to be so thin that very few Brown Pelican eggs survived incubation to hatch each year.

They usually just broke in the nest before maturity.

Today we saw a wonderful site! There was a huge bait ball of sardines about one mile off of the entrance of Mission Bay, San Diego.

The bait ball was under siege; Brown Pelicans and Sea Gulls from above as well as Dolphin and Sea Lions from below.

The Brown Pelican is back.

Enjoy the pictures and the video.

It is a wonderful sight.

Something you don’t see every day.

Videos:

Memorial Service for Jim Russell Jr

noreply@blogger.com (Captain Ken) — Thu, 17 Mar 2011 21:13:00 +0000

Today March 17, 2011, we had a service on the yacht Fantasea off of Point Loma remembering Jim Russell Jr., on the 1st anniversary of his death. We scattered his ashes off the coast of San Diego, his favorite place, in company with his friends and family. They toasted to him w/ Guinness and scattered his ashes at high noon.

Eye Witness account of a Gun battle in San Diego Bay between Tall Ships Californian and Amazing Grace

noreply@blogger.com (Captain Ken) — Tue, 15 Mar 2011 04:40:00 +0000

Today my granddaughter and I went sailing on the tall ship Amazing Grace in San Diego Harbor. It was a breezy day with blue skies and just a few clouds scooting along the sky line as Amazing Grace set all 2,010 square feet of sail.

As we were sailing along enjoying the peace and calm that you can only get while sailing, another tall ship, the revenue cutter Californian was approaching. We were admiring her beauty as she went sailing by in the opposite direction about 30 yards away when BAAAAAM….. the Californian had let loose a mighty broadside with all her cannons.

She temporarily disappeared as the smoke from the black powder enveloped her hull and all we could see were the masts and sails above the billowing white smoke.

Below is a short video of the action:

Not to be outdone, the Amazing Grace let go with her 2 ‘swivel gun’ broadside.

As if that were not enough, the several cannons mounted on the San Diego Maritime Museum pier would fire on each ship as it passed by.

Here the primer in the vent hole has ignited

Which in turn fires the cannon

And so the battle raged between these 2 topsail rigged schooners and the pier for the better part of 3 hours as cannon fire echoed around back and forth between the tall buildings of the San Diego waterfront.

Californian heading to port

Peace terms were finally agreed upon and both topsail schooners sailed calmly back to port.

Tsunami, San Diego California – Mission Bay

noreply@blogger.com (Captain Ken) — Sat, 12 Mar 2011 01:50:00 +0000

At about 8:50 this morning the Tsunami hit San Diego California.

At the same time my granddaughter’s plane hit the tarmac at San Diego International Airport.

We had planned to go sailing today; it would be her first sailing experience.

Out of respect for the Tsunami, even as small as it was when it hit our San Diego coast, we postponed our sailing adventure until later.

About 1 o’clock things appeared to be back to normal so we went down to the dock for an afternoon sail in Mission Bay. Everything was good during our sail except there were some weird currents from time to time.

At 3:40 we were going to head back into Quivira Basin. The entrance to the basin was like white water rapids, with water boiling around the entrance jetty like a rushing incoming tide. On both sides of the entrance inside the basin there were swirling vortices gathering all the flotsam and foam. I have never seen anything like that in Mission Bay before.

Once we were in the basin, we sailed around the bait barge to the east end of the basin to get a clear run to the dock. The winds were light as we were slowly making our way to the dock close hauled on a port tack.

We were half way back up the basin when suddenly we heard a loud POP but I did not have time to look around to see what it was – we were suddenly swept backwards past the bait barge toward the boats at the east end of Quivira Basin! We were making headway in the water stream, but that water stream was coming in faster than our forward progress. This is not good!

We were able to tack to a close hauled starboard tack and make a little headway against the current.

It was then that I had time to see what had made the loud popping noise. Apparently the anchor chain on the west end of the bait barge gave way and the barge folded back on itself with the incoming current.

As the current eased we were able to run back up to the east end of the basin and then make our way back to the dock.

A little more excitement than expected.

Burial At Sea

noreply@blogger.com (Captain Ken) — Thu, 03 Mar 2011 19:55:00 +0000

Today we had a family on the boat that flew in from Singapore and Malaysia to San Diego to bury their son who died in a tragic accident. His brothers, sisters, and uncle were there for the ceremony.

We were escorted out of the channel by two dolphins.

The weather was beautiful, but the sea conditions were a little bumpy so we went out a little further and scattered the ashes on the way back in with a following sea so we could have calmer conditions.

Although the conditions were not perfect, they were able to bury their son within the time frame required by their customs.

Sunset Burial at Sea December 4, 2010

noreply@blogger.com (Captain Ken) — Wed, 08 Dec 2010 07:14:00 +0000

This picture was taken just after a sunset burial at sea off the coast of San Diego December 4th. The water was calm, no wind, just the peaceful serenity of the sea and 8 to 10 dolphins lazily broaching the surface. Pelicans were diving for their fish dinner. It was so calm, you could hear the dolphin blowing and the pelicans crashing into the sea a quarter of a mile away. All of this was against the backdrop of the gentle roar of the surf about a mile away.

It was a perfect day for a memorial

It was a perfect day for memories.

Captain Ken

Memorial Service October 17, 2010

noreply@blogger.com (Captain Ken) — Mon, 18 Oct 2010 04:09:00 +0000

Today’s trip was 40 miles of open water to take a family off the coast of the Del Mar Race Track and back. Although it was a grey day with a light drizzle the water conditions were perfect. We were able to make the whole trip cruising at 35 MPH.

We saw 5 different pods of dolphin, with most pods averaging around 30 dolphins but the last pod numbered in the hundreds – they covered over ½ square mile of ocean. It was the largest pod of dolphins I have ever seen. We stopped to play with each pod for a few minutes. They love surfing in the boat wake and the bow pressure wave.

This is the second day in a row where we have seen dolphin during a service.

See some of the cell phone video at: http://www.youtube.com/user/AshesOnTheSea?feature=mhum

A few pictures from today's service on our 65 foot yacht out of San Diego Harbor

noreply@blogger.com (Captain Ken) — Sun, 17 Oct 2010 05:38:00 +0000

The family brought lots of flowers and lei's for everyone

Leaving San Diego Harbor

The more flowers the better

The table arrangement on the upper deck

The main salon and bar area of the main deck

The maximum passengers allowed by the U.S.C.G.on this yacht is 49

I took 110 pictures of the service

Heading out to sea

The spacious upper deck

The family in the background on the upper deck

Just after the biodegradable urn was put in the water at the the bow of the yacht

The urn sinks soon after it is put in the water

The flowers give the family a point of focus after the urn sinks

We cut the biodegradable lei's before putting them in the ocean to protect the sea life.

Save That Trip

noreply@blogger.com (Captain Ken) — Sun, 17 Oct 2010 02:27:00 +0000

I can’t tell you how many times I have seen a boater at the launch ramp frustrated and embarrassed because his boat would not start.

The easiest way I have found to save that trip is just before I leave home and head for the launch ramp, I hook the water up to my engine, start it and let it run for a few minutes to warm up. It just takes a few minutes, but you can back into the water with confidence, knowing that your engine is warmed up and ready to start. Those 5 minutes can save your trip.

Get one on one small boat and trailer handling classes in San Diego from Captain Ken.

Launch like a Pro.

For more information, call Ashes on the Sea at 858-277-2799 and ask for Captain Ken.

Junior First Mate

noreply@blogger.com (Captain Ken) — Sun, 17 Oct 2010 01:59:00 +0000

Grandpa – the engine is back here

Does it get any better?

noreply@blogger.com (Captain Ken) — Sat, 16 Oct 2010 03:44:00 +0000

We were out on the ocean with a family for a burial at sea when we saw a pod of about 30 Dolphin feeding on a huge bait ball with Pelicans diving for the bait from the top – what a sight! We scattered the ashes with Dolphin all around us and then were able to play with the Dolphin for about 20 minutes on the way back in.

Launch Ramp Courtesy

noreply@blogger.com (Captain Ken) — Thu, 14 Oct 2010 06:53:00 +0000

When you are backed down the ramp with your trailer in the water launching or retrieving your boat in the dark, turn you headlights off as a courtesy to your fellow boaters using the ramp.

If you leave your headlights on while launching or loading your boat on the trailer, then no one can back their trailer in beside you because your headlights will blind them and they will not be able to see PAST your headlights to back down the ramp. You will have effectively shut down the ramp until you pull out. Even your orange running lights can make it difficult for them to see while they are backing down the ramp.

Get one on one small boat and trailer handling classes in San Diego from Captain Ken.

Launch like a Pro.

For more information, call Ashes on the Sea at 858-277-2799 and ask for Captain Ken.

Boat Launch Follies II

noreply@blogger.com (Captain Ken) — Tue, 12 Oct 2010 04:22:00 +0000

This summer while I launched my boat I was watching two guys launching their boat. They backed their trailer into the water until the salt water was up to the tailgate of their pickup truck (salt water is not THAT corrosive – right?) and floated the boat off the trailer before starting the motor. One guy was in the boat and the other one jumped into the pickup and raced off to the parking lot – I assume they were trying to save time and used this manner of launching to get under way quicker.

It did not work.

While the fellow in the boat was trying in vain to start the engine he noticed that he was sinking. They forgot to put the drain plug in and even forgot to bring it with them. Oops! No trailer to pull the boat back onto. No boating buddy to help him out of the pending disaster.

As he is yelling at the rapidly disappearing trailer for help, some Good Samaritans tossed him a line and helped him pull his sinking boat up onto the traction ridges cut into the concrete ramp. I hate to think of what those ridges did to the fiberglass bottom of that boat as the small waves rocked it and the tide receded.

Every one of these little steps to disaster could have been avoided with just a little training.

This disaster probably would not have happened to you, but it would be good for you to learn the tricks that can save your trip. Save money and save down time.

Get one on one small boat and trailer handling classes in San Diego from Captain Ken. Launch like a Pro.

Your boat or mine.

For more information, call Ashes on the Sea at 858-277-2799 and ask for Captain Ken.

Boat Launch Follies

noreply@blogger.com (Captain Ken) — Tue, 12 Oct 2010 03:01:00 +0000

One San Diego past time is to go down to the local launch ramp and have a laugh at the attempts of inexperienced boaters as they try to back their trailer up and launch their boat. It’s almost as funny as watching them try to get their boat back on the trailer and out of the water. I cannot tell you how many times I have seen someone back their brand new $60,000.00 SUV INTO the corrosive salt water to retrieve their boat. You will often see several people in lawn chairs lined up and enjoying the day’s entertainment, some with cameras and video cameras to show their friends later.

To receive "Ahhhhh's" and not "Eeeeew's" take Captain Ken's Small Boat and Trailer Handling Class. Launch like a Pro.

One on one small boat and trailer handling classes in San Diego from Captain Ken.

For more information, call Ashes on the Sea at 858-277-2799 and ask for Captain Ken.

Boating Safety

noreply@blogger.com (Captain Ken) — Mon, 11 Oct 2010 00:04:00 +0000

Stay tuned for boating safety tips.