Introducing: That Sinking Feeling | That Sinking Feeling

5 months ago

I was on the Kungsholm, aground in Fort-de-France, Martinique in 1978. I was 23. There were a few other young folks aboard. I had brought my boom box with me. Our new group found an out of the way place to hang out. On our departure from Fort-de-France, I was at a table with one of my new friends and his father. We were having drinks and enjoying our sail-out. When the ship shuddered, my friend’s father said: ”We just ran aground!”. Over the following days, they tried to lighter the ship; fuel being pumped off to fueling barges, fresh water being pumped off, the tugs pushing and pulling. When it was clear that we were delayed, Flagship Cruises made arrangements for us to tender ashore and make an international call, from the post office, I think. I called my office. They thought that I was lying -- until the next day when the grounding was reported in the Richmond (VA) Times Dispatch, where I lived at the time. I recall two huge ”ocean going” tugs being brought in from Jamaica, I think it was. Between the lightering and multiple tugs, we were still hard aground. Each evening, my friends and I gathered to play music and hang out. One of the younger officers discovered us and when his watch was over each day, he came and brought us up to speed on the grounding, efforts at getting the ship freed, and other factoids. He told us that divers had gone down to inspect the hull. The concern was if fuel bunkers had been penetrated but weren’t leaking thanks to coral or rocks plugging the hole -- until the ship broke free. The harbor master didn’t want a fuel spill. The officer also brought us copies of drawings that had been made showing the outline of the ship’s hull, the points where the hull was in contact with the reef, and related dimensions. I have those drawings around here somewhere, but they may be faded to nothing -- they were made on thermal fax paper which fades over time. After five days aground, we tendered ashore, bused to the airport and flew back to New York. I rented a car and drove back t