MS ''Explorer'' was a Liberian-registered
cruise ship
Cruise ships are large passenger ships used mainly for vacationing. Unlike ocean liners, which are used for transport, cruise ships typically embark on round-trip voyages to various ports-of-call, where passengers may go on tours known as ...
, the first vessel of that kind used specifically to sail the icy waters of the
Antarctic Ocean
The Southern Ocean, also known as the Antarctic Ocean, comprises the southernmost waters of the World Ocean, generally taken to be south of 60° S latitude and encircling Antarctica. With a size of , it is regarded as the second-small ...
. She was the first cruise ship to sink there, after striking an
iceberg on 23 November 2007. All passengers and crew were rescued.
[
]
The ship was commissioned and operated by the
Swedish
Swedish or ' may refer to:
Anything from or related to Sweden, a country in Northern Europe. Or, specifically:
* Swedish language, a North Germanic language spoken primarily in Sweden and Finland
** Swedish alphabet, the official alphabet used by ...
explorer
Lars-Eric Lindblad
Lars-Eric Lindblad (January 23, 1927 – July 8, 1994) was a Swedish- American entrepreneur and explorer, who pioneered tourism to many remote and exotic parts of the world. He led the first tourist expedition to Antarctica in 1966 in a chartered ...
. Its 1969 expeditionary cruise to
Antarctica
Antarctica () is Earth's southernmost and least-populated continent. Situated almost entirely south of the Antarctic Circle and surrounded by the Southern Ocean, it contains the geographic South Pole. Antarctica is the fifth-largest cont ...
was the forerunner for today's sea-based
tourism
Tourism is travel for pleasure or business; also the theory and practice of touring, the business of attracting, accommodating, and entertaining tourists, and the business of operating tours. The World Tourism Organization defines tourism mor ...
in that region. The vessel was originally named MS ''Lindblad Explorer'' (until 1985), and MS ''Society Explorer'' (until 1992). Ownership of the vessel changed several times, the last owner being the
Toronto
Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the anch ...
-based travel company
G.A.P Adventures which acquired ''Explorer'' in 2004.
''Explorer'' was abandoned in the early hours of 23 November 2007 after taking on water near the
South Shetland Islands
The South Shetland Islands are a group of Antarctic islands with a total area of . They lie about north of the Antarctic Peninsula, and between southwest of the nearest point of the South Orkney Islands. By the Antarctic Treaty of 1 ...
in the
Southern Ocean
The Southern Ocean, also known as the Antarctic Ocean, comprises the southernmost waters of the World Ocean, generally taken to be south of 60° S latitude and encircling Antarctica. With a size of , it is regarded as the second-small ...
, an area which is usually stormy but was calm at the time. ''Explorer'' was confirmed by the
Chilean Navy
The Chilean Navy ( es, Armada de Chile) is the naval warfare service branch of the Chilean Armed Forces. It is under the Ministry of National Defense. Its headquarters are at Edificio Armada de Chile, Valparaiso.
History
Origins and the War ...
to have sunk at an approximate position of , between the South Shetlands and
Grahams Land in the
Bransfield Strait
Bransfield Strait or Fleet Sea ( es, Estrecho de Bransfield, Mar de la Flota) is a body of water about wide extending for in a general northeast – southwest direction between the South Shetland Islands and the Antarctic Peninsula.
History ...
; where the depth is roughly 600 m. The
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against ...
Antarctic Patrol Ship , whilst carrying out a hydrographic survey for the
British Antarctic Survey and at the request of the
Foreign and Commonwealth Office, later pinpointed ''Explorer'' final resting place as , at an approximate depth of 1,130m – a distance of 4,373m from her reported sinking position. This is broadly consistent with the direction of the prevailing current.
History
![Deception-Tourists](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f5/Deception-Tourists.jpg)
''Explorer'' was commissioned by Lars-Eric Lindblad, the Swedish-American pioneer of "exotic expedition" tours, and built in 1969 at Uudenkaupungin Telakka, a shipyard in
Uusikaupunki
Uusikaupunki (; sv, Nystad, ) is a town and municipality of Finland. It is located in the Southwest Finland region, northwest of Turku and south of Pori. The municipality has a population of () and covers an area of of which is inland wate ...
, Finland. The ship was built to stay afloat with two compartments filled with water. Her original
Finnish-Swedish ice class
Finnish-Swedish ice class is an ice class assigned to a vessel operating in first-year ice in the Baltic Sea and calling at Finnish or Swedish ports. Ships are divided into six ice classes based on requirements for hull structural design, engine ...
was 1C, which is relatively weak. It is not known when the ice class was uprated to 1A. The vessel was originally named ''Lindblad Explorer'', after Lars-Eric Lindblad, and was the first custom-built expeditionary cruise ship.
The first notable incident of the ''Explorer'' was when it ran aground near La Plaza Point, Antarctica, on 11 February 1972; her passengers, Lindblad among them, were rescued by the Chilean Navy. She was towed to
Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires ( or ; ), officially the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires ( es, link=no, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires), is the capital and primate city of Argentina. The city is located on the western shore of the Río de la Plata, on South ...
, Argentina, and then to
Kristiansand
Kristiansand is a seaside resort city and municipality in Agder county, Norway. The city is the fifth-largest and the municipality the sixth-largest in Norway, with a population of around 112,000 as of January 2020, following the incorporati ...
, Norway, for repairs. After being renamed the ''Lindblad Explorer'', the ship ran aground off
Wiencke Island
Wiencke Island is an island long and from wide, about in area, the southernmost of the major islands of the Palmer Archipelago, lying between Anvers Island to its north across the Neumayer Channel and the west coast of the Antarctic Peninsu ...
in the Antarctic on 25 December 1979.
The 70 passengers and 34 of the crew were rescued by the Chilean Navy Antarctic transport
''Pioto Pardo'', leaving the captain and a skeleton crew of 21 on board to await the arrival of a
tugboat
A tugboat or tug is a marine vessel that manoeuvres other vessels by pushing or pulling them, with direct contact or a tow line. These boats typically tug ships in circumstances where they cannot or should not move under their own power, su ...
.
''Explorer'' was the first cruise ship to navigate the
Northwest Passage
The Northwest Passage (NWP) is the sea route between the Atlantic and Pacific oceans through the Arctic Ocean, along the northern coast of North America via waterways through the Canadian Arctic Archipelago. The eastern route along the Arc ...
in 1984. She was involved in the rescue of the crew of an Argentine
supply ship in 1989 that had hit a rock ledge off
Anvers Island
Anvers Island or Antwerp Island or Antwerpen Island or Isla Amberes is a high, mountainous island long, the largest in the Palmer Archipelago of Antarctica. It was discovered by John Biscoe in 1832 and named in 1898 by the Belgian Antarctic ...
, Antarctica. In 1998 ''Explorer'' was the first ship to circumnavigate
James Ross Island
James Ross Island is a large island off the southeast side and near the northeastern extremity of the Antarctic Peninsula, from which it is separated by Prince Gustav Channel. Rising to , it is irregularly shaped and extends in a north–south ...
;
and in the same year, was claimed to be the first ship, as distinct from river boat, to sail above
Iquitos, Peru, to the point where the
Marañón and
Ucayali
The Ucayali River ( es, Río Ucayali, ) is the main headstream of the Amazon River. It rises about north of Lake Titicaca, in the Arequipa region of Peru and becomes the Amazon at the confluence of the Marañón close to Nauta city. The city ...
rivers meet to become the
Amazon River.
''Explorer'' was depicted on at least two postage stamps issued by
South Georgia, and one issued by the
Falkland Islands
The Falkland Islands (; es, Islas Malvinas, link=no ) is an archipelago in the South Atlantic Ocean on the Patagonian Shelf. The principal islands are about east of South America's southern Patagonian coast and about from Cape Dubouze ...
. ''Explorer'' was nicknamed "the Little Red Ship". A scale model of ''Explorer'' is on display at
Canterbury Museum, Christchurch
The Canterbury Museum is a museum located in the central city of Christchurch, New Zealand, in the city's Cultural Precinct. The museum was established in 1867 with Julius von Haast – whose collection formed its core – as its first directo ...
,
New Zealand
New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...
.
Sinking
![explorer-sinking-2](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/04/Explorer-sinking-2.jpg)
''Explorer'' departed from
Ushuaia
Ushuaia ( , ) is the capital of Tierra del Fuego, Antártida e Islas del Atlántico Sur Province, Argentina. With a population of nearly 75,000 and a location below the 54th parallel south latitude, Ushuaia claims the title of world's souther ...
, Argentina, on 11 November 2007 on a 19-day cruise called ''Spirit of Shackleton'' run by
GAP, intended to trace the route of 20th century explorer
Ernest Shackleton
Sir Ernest Henry Shackleton (15 February 1874 – 5 January 1922) was an Anglo-Irish Antarctic explorer who led three British expeditions to the Antarctic. He was one of the principal figures of the period known as the Heroic Age of ...
through the
Drake Passage
The Drake Passage (referred to as Mar de Hoces Hoces Sea"in Spanish-speaking countries) is the body of water between South America's Cape Horn, Chile and the South Shetland Islands of Antarctica. It connects the southwestern part of the Atla ...
(an area typically stormy with rough seas). After visiting the Falkland Islands and South Georgia, she hit an iceberg on 23 November 2007 in the
Bransfield Strait
Bransfield Strait or Fleet Sea ( es, Estrecho de Bransfield, Mar de la Flota) is a body of water about wide extending for in a general northeast – southwest direction between the South Shetland Islands and the Antarctic Peninsula.
History ...
, close to
King George Island in the
Southern Ocean
The Southern Ocean, also known as the Antarctic Ocean, comprises the southernmost waters of the World Ocean, generally taken to be south of 60° S latitude and encircling Antarctica. With a size of , it is regarded as the second-small ...
and near the
South Shetland Islands
The South Shetland Islands are a group of Antarctic islands with a total area of . They lie about north of the Antarctic Peninsula, and between southwest of the nearest point of the South Orkney Islands. By the Antarctic Treaty of 1 ...
. The iceberg struck by ''Explorer'' made a gash in the hull which allowed water to enter. The Argentine navy later said in a statement that it had observed "significant" damage.
The official report of the sinking noted: "The damage sustained had to have extended along the length of the vessel from Cabins 308 to 314 for at least a distance of 3.6 meters, and, in all likelihood, had punctured and sliced holes along the shell plating."
Some passengers on ''Explorer'' reported a loud "bang" at the time of impact, although others reported that there had been no noticeable impact, or at least nothing more than the normal crunching of ice experienced when sailing through icy waters. One passenger reported sea water in their cabin at about 03:00
UTC. Some reports also indicated that the ship had drifted into an iceberg on ''Explorer''
starboard side while the crew was assessing damage caused by the original impact, also to the starboard side of the ship.
A
Mayday call was put out by the ship at 04:24 UTC, and rescue operations were quickly coordinated by the DPA Peter Burman in Sweden who directly took contact with the
Prefectura Naval Argentina
The Argentine Naval Prefecture ( es, Prefectura Naval Argentina or PNA) is a service of Argentina's Security Ministry charged with protecting the country's rivers and maritime territory. It therefore fulfills the functions of other countries' coa ...
(the Argentinian equivalent of a coastguard) and the Chilean Navy Center for
Search and Rescue. Chile dispatched the
icebreaker
An icebreaker is a special-purpose ship or boat designed to move and navigate through ice-covered waters, and provide safe waterways for other boats and ships. Although the term usually refers to ice-breaking ships, it may also refer to smaller ...
''Almirante Óscar Viel'', and nearby commercial ships; including the MN ''Ushuaia'', the ''
National Geographic Endeavor'', and the Norwegian
Coastal Express ship which was operating as a passenger cruise ship at the time. By 07:30 UTC all 91 passengers, 9 guides and 54 crew, from over 14 countries, had taken to the ''Explorer'' lifeboats. They drifted for 5 hours until they were picked up by the Norwegian ship MS ''Nordnorge'', which arrived on scene at approximately 10:00 UTC.
All of those rescued by ''Nordnorge'' were taken to the Chilean
Frei Montalva Station on King George Island, from where they were subsequently airlifted by
C-130
The Lockheed C-130 Hercules is an American four-engine turboprop military transport aircraft designed and built by Lockheed Corporation, Lockheed (now Lockheed Martin). Capable of using unprepared runways for takeoffs and landings, the C-130 ...
Hercules
transport aircraft Transport aircraft is a broad category of aircraft that includes:
* Airliners, aircraft, usually large and most often operated by airlines, intended for carrying multiple passengers or cargo in commercial service
* Cargo aircraft or freighters, fix ...
of the
Chilean Air Force
"With full speed to the stars"
, colours = Indigo White
, colours_label =
, march = Alte Kameraden
, mascot =
, anniversaries = 21 March ...
to
Punta Arenas
Punta Arenas (; historically Sandy Point in English) is the capital city of Chile's southernmost region, Magallanes and Antarctica Chilena. The city was officially renamed as Magallanes in 1927, but in 1938 it was changed back to "Punta Are ...
, Chile,
in two separate flights; one on Saturday 24 November and the other on Sunday 25 November. Those passengers not taken to Punta Arenas (an estimated 70) were taken to Uruguay's
Artigas Base
The General Artigas Station ( es, Base Científica Antártica Artigas), also referred to as the Artigas Base is the larger of the two Uruguayan scientific research stations in Antarctica, the other one being Elichiribehety Base. It is one of ...
. ''Explorer'' was completely submerged at 19:00 UTC, approximately 20 hours after the initial impact and damage to her hull. Her wreck lies at .
''Explorer'' was designed, like most ships, with compartments which could be sealed off by watertight doors. The ship would not sink if holed and one compartment flooded, but was not safe if more compartments were flooded, either by a gash spanning compartments or imperfect sealing between compartments. GAP reported that there was a crack in addition to the hole, but it is not clear if it spanned compartments.
[International Herald Tribune]
/ref>
In an article published on 8 December 2007, experts consider that ''Explorer'' was "perfect for ice navigation", and stated that the explanation of the sinking "doesn't add up" and that "essential pieces of the story are missing".
Investigation
The investigation into the sinking of ''Explorer'' was carried out by the Liberian Bureau of Maritime Affairs. The report into the accident was released in April 2009. The report cites the decision by Captain Bengt Wiman,[''Wall Street Journal'', 16–17 Feb. 2019, p. B8] age 49, to enter the ice field based on his knowledge and information available at the time as the primary reason why ''Explorer'' was so severely damaged. "He was under the mistaken impression that he was encountering first year ice which in fact, as the Chilean Navy Report indicated, was much harder land ice."
Passengers reported seeing red paint on the passing ice less than thirty minutes prior to when the flooding was reported, another indication that the vessel was passing through compact and hard ice. The master of ''Explorer'' was very experienced in Baltic waters, but he was unfamiliar with the type of ice he encountered in Antarctic waters.[ The report's investigating officer could not convince GAP that it was their responsibility to retrieve the ship's ]Voyage Data Recorder
Voyage data recorder, or VDR, is a data recording system designed for all vessels required to comply with the IMO's International Convention SOLAS Requirements (IMO Res.A.861(20)) in order to collect data from various sensors on board the ve ...
, after the master failed to ensure its transfer from the ship despite being reminded to do so.[ The report also found that, given the GAP staff "served the function of crew members", they should have had "the required safety training and documents as seafarers".][
The report praises the performance of the master and crew in organizing and evacuating the passengers, and notes that lives were likely saved due to the actions of these individuals.][
]
References
Notes
External links
Bureau of Maritime Affairs report
on the sinking.
*
first-hand passenger account
of the sinking with photos.
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Explorer
1969 ships
2007 in Antarctica
Sunken cruise ships
Cruise ships of Norway
Expedition cruising
Maritime incidents in 1972
Maritime incidents in 1979
Maritime incidents in 2007
November 2007 events
Ships built in Finland
Ships sunk by icebergs
Ships sunk with no fatalities
Shipwrecks in the Southern Ocean
Tourism in Antarctica
Maritime incidents involving cruise ships
Ships of Swedish American Line