Michael Groves
What Really Happened Aboard Seabourn Spirit?
November 5, 2005 Somalian Pirate Attack Exposed
Carnival Corp said at their April 15, 2009 shareholder's meeting that they did not put passengers at risk. Other than images that hint something much worst happened on this ship, than the cruise line was willing to admit, we have some passenger statements that help to fill in the blanks.
Passenger Mike Rogers of Vancouver, Canada said that, "There's no water right now, for instance, in some places [aboard the ship], and I believe one of the grenades actually went off in one of the cabins."
For there to be no water aboard, in some areas of the ship, tells of more damage than the cruise line would tell the public.
Passenger Edith Laird from Seattle, Washington said one of the grenades launched at the ship hit a cabin just a few doors away from where she and her daughter had been sleeping.
Bob and Gail Meagher from Sydney, Australia give an account that actually seems to mesh with the photo evidence on page one of this story. Mr. Meagher says that he was in his cabin when the RPG round hit the cabin near him.
"There was a flash of flame and then a huge boom - a terrible boom sound. I've never heard anything like it - it was where the rocket-propelled device hit the metal of the ship, just about ten feet from where we were standing. It sort of went on the deck above us and then went through the metal skin of the ship and into a cabin."
Meager says that there were two people in the cabin, a married couple. He says that the couple had a terrible mess in their cabin.
Charles Forsdick from Durban, South Africa says the woman in the cabin was in the bathtub at the time, and escaped injury because of her interior, protected location. Her husband was in the cabin.
Harry and Jan Hufford from California gave an email account of what was going on, so relatives at home would know they were alright. The Huffords said that the captain announced over the public address system that armed men were coming along on the starboard side of the ship, and he wanted everyone to lock themselves in their cabin.
Acoustic Trauma
"Acoustic trauma refers to a sudden permanent hearing loss caused by a single exposure to an intense sound. This is most often caused by an impulse noise, typically in association with an explosion. The sound pressure levels capable of causing acoustic trauma vary between individuals but average around 130-140dB. The degree of hearing impairment seen after acoustic trauma is also variable and may range from a mild to profound SNHL. The mechanism of injury in acoustic trauma is thought to be direct mechanical injury to the sensory cells of the cochlea.
Patients suffering from acoustic trauma tend to present within a short time period following the event. They report a sudden, sometimes painful hearing loss that is often followed by a new onset tinnitus. Otologic examination is often unremarkable but may reveal tympanic membrane disruption or evidence of ossicular damage. Audiogram may show the typical 3-6kHz sensorineural notch that is seen with chronic NIHL but down-sloping or flat audiograms that effect a broad range of frequencies are more common. Conductive losses will be seen in cases of tympanic membrane perforation or ossicular discontinuity. Management of acute acoustic trauma injuries most often involves observation with strict noise avoidance. "
Is it conceivable that Michael Groves had ear damage as a result of his bravery during the attack? I would think so. So, why has Carnival Corp not stepped up and helped this hero put the pieces of his shattered life back together?
Perhaps, being the only person on that ship that really knows what happened from beginning to end, they hope he will simply go away and forget the incident ever took place. If they ackknowledge him, they ackknowledge his memory of the event.
Groves sought damages of £300,000 against Miami-based Carnival Corp and Seabourn Cruise Line, Carnival plc - all trading as Seabourn Cruise Line and Hong Kong-based Cunard Celtic.
He claimed they were negligent by ignoring warnings of piracy, and by taking the ship within 63 miles of the coast of Somalia, instead of staying at least 150 miles out at sea, per international warnings to vessels long before the attack took place.
He also accused the companies of allowing the ship to travel too slowly, making it more vulnerable to attack.
At left, is the map of pirate attacks, all the maritime industry are aware of. What are the odds a cruise ship will be targeted?
The Huffords added, "There are bullet holes at several locations and two of the floor-to-ceiling windows in the lounge at the rear of the ship were shattered by bullets.".
Richard Fuller, a bartender working aboard, gave an account of where the ship was hit. 'First of all we had an accident, then we heard a big bang and that was one of the grenades being thrown into one of the suites on deck six." Fuller is the only known source to tell of an "accident" before the impact, which is not clarified.
In charge that day was Captain Sven Erik Pedersen. It was his responsibility to see that the ship stayed far from shore so that passengers and crew would be protected, a mission he failed to successfully complete.
After the incident, many raced to praise Pedersen for ending an attack, that his negligence cause in the first place. The ship was too close to Somalia and that was the sole reason the attack took place.
During the first couple months of 2005, piracy seemed to have declined. But, by late spring it had become evident, pirates from Somalia had stepped up their game.
The International Maritime Bureau said that between March 2005 and October 2005 at least 23 hijackings and attempted seizures had been recorded off the Somalia coastline.
Image C
Shell casing has been removed from cabin wall, leaving just a hole.
Their account, is different than any others, and is different than the photograph label Image C, to the right.
The Huffords said that one fired round "jammed in the metal balcony door frame and shattered the glass."
The Huffords could have been talking about the second round fired, because the round shown in Image C, is in the hull of the ship, at least a foot from the balcony, and the glass has not been broken, as the glare on it makes evident.
