cruise ship sinks navy vessel

Naval Patrol Boat Takes on Cruise Ship. Loses Real Bad.

Turns out you shouldn't ram a cruise ship built to withstand sea ice.

• The cruise ship, built to operate in iceberg-infested waters, suffered only minor damage and sailed to safety while the Venezuelan cruiser sank itself.
• No one was reported injured in the scrape.

The Venezuelan Navy offshore patrol vessel Naiguata, sent to intercept a lowly cruise ship, accidentally owned itself on Monday. After ramming the cruise ship RCGS Resolute 's steel-reinforced hull, the patrol boat sank. (The good news: There were no injuries.)

The Resolute suffered only minor damage because it was reinforced to withstand iceberg-infested waters .

According to Maritime Executive , the incident took place 13 nautical miles off the coast of Isla de Tortuga, an uninhabited Venezuelan island. The Naiguata ordered the Resolute to follow it to Venezuela and port, on the pretext of “violation of Venezuelan territorial waters.”

While the cruise ship crew was consulting with the home office, the navy vessel fired several warning shots and began ramming the cruise ship.

What the crew of the Naiguata apparently did not realize was that the Resolute ’s hull is stronger than average because of its iceberg-resistant hull. The ship’s website describes the hull as having “high density steel plating” to allow it to sail in “ice laden large waters.”

Columbia Cruise Services, operators of the Resolute , tell the ship’s side of the story :

While the Master was in contact with the head office, gun shots were fired and, shortly thereafter, the navy vessel approached the starboard side at speed with an angle of 135° and purposely collided with the RCGS RESOLUTE. The navy vessel continued to ram the starboard bow in an apparent attempt to turn the ship’s head towards Venezuelan territorial waters.

While the RCGS RESOLUTE sustained minor damages, not affecting vessel’s seaworthiness, it occurs that the navy vessel suffered severe damages while making contact with the ice-strengthened bulbous bow of the ice-class expedition cruise vessel RCGS RESOLUTE and started to take water.

The Naiguata ended up sinking. According to Columbia Cruise Services, Resolute stayed in the vicinity until the Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre (MRCC) Curaçao, the authority responsible for local incidents at sea, told it to continue on its voyage. Resolute also claims that offers to lend aid to the stricken ship were “left unanswered.”

The Venezuelan military disputed that , stating “the action of the ship Resolute is considered cowardly and criminal, since it did not attend to the rescue of the crew, in breach of the international regulations that regulate the rescue of life at sea.”

A statement attributed to Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro alleged that the cruise ship was actually to blame in an "act of aggression and piracy."

After being released by the MRCC, the Resolute sailed on to safety, docking at the island of Curaçao .

The website FleetMon has a photo of damage to the Resolute ’s hull, which appears minor, as well as a file photo of the Naiguata . The Resolute , built in 1993, is 400 feet long and 59 feet wide. It displaces 8,378 tons and normally carries up to 146 passengers.

Spain's Navantia shipyards built the Naiguata in 2009 as a coastal patrol ship. The Naiguata was 259 feet long, had a top speed of 22 knots, and displaced 1,453 tons. This ship was also armed with a 76-millimeter Oto-Melara rapid fire deck gun, a 35-millimeter Oerlikon Millennium close-in weapon system, and two .50-caliber machine guns. As a surface ship, Naiguata typically embarks with a crew of 34.

It’s not clear what happened here, but one thing is clear: Venezuela’s story doesn’t add up. For one, Resolute was 13 nautical miles off the coast of Isla de Tortuga, and territorial waters extend up to 12 miles.

Plus, an unarmed cruise ship that takes no aggressive action can't be an aggressor and commit “piracy” against an armed navy patrol boat. Finally, the Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre is a non-partisan agency that would have records of it giving Resolute permission to leave the scene.

Kyle Mizokami is a writer on defense and security issues and has been at Popular Mechanics since 2015. If it involves explosions or projectiles, he's generally in favor of it. Kyle’s articles have appeared at The Daily Beast, U.S. Naval Institute News, The Diplomat, Foreign Policy, Combat Aircraft Monthly, VICE News , and others. He lives in San Francisco.

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A Venezuelan Warship Lost a Fight to a German Luxury Cruise Ship

During the early morning hours of March 30, 2020, the German cruise liner RCGS Resolute came under attack from a Venezuelan Navy warship.

It should have been an easy win but, like so many things in Venezuela's recent history, things did not go as planned.

The German ship, owned by One Ocean Expeditions, was in international waters and flying a Portuguese flag. It was adrift as it performed maintenance on one of its engines when it was intercepted by the Venezuelan patrol ship ANBV Naiguatá.

This encounter came just days after the Trump administration declared Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro to be a wanted drug trafficker and One Ocean Expeditions filed for insolvency.

Meanwhile, the Caribbean Sea is full of U.S. Navy ships.

Knowing all this, Venezuelan Capt. Granadillo Medina, in command of Naiguatá, saw a ship that appeared to be inoperable, from a company that is essentially bankrupt, floating on the edge of Venezuelan waters -- all while a hostile Navy might be waiting for the right moment to pounce.

From that perspective, one might suspect the Resolute was doing more than just maintaining an engine. Whether they were or not is unclear.

Medina radioed a warning to the Germans, demanding to board the cruise ship for inspection.

The Germans had no passengers and were set to rendezvous with a sister ship in Curaçao. They were already worried about being late and declined to be boarded.

The Venezuelans next ordered the Resolute to sail under escort to the nearby port of Puerto Moreno on Isla De Margarita.

When the Germans again failed to comply, the patrol ship attacked. Naiguatá fired warning shots across the cruise liner's bow. What comes next is disputed by everyone involved.

The Germans allege that the Naiguatá went straight at the Resolute, hitting the cruise ship's bow at a 135-degree angle. The ramming was supposedly the Naiguatá's effort to point the ship toward the island and force her into Venezuelan waters.

The tactic did not have the effect the warship wanted.

The Resolute suffered very little damage, its seaworthiness unaffected. And instead of forcing the cruise ship to go anywhere, it was the warship that suffered massive damage. She quickly began to take on water.

What those on the Naiguatá didn't seem to know is that the Resolute is a purpose-built polar expedition vessel, designed to operate in the most dangerous sea ice conditions. Her hull was reinforced for that purpose. A patrol boat like Naiguatá would never have been able to damage such a hull.

The warning shots are not in dispute, but who rammed who is. The Venezuelans say that after the Naiguatá fired the shots, it tried to cross the Resolute's path and cut the cruise ship off. They also claim the Resolute fired up its engine and intentionally rammed the Naiguatá using its reinforced hull.

Repeatedly.

Venezuela released a recording of the encounter, which can be seen 40 seconds into the video below.

As the Naiguatá began to take on water, the Resolute departed for Curaçao, allegedly leaving 44 Venezuelan sailors to go down with their ship, a violation of international maritime law.

Luckily, they were rescued by another Venezuelan vessel.

The owners of the Resolute deny the ship left the sailors to die. The Resolute's crew says they contacted the Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre (MRCC) in Curaçao and asked whether the Venezuelans needed help. The Germans claim they were told they did not.

The only clear fact is that, after the incident, the Naiguatá went to the bottom of the Caribbean Sea and no one was killed. But Maduro maintains the Resolute was planning acts of "terrorism and piracy" off of Venezuela's territorial waters.

-- Blake Stilwell can be reached at [email protected] , on Twitter @blakestilwell , or on Facebook .

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• Cruise News

Cruise Ship Sinks Navy Vessel Following Run-In

Richard Simms

• April 3, 2020

A cruise ship was apparently fired upon and rammed by a navy vessel in the waters off the coast of a Venezuelan island. By the time the incident was over, the navy ship had sunk, while the cruise ship emerged from the encounter virtually unscathed.

What Led To The Encounter

The entire story reads like the high-seas version of a man-bites-dog story. After all, one would expect any encounter between a cruise ship and a military-style vessel to end with the latter declaring a victory. But that was definitely not the case when the Naiguata , a Venezuelan navy ship, had a confrontation with the five-star expedition German cruise ship the Resolute .

Details are a bit unclear, but as detailed by Popular Mechanics , the Naiguata ordered the cruise ship to follow it to Venezuela because it had strayed into territorial waters. While the cruise ship crew was attempting to communicate with their home office to get further instructions, the other vessel fired several warning shots.

Soon after, the Resolute was being rammed by the navy ship, apparently in an effort to not-so-gently push it in the direction they wished it to go. What the Naiguata failed to realize was that it was ramming into a hull specifically designed to withstand the pressures of arctic ice floes.

A report from Maritime Executive indicated that while the cruise ship sustained “minor damages” which did not impact the Resolute ‘s seaworthiness, the other ship was not so lucky. In fact, it was badly damaged and began to take on water and eventually sank.

Two Conflicting Stories

While Columbia Cruise Services, the company which owns the Resolute , insists that their ship only left the scene of the incident after the authorities in charge told them to do so, the Venezuelan navy says that’s not the case.

In fact, they have branded the cruise ship’s actions “cowardly and criminal, since it did not attend to the rescue of the crew, in breach of the international regulations that regulate the rescue of life at sea.”

The Resolute, which normally carries 146 passengers, had none on board and no crew members were injured. The 44 members of the Naiguata crew were rescued before the ship sank.

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Venezuelan navy boat tried to ram a cruise ship but sunk itself instead

A Venezuelan naval boat attempted to ram a German-owned passenger cruise liner multiple times before the Venezuelan vessel sprung a leak and sunk.

The incident occurred on Monday in international waters off Venezuela’s northern coast, Columbia Cruise Services said in a statement . The cruise ship, the RCGS Resolute, was reportedly undergoing maintenance approximately 13 miles out at sea when the Venezuelan naval vessel approached the cruise ship.

As the Venezuelan vessel first approached the cruise ship, the company said they were ordered to follow the vessel to Puerto Moreno on the Venezuelan island of Isla De Margarita. The master of the cruise ship reportedly questioned the lawfulness of the order, as the ship was international waters and the order would have deviated the ship from its scheduled route.

“While the Master was in contact with the head office, gun shots were fired and, shortly thereafter, the navy vessel approached the starboard side at speed with an angle of 135° and purposely collided with the RCGS RESOLUTE,” the company statement read. “The navy vessel continued to ram the starboard bow in an apparent attempt to turn the ship’s head towards Venezuelan territorial waters.”

The cruise ship reported minimal damage, and photos posted to Twitter later on showed scratches on the prow of the ship.

RCGS Resolute with very minimal damage after the collision. Venezuelan navy say the Naiguata was seriously damaged then sunk. pic.twitter.com/DCLCYp9SkT — CNW (@ConflictsW) March 31, 2020

The RCGS Resolute is an ice-class expedition cruise vessel and has reportedly been fitted protective measures for sailing through ice, including high density steel plating and small frame spacing on her hull, according to the vessel’s One Ocean Expedition profile .

“While the RCGS RESOLUTE sustained minor damages, not affecting vessel’s seaworthiness, it occurs that the navy vessel suffered severe damages while making contact with the ice-strengthened bulbous bow of the ice-class expedition cruise vessel RCGS RESOLUTE and started to take water,” the statement on the incident continued.

The cruise ship reportedly stayed by the damaged Venezuelan vessel for over an hour near the scene of the initial attack. The company stated it reached out to the Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre (MRCC) on the island of Curaçao. Several efforts to contact the naval vessel were made, but reportedly received no reply.

Venezuelan Navy Patrol Ship Sinks After Collision With Cruise Ship An encounter between the Venezuelan patrol vessel GC-23 Naiguata and the ice-class expedition cruise ship RCGS Resolute resulted in the patrol vessel’s sinking, according to the government of Venezuela pic.twitter.com/RXyjUIIMqC — DieselShip (@theDieselShip) April 2, 2020

The Venezuelan government disputed the cruise ship’s version of events. In it’s statement, the Venezuelan Coast Guard ship, indentified as the Naiguat á, responded to intercept the RCGS Resolute amid claims it was sailing through Venezuelan territorial waters. The Venezuelan statement further claims that the cruise ship “boarded (collided)” by the cruise ship and then that the cruise ship did not attend to the rescue of the Venezuelan naval vessel, in an act the Venezuelan government described as “cowardly and criminal.”

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Venezuelan Warship Rams Cruise Liner, Sinks Itself

Cruise ships just can't get a break right now.

Cruise liners are having a real hard time of late -- so spare a thought for the RCGS Resolute.

The Portuguese liner was purposely rammed by a Venezuelan warship on Monday... and it didn't even have any coronavirus patients on board.

In fact, the Resolute had no passengers on board at all, and was drifting 13 miles off the coast of Isla La Tortuga and conducting repairs, when it said it was accosted by the Venezuelan Navy patrol boat ANBV Naiguatá, which accused it of violating territorial waters.

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Luckily for the aptly named Resolute, it is equipped with a reinforced hull specifically for sailing through icy Antarctic waters, while the Naiguatá was not. The cruise liner continued on with a few scratches on its bow, while the battleship sank.

According to the German-headquartered Columbia Cruise Services, the "act of aggression" occurred shortly after midnight.

In a release, it said the Resolute's master was radioing head office to tell them about the order from the Naiguatá, when gunshots were fired. The attack ship boasts a 76mm main gun turret, two 20mm cannons, and a pair of .50 caliber machine guns.

RCGS Resolute is a purpose built polar expedition vessel of the highest ice class, rated 1A Super, designed to operate in difficult ice conditions. pic.twitter.com/AMLsae56Vn @VenezuelaBTH

"... the navy vessel approached the starboard side at speed with an angle of 135° and purposely collided with the RCGS RESOLUTE," the company said.

"The navy vessel continued to ram the starboard bow in an apparent attempt to turn the ship's head towards Venezuelan territorial waters."

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While the Portuguese-flagged Resolute suffered "minor damages, not affecting vessel's seaworthiness", the Naiguatá wasn't so lucky, and booked itself a one way trip to the ocean floor.

After contacting the Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre Curaçao -- the international body that coordinates all maritime emergencies -- and hanging around for an hour, the liner was given the go-ahead to continue on its journey. It said all attempts to contact the sinking Naiguatá were ignored.

According to The Drive , the Venezuelan government had a different version of events: It said the Resolute "in a cowardly and criminal manner fled collision site and didn't try to rescue the crew of sinking ship", after its "act of imperial aggression" and "piracy".

There is plenty of political tension between Venezuela and other nations, including Portugal and the United States, thanks in no small part to the disputed presidency of Nicolás Maduro; he is wanted in the US on drug trafficking charges, with the State Department offering a $15million bounty for information that will help "bring him to justice".

At the latest coronavirus update on Wednesday, President Donald Trump announced he was deploying warships to Venezuela as part of a counter-narcotics operation.

Meanwhile, the US Coast Guard has warned all foreign-flagged cruise ships to be prepared to either care for passengers with COVID-19 for an "indefinite period of time" at sea, or to seek help from other countries, as the health system here is under too much pressure to handle any more.

Got a story or a tip for us? Email TooFab editors at [email protected] .

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Navy hush-hush after secret boat’s unexplained sinking

A Navy vessel sank under unclear circumstances, at an undisclosed location, while testing out some secretive technology last December — and that’s about all the sea service will say on the subject.

The vessel’s name and the nature of the technology tests were not disclosed, though officials did say it took on water and sank while moored.

That’s the extent of information made public by the Navy regarding the Dec. 7 Class A mishap, the highest mishap category, denoting damages of at least $2.5 million.

While the incident was made public by Naval Safety Command, officials there declined late last week to provide details on the secret boat, its secret work, its secret location at the time of its secret sinking or to which unit the secret craft belonged.

“Due to the experimental nature of the technology coupled with OSPEC concerns, we are unable to provide any further details nor specifics of the incident,” Naval Safety Command spokeswoman Priscilla Kirsch said in an email to Navy Times.

The craft was “immediately recovered and restored,” and is awaiting further evaluation, Kirsch added.

Geoff is the editor of Navy Times, but he still loves writing stories. He covered Iraq and Afghanistan extensively and was a reporter at the Chicago Tribune. He welcomes any and all kinds of tips at [email protected].

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10 Major Cruise Ships And Passenger Vessels That Sank

The Titanic might seem the worst passenger ship accident. However, many historic cruise ships met the same fate, though they were not as famous as the RMS Titanic. The earliest cruise ships were constructed in the 1850s but gained prominence after the World Wars ended when vacationing on the seas seemed attractive.

Cruise ships were also constructed before that and targeted the affluent section of society. Also, cruise voyages in the 19th and 20th centuries were fraught with many dangers compared to present-day journeys, which have become relatively safer, thanks to advancements in maritime technologies. 

However, one commonality remains. Cruise voyages are as thrilling and exciting as they were in their bygone days. This article will enlighten you about the 12 major cruise ships that sank. 

1. The Unfateful RMS Titanic

The most infamous cruise ship accident has to be the RMS Titanic. The Olympic-Class Ocean liner was owned by White Star Line and built in Northern Ireland. It was the largest passenger ship of its time, designed by Thomas Andrews, capable of carrying over 3000 people.

It was called unsinkable due to its 16 watertight compartments that could be closed in case of a collision. Sadly, the ship sank from Southampton to New York on its first voyage. It hit a massive iceberg in April 1912, near Newfoundland, Canada, and drowned three hours later, consuming 1500 of the 2208 people onboard. The chilly waters of the North Atlantic killed everyone from hypothermia before help could arrive.

Directed by James Cameron, the movie released in 1997 immortalized the ship disaster. The Titanic was almost 270 m long and 28.042 m broad. It had nine decks and a gross tonnage of 46,328 tonnes. It was equipped with only 20 lifeboats, enough for 1,178 passengers. Had there been more life crafts, precious lives could have been saved.

2. The Mighty, Costa Concordia

Costa Concordia sank due to a small mistake of the captain and one of the officers. It was a magnanimous passenger ship containing 17 decks, a three-storeyed theatre, swimming pools, gymnasiums, restaurants, and much more. The ship could accommodate over 4000 people.

According to investigation reports, the vessel hit an underwater rock when it sailed pretty close to the shore of Isola del Giglio island on 13 January 2012. Captain Francesco Schettino closed the computer navigation alarm since he thought he could navigate the waters himself. Unfortunately, he left his glasses in his cabin, and the damage had been done by the time he got them.

The vessel capsized and sank near Tuscany. Despite the six-hour rescue operation, 34 people died. What’s shocking is that the captain abandoned the ship while 300 passengers were onboard, despite the Coast Guard Officer’s attempt to dissuade him. He was convicted of manslaughter and got a 16-year prison sentence in 2017.

3. The Graceful, MS Estonia

Cruise ferry MS Estonia was struck amidst bad weather in the Baltic Sea, which led to its demise. The ship was built in 1980 by Meyer Werft in Papenburg, Germany. It was known by many names like Viking Sally and Wasa King before 1993. It sank while sailing from Tallinn to Stockholm in September 1994.

According to reports, it sank as its bow door locks couldn’t open during the storm, with strong winds lashing at a speed of 35 to 45 miles per hour. Hence, the ship tilted to the starboard side and later drowned completely due to excessive flooding on the car deck. The ship surged in an hour and took 852 people to the seabed. Only 137 passengers survived and were rescued.

MS Estonia was 155.43 m long and 24.2 m wide, with a 5.5 m draught and 15,598 gross tonnages. It had 9 decks and 10 lifeboats which were not enough for 2000 people. It could also carry over 410 cars.

4. RMS Lusitania

The German attack on Cruise Ship RMS Lusitania in 1915 was one of the main reasons behind the entry of the US into the First World War. It was hit as a naval vessel since it also contained military weapons for Britain.

Military Submarine U-20 attacked the cruise while traveling to Liverpool from New York. Launched in 1906, the vessel was constructed by Jon Brown and Corporation and operated by Cunard Company.

The humongous steamship was the largest and most luxurious vessel at that time. It measured almost 240 m lengthwise and 27 m breadthwise, with a 10.2 m draft. The 31,550-tonne ship had 10 decks and a maximum sailing speed of 26.3 knots. It could easily carry 2160 people and over 800 crew. When it sank, 1201 people lost their lives, most Americans.

5. SS Andrea Doria

The SS Andrea Doria went down not because of rough seas or striking an iceberg or underwater formations. Instead, it collided with another passenger vessel called Stockholm due to misreading the radar. Hence, it is remembered as the world’s major radar-caused collision. The incident could not be averted as thick fog barred visibility.

The disaster occurred in July 1956 off the coast of Nantucket, Massachusetts, when the liner was sailing to New York. Hit under the starboard bridge, it was engulfed by waves after 11 hours which gave nearby vessels enough time to respond to its SOS call. Over 50 people died, mostly due to the impact, and over 1650 were rescued.

Owned by Italian Line, it was constructed for a whopping 30 million US dollars. The 212 m long ship had 10 decks and powerful steam turbines, enabling it to attain a maximum speed of 23 knots.

6. SS Eastland

This passenger ship used for touring killed 844 people while it was docked in a port on the Chicago River on 24 July 1915. The vessel rolled over to its starboard side and submerged in water, trapping most passengers inside. It is one of the greatest ship accidents recorded in the history of the Great Lakes.

The accident occurred while the 2500 people were embarking on the vessel, preparing to cruise through Michigan. The possible causes of this disaster were structural flaws in its design, overloading, and inadequacy of the ballast tanks.

Later it was salvaged and handed over to the US Navy, which restored and modified it. It became a gunboat called USS Wilmette and was used for training. It was scrapped after the second world war ended.

It was launched in 1903 by the Michigan Transportation Company. the 275 m long cruise ship was equipped with 11 lifeboats and 37 life rafts. t had a top speed of 16.5 knots.

7. RMS Empress of Ireland

Ocean Liner Empress of Ireland was carrying 1477 passengers when it struck another Norwegian vessel, the 6000-tonne Storstad, due to poor visibility in the Saint Lawrence River. More than 1000 people died in May 1914, the second biggest cruise disaster of the period, following the Titanic incident.

The cruise ship followed the North Atlantic route between Liverpool and Quebec. Though it contained 42 lifeboats, only four could be launched in water as it tilted on her starboard side, causing panic and chaos onboard the ship. The harsh cold and the inability to close its watertight doors and portholes worsened the situation.

The 168 m long and 20 m broad cruise ship was launched in 1906. t was owned by the Canadian Pacific Steamship company and designed by Francis Elgar. Mirfield Shipping and Engineering were responsible for her construction.

It had 14,191 gross tonnages, two steam engines, and propellors, providing a top sailing speed of 20 knots.

8. SS Admiral Nakhimov 

The collision of the cruise ship SS Admiral Nakhimov with the bulk carrier Pyotr Vasev was due to the carelessness of both the vessels’ captains. T e captain of the bulk ship failed to respond to the warning signals issued by the cruise ship. H  was not present on the bridge when the vessel hit each other at 5 knots.

The cruise ship disaster occurred in 1986 in Tsemes Bay near Novorossiysk port when the vessel was en route to Sochi. I  was carrying 1234 passengers, of which 423 died due to the collision and its aftermath. 

Initially named SS Berlin II, the cruise liner operated on the Crimean-Caucasian route. It was built by Bremer Vulkan and owned by Norddeutscher Lloyd.

The majestic ship had an overall length of 174 m, a 21 m beam, and 17,054 gross tonnes. It could conveniently accommodate 1125 passengers and over 300 crew members. It had a cruising speed of 16 knots.

9. SS Morro Castle

Cruise vessel SS Morro Castle was burned and sank in September 1934, claiming the lives of over 135 passengers and crew members. A total of 318 passengers and 239 crew were aboard the ship on its journey from Havanna to New York.

The accident occurred as the fire spread from its library to the decks and cabins, engulfing the superstructure in flames. I  was aggravated by the ship’s decor, which was made of wood and other flammable material. The fire could not be controlled due to rough weather, incapable staff, and the ship’s design. 

Only 12 lifeboats could be launched out of the several available on board. The decks burned the feet, and passengers leaped into ocean swells. The ship was abandoned by afternoon and the survivors were taken to the New Jersey Coast.

 Interestingly, the previous evening, the ship’s captain, Robert Wilmott, died suddenly. T e Chief Officer took command and was worried about a strong northeast wind and dark clouds.

The exact cause of the fire remains a mystery; however, an overheated funnel and electric circuitry are blamed. T ose related to the incident, also speak of arson by a crew member.

It was owned by Agwi Navigation Co. and constructed in 1930. T e 155 m long cruise ship could carry 489 people apart from 240 crew at a speed of 20 knots.

10. Saint-Philibert

A small cruise ship sailing from Loire River, near the French coast, met with tragedy in June 1931. T e ship was carrying 500 people, mostly workers, and their children, from Nantes port. I  exceeded its carrying capacity by 80 percent. T e danger was doubled when it encountered raging seas and rough weather, which was not precedented as it was the summer season.

The captain and crew members panicked as there was nothing to be done. O t of the 500 people onboard, only 8 survived the horrific accident. T e violent storm forced passengers to take shelter near machinery casings, which tilted the ship to its starboard side and it ultimately capsized when struck by a gigantic wave.

The ship was not equipped to face bad weather, and the captain and crew were not experienced. Appropriate communication equipment was also missing onboard the vessel.

A trial was conducted in 1933, the victims’ families lost the case, and the ship’s owners were set free without any penalties. The cruise vessel was 32 m long and 6.4 m broad with a gross tonnage of 189 tonnes.

You might also like to read-

• Titanic vs. Modern Cruise Ship: How Ships Have Evolved 
• Costa Concordia Cruise Ship: Know The ill-fated Ship
• The Scenic Jewel Cruise Ship
• Ship Portholes: A General Overview

Top 10 Largest Cruise Ships in 2022

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Zahra is an alumna of Miranda House, University of Delhi. She is an avid writer, possessing immaculate research and editing skills. Author of several academic papers, she has also worked as a freelance writer, producing many technical, creative and marketing pieces. A true aesthete at heart, she loves books a little more than anything else.

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The Biden Administration’s Sinister Deal With Venezuela 

Biden Admin, Under Pressure From NY Dems, Gives Work Permits To Half Million Venezuelans

Will the biden-trump debates even matter, the washington post’s disgrace, bombshell: liberal activist you've never heard of quits job, jewish man killed at pro-israel demonstration was struck with bullhorn, medical examiner determines, venezuelan navy vessel sinks after opening fire on cruise ship.

A Venezuelan Navy vessel opened fire on a German cruise ship but sank after it sustained "severe damages" while ramming the luxury liner on Monday morning.

The RCGS Resolute , a 123-meter-long cruise ship equipped for polar expeditions, was performing routine maintenance in international waters off the coast of Venezuela on Monday morning, according to a statement by Columbia Cruise Services, which manages the ship. Soon, a Venezuelan patrol boat approached, demanding that the ship divert its course to a Venezuelan port. The patrol boat then opened fire on the Resolute and repeatedly rammed it.

The Resolute has a reinforced hull built to survive in arctic conditions and sustained only "minor damages" in the encounter. The same could not be said for its aggressor.

"While the RCGS RESOLUTE sustained minor damages, not affecting [the] vessel's seaworthiness, it occurs that the navy vessel suffered severe damages while making contact with the ice-strengthened bulbous bow of the ice-class expedition cruise vessel RCGS RESOLUTE and started to take water," the statement read.

The Resolute repeatedly offered help to its crew, but the Venezuelan sailors did not answer the Resolute 's hails, according to the statement. The cruise ship ultimately left the area after an international maritime authority told the Resolute that its assistance was not necessary. The ship soon safely docked at its intended destination of Curaçao.

The Venezuelan government acknowledged the naval encounter but claimed the Resolute was in Venezuelan territorial waters during the incident. CNN reported  the country's defense ministry suggested that the Resolute carried foreign mercenaries trying to invade Venezuela.

A search and rescue operation rescued all men aboard the patrol boat, according to the Venezuelan government.

Published under: Venezuela

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Hotel video from 2016 shows famous rapper beating girlfriend., world’s top golfer has driving problems, destroys policeman’s trousers., department of sustainable development donates to saint lucia fire service, the bahamas observes 30th anniversary of international year of the family, venezuelan navy ship sinks after attacking cruise liner.

• A Venezuelan patrol boat was sent to intercept the cruise ship  Resolute,  firing warning shots and ramming it several times.
• The cruise ship, built to operate in iceberg-infested waters, suffered only minor damage and sailed to safety while the Venezuelan cruiser sank itself.
• No one was reported injured in the scrape.

A Venezuelan Navy offshore patrol vessel  Naiguata sent to intercept a cruise ship accidentally sank itself. After ramming the cruise ship RCGS Resolute ‘s steel-reinforced hull, the patrol boat sank with no injuries. The  Resolute  suffered only minor damage because it was reinforced to withstand iceberg-infested waters .

According to Maritime Executive , the incident took place 13 nautical miles off the coast of Isla de Tortuga, an uninhabited Venezuelan island.

The  Naiguata   ordered  the  Resolute  to follow it to Venezuela and port, on the pretext of “violation of Venezuelan territorial waters.” While the cruise ship crew was consulting with the home office, the navy vessel fired several warning shots and began ramming the cruise ship.

What the crew of the  Naiguata  apparently did not realize was that the  Resolute ’s hull is stronger than average because of its iceberg-resistant hull. The ship’s website describes the hull as having “high density steel plating” to allow it to sail in “ice laden large waters.”

Columbia Cruise Services, operators of the  Resolute ,   tell the ship’s side of the story :

While the Master was in contact with the head office, gun shots were fired and, shortly thereafter, the navy vessel approached the starboard side at speed with an angle of 135° and purposely collided with the RCGS RESOLUTE. The navy vessel continued to ram the starboard bow in an apparent attempt to turn the ship’s head towards Venezuelan territorial waters.

While the RCGS RESOLUTE sustained minor damages, not affecting vessel’s seaworthiness, it occurs that the navy vessel suffered severe damages while making contact with the ice-strengthened bulbous bow of the ice-class expedition cruise vessel RCGS RESOLUTE and started to take water.

The  Naiguata  ended up sinking. According to Columbia Cruise Services,  Resolute  stayed in the vicinity until the Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre (MRCC) Curaçao, the authority responsible for local incidents at sea, told it to continue on its voyage.  Resolute  also claims that offers to lend aid to the stricken ship were “left unanswered.”

The Venezuelan military  disputed that , stating “the action of the ship  Resolute  is considered cowardly and criminal, since it did not attend to the rescue of the crew, in breach of the international regulations that regulate the rescue of life at sea.” A  statement  attributed to Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro alleged that the cruise ship was actually to blame in an “act of aggression and piracy.”

After being released by the MRCC, the  Resolute  sailed on to safety, docking at the island of  Curaçao .

The website FleetMon has a  photo  of damage to the  Resolute ’s hull, which appears minor, as well as a file photo of the  Naiguata . The  Resolute , built in 1993, is 400 feet long and 59 feet wide. It displaces 8,378 tons and normally carries up to 146 passengers.

Guaicamacuto, sister ship of the Naiguata.

It’s not clear what happened here, but one thing is clear: Venezuela’s story doesn’t add up. For one,  Resolute  was 13 nautical miles off the coast of Isla de Tortuga—territorial waters extend up to 12 miles. Also an unarmed cruise ship that takes no aggressive action cannot be an aggressor and commit “piracy” against an armed navy patrol boat. Finally, the Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre is a non-partisan agency that would have records of it giving  Resolute  permission to leave the scene.

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Cruise Ship Illness Frequently Asked Questions

• Find answers to common questions about gastrointestinal illness outbreaks, our inspections, and more.
• Note that ships under our jurisdiction are those that have a foreign itinerary, a U.S. port, and more than 13 passengers. Other organizations handle cruise ships outside our jurisdiction.

Norovirus and acute gastroenteritis (AGE)

Why do people associate age (including norovirus) with cruise ships.

Norovirus is a very contagious virus. Close living quarters may increase the amount of group contact. People joining the ship may bring the virus to other passengers and crew. Additionally, health officials track illness on cruise ships. So outbreaks are found and reported more quickly on a cruise ship than on land.

Does CDC address other illnesses on cruise ships?

Yes. Learn more about other common health concerns during cruise travel and what you can do to prevent illness.

The ship I sailed on had a lot of sick passengers or crew. Where can I find more information?

We consider it an outbreak when 3% or more of a ship's passengers or crew report being sick with AGE symptoms. We investigate outbreaks on ships within our jurisdiction. Explore our outbreak information on specific ships .

I think the ship I was on had an outbreak, but I don't see an outbreak posting. Why not?

There could be several reasons why an outbreak isn't posted on our site:

• The number of cases might not have met our threshold for what we can consider an outbreak (3% or more of a ship's passengers or crew report being sick with AGE symptoms).
• The ship might be outside our jurisdiction. Other organizations handle outbreaks outside our jurisdiction.
• People who were sick might not have reported it, so an outbreak could have gone undetected. This is why reporting illness is important.

Public health inspections

How often are ships inspected.

Cruise ships under our jurisdiction are subject to two unannounced inspections each year. We inspect cruise ships to determine how well they are operating and maintaining public health standards (learn more about the eight areas we inspect ). If a ship sails outside of the United States for an extended period, it may not be inspected twice a year, but it will be inspected again when it returns to the United States.

Why isn't the ship I'm looking for in the inspection database?

The ship might not be in the inspection database because it does not meet our criteria for inspection.

The ship could be sailing outside the United States for an extended period (in which case it will be inspected and added in the database when it returns).

How are cruise ships inspections scored?

Cruise ships are scored on a 100-point scale as outlined in our current Vessel Sanitation Program (VSP) Operations Manual .

• Points are deducted when there is a pattern of similar violations or when there is a single, significant violation.
• An 85 or below is a failing score.

We post all inspection scores .

Are ships required to correct violations found during inspections?

Yes. Ships are responsible for correcting all violations. They must correct certain critical violations immediately.

In addition, some violations can be corrected during the inspection, while others may take longer to correct. Each ship submits a corrective action statement describing how violations were corrected.

What happens if a ship fails an inspection?

A failing score indicates violations that the ship is responsible for correcting. Ships that fail inspections are reinspected within a reasonable period.

No-sail recommendation

When would vsp recommend a ship not sail.

People sometimes assume that we will recommend a ship not sail if it fails an inspection. However, we have rarely issued such recommendations.

We may recommend a ship not sail if there are imminent public health risks . Examples of such risks are

• Inability to properly chlorinate potable (drinking) water.
• Inability to keep food within safe temperatures.
• Inadequate facilities for cleaning and sanitizing food equipment.
• Inability to properly dispose of solid or liquid waste.

We may also recommend a ship not sail during an infectious disease outbreak where continuing normal operations could subject newly arriving passengers to disease.

If a cruise line refuses to follow a VSP no-sail recommendation, it can become a no-sail order.

Children and pools

Why can't children who are not toilet trained use pools on cruise ships.

Children who wear any type of diaper, including swim diapers, are not allowed in pools. Swim diapers and swim pants might hold in some solid feces, but they are not leak proof.

The Vessel Sanitation Program helps the cruise ship industry prevent and control the introduction and spread of gastrointestinal illnesses on cruise ships.

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44-Foot Whale Found Dead on Bow of Cruise Ship Coming Into New York

The endangered sei whale, usually found in deep waters, was discovered on the bow of a cruise ship as it arrived at the Brooklyn Cruise Terminal, marine authorities said.

By Livia Albeck-Ripka

As the cruise ship approached New York on Saturday, it was found to be carrying a grim, and unexpected, catch: The carcass of a 44-foot-long endangered whale, draped across its bow.

The whale, which marine authorities described as a sei whale, is known for its rapid swimming and preference for deep waters, far from the coast. Its body was discovered as the ship neared the Brooklyn Cruise Terminal, and the authorities were “immediately notified,” said MSC Cruises, which owns the ship.

A spokeswoman for the company said in an email that it had “comprehensive measures” in place to avoid such collisions, including training deck officers and altering itineraries in certain areas to avoid them. “We will continue to evaluate and update our procedures with our partners and the authorities,” she said.

Marine authorities said that they had towed the animal, estimated to weigh some 50,000 pounds, from the bow, and transferred it by boat to a beach in Sandy Hook, N.J., where they conducted a necropsy on Tuesday.

The investigation is continuing, but preliminary results — broken bones in the whale’s right flipper; tissue trauma along its right shoulder blade; a full stomach and decent layer of blubber — all pointed toward the animal having been in otherwise good health when it was likely struck and killed by the ship, said Robert A. DiGiovanni, the chief scientist of the Atlantic Marine Conservation Society, which is leading the investigation .

The whale was already “pretty decomposed” by the time scientists began the necropsy, he added, so they worked quickly to collect samples that could be tested for contaminants and other biotoxins that would indicate any other relevant health issues. “It looks like the animal was alive and it was hit by a vessel,” he said, noting that investigators had not ruled out other factors.

Mr. DiGiovanni said that his conservation group, which is federally authorized to respond to marine mammal strandings in New York, had dealt with more than 100 whales over the past several years, many of which had been entangled in nets or struck by vessels. Most of those whales were humpback and North Atlantic right whales, he added, noting that it was more uncommon to come across a sei whale.

Sei whales usually live in subtropical, temperate and subpolar waters and are named after the Norwegian word for pollock, “seje,” because the mammals are often found together with the fish. Their long, sleek bodies are usually dark blue or black with a cream-colored underside, and are often scarred by shark and lamprey bites.

In the 19th and 20th centuries, the whales were commercially hunted for their meat and oil, decimating their population, which is now designated as depleted under the Marine Mammal Protection Act .

Mr. DiGiovanni said that the death was a reminder that humans shared the open water with many other mammals. “When you’re out there, these animals might be there,” he said. “We need to make people more aware about how to operate around these animals.”

A spokeswoman for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said by email that mariners along the East Coast were encouraged to slow down their vessels, stay alert, and report any sightings of dead, injured or entangled whales to the authorities.

Livia Albeck-Ripka is a Times reporter based in Los Angeles, covering breaking news, California and other subjects. More about Livia Albeck-Ripka

Ukraine Strikes Yet Another Ship in Russia's Black Sea Fleet

U kraine has taken out another one of Russia's Black Sea Fleet landing ships, according to Kyiv, after Ukrainian forces destroyed two large landing ships and a key Russian reconnaissance vessel.

The Konstantin Olshansky landing ship "is not combat-capable" following the strike, Ukrainian navy spokesperson Captain Dmytro Pletenchuk told Ukrainian media.

Ukraine's navy said in a statement published on Tuesday that Kyiv had "successfully destroyed" the Konstantin Olshansky, and the three other vessels it targeted since Saturday.

Newsweek has reached out to the Russian Defense Ministry for comment via email.

Kyiv's military said Sunday it attacked two of Russia's large landing ships, the Yamal and the Azov , in strikes on the Crimean port city of Sevastopol. Ukraine also said it had targeted a Russian communications hub and other, unspecified infrastructure facilities.

In a later statement, Pletenchuk said the Ivan Khurs reconnaissance ship may have sustained damage. It was one of two of this type of reconnaissance vessel at Russia's disposal, Marina Miron, a post-doctoral researcher with the War Studies Department at King's College London told Newsweek earlier this week.

Ukraine's navy is small, but Kyiv has been inventive in its use of missiles and naval drones against Moscow's Black Sea Fleet, partially based in Crimea. Russia's military has been ill-equipped to fend off Ukraine's frequent attacks, sustaining heavy losses in sharp contrast to the grinding success Moscow has had in gaining territory in eastern Ukraine.

Ukrainian officials estimate that Russia has lost up to a third of its Black Sea Fleet at Kyiv's hands.

Ukraine used a home-grown Neptune anti-ship missile to strike the Konstantin Olshansky , which was being "prepared for use against Ukraine," Pletenchuk said. Russia's military took the ship from Ukraine's forces in 2014 when the Kremlin annexed the Crimean peninsula to the south of mainland Ukraine.

Ukraine's Neptune anti-ship missiles were credited with sinking Russia's Black Sea Fleet flagship, the Moskva , in April 2022.

Pletenchuk said the attack on the Konstantin Olshansky landing ship had taken place on Saturday, the same day as the strikes on the Yamal and Azov , according to Ukrainian media.

Open-source intelligence accounts and Russian military bloggers reported that Ukraine had used Western-supplied air-launched Storm Shadow and SCALP cruise missiles to strike the Crimean port on Saturday. A total of 18 missiles rained down on Sevastopol, and Russian air defenses intercepted 11 of the missiles, according to the independent Russian outlet Astra.

Kyiv's military intelligence agency said on Monday that the Yamal was in a "critical" condition.

The Yamal and the Azov were Ropucha -class vessels, playing an "important role" in Russian logistics, said Sidharth Kaushal, research fellow in sea power at the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI) think tank in London.

The loss of several Ropucha -class vessels will hinder Russian logistics, Kaushal told Newsweek . "They are the key logistical contribution the Black Sea Fleet makes to the wider war effort, linking Crimea to the mainland."

Ukraine's successful targeting of the ships will likely force Moscow to transport its supplies by land, increasing Russia's reliance on key routes like the Crimea Bridge that links the Russian Krasnodar region with Crimea, he said.

Ukraine has jeopardized Russia's operations in the northwestern Black Sea and has forced Moscow to relocate some of its Black Sea assets further away from Ukraine's reach to its Novorossiysk base.

Reports have also suggested the Kremlin is planning a new military base at the port of Ochamchire in Abkhazia , a breakaway region of Georgia. This would put Russian Black Sea assets even further from Ukraine's coastline.

The British Defense Ministry evaluated last week that Russia had likely restricted most of its operations to the eastern Black Sea.

Russia has employed decoys to confuse Kyiv's operators, British intelligence assessed last week. Moscow has announced it will beef up the protection around its fleet with large-caliber machine guns to shoot down incoming naval drones before they strike Russian vessels.

Update 3/26/24, 10:20 a.m. ET: This article was updated with comment from Sidharth Kaushal.

Related Articles

• Putin Suggests Kyiv 'Ordered' ISIS to Commit Moscow Terror Attack
• Russia's Black Sea Fleet Problems Keep Getting Worse
• Russia's Two New Armies Face Training, Equipment Issues: UK

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Cruise ship drags dead whale into New York, prompting investigation

The collision with the 44-foot-long, endangered sei whale could have been avoided, experts said.

A cruise ship arrived in New York Harbor with a dead sei whale pinned to its bow, a revelation that has spawned a federal investigation and has led biologists to examine the whale’s carcass to determine the cause of death.

The MSC Meraviglia was returning Saturday from a Bermuda cruise when it sailed into the Brooklyn Cruise Terminal with the 44-foot-long sei whale affixed to its front. MSC, a Geneva-based cruise line, confirmed the incident “with deep regret” in a statement and said it had immediately notified authorities. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Office of Law Enforcement is investigating.

On Wednesday, the whale was towed to Sandy Hook, N.J., for a necropsy. According to NOAA, officials discovered broken bones in the right flipper, tissue trauma in the right shoulder blade region and a belly full of food. Biologists took samples for biotoxin and histopathologic analyses. NOAA spokeswoman Andrea Gomez said the tissue and bone samples can help biologists determine whether the whale died before the collision with the ship or because of it.

The Atlantic Marine Conservation Society is leading the whale examination. Results from the exam could take days to weeks, said Kathleen Collins, senior marine campaign manager with the International Fund for Animal Welfare .

Based on the findings released so far, Andy Rogan, science manager at Ocean Alliance , a whale research and conservation nonprofit, said the cruise ship probably caused the whale’s demise. If so, it would have been a sudden death.

“Whales are huge animals, but compared to a ship that size, it’s still a massive impact. So much weight and power is hitting that whale,” he said. “It’s almost certain that a ship strike killed that whale.”

According to NOAA, vessel strikes and entanglement in fishing gear are the biggest threats to sei whales, an endangered species that inhabits deeper waters off the coastline. Population figures are elusive, but NOAA documented roughly 6,300 sei whales between Florida and Nova Scotia from 2010 to 2013.

Sei whales are feeding during this time of year, and Collins said the whales eat on the surface, placing them in the potential bull’s eye for collisions with a ship’s bow. She said crew members and passengers might not have felt the bump because of the ship’s size. The MSC Meraviglia weighs 171,598 tons; sei whales weigh up to 50 tons.

“It really is a tragic case where this strike likely happened and everyone was oblivious until they came into port,” Collins said. “They likely don’t even know exactly where they struck the whale, either.”

NOAA urges boaters operating along the East Coast to cruise slowly, stay alert and report any sightings of right whales or dead, injured or entangled whales. In its statement, MSC said it follows comprehensive measures to avoid accidents with marine life, such as training deck officers with the Ocean Research & Conservation Association and adjusting itineraries in regions populated by whales.

Collins said voluntarily reducing vessel speeds can help avoid run-ins. However, she said, cruise ships and large tankers prefer to move briskly because they are on tight schedules.

Macinzie McFarland, a spokesperson for Cruise Lines International Association, said in an email that cruise ships take several measures to protect marine mammals, including whale observation training for crews and reducing vessel speed.

“The chance of mortality with a vessel strike goes down pretty substantially as you reduce the vessel speed,” Collins said.

Cruise lines also rely on technology such as underwater radiated noise management systems and specially designed hulls, propellers and noise suppression devices that minimize underwater vibrations. .

Marine outlets, agencies such as the Coast Guard and the Whale Alert app share information about whale sightings and locations.

Rogan said there is no “silver bullet” for ships to avoid whales, but advances in technology can help lower the threat. He said hydrophones can pick up whale acoustics, information that NOAA could then disseminate to vessels. At a recent workshop, Rogan said, he learned about infrared cameras that can detect whales within a 360-degree range, particularly in front of a vessel.

Rogan urged the public Thursday to share its outrage about the incident with government agencies and with the cruise line. Collins said she hoped the incident would inspire the cruise industry to act as a better steward in the waters it shares with vulnerable marine life.

The MSC Meraviglia, she noted, is headed next to Canada, a critical ground for North Atlantic right whales, including mothers and their newborn calves.

A previous version of this article misstated the maximum weight of sei whales. It is 50 tons, not 10 tons. The article has been corrected.

More cruise news

Living at sea: Travelers on a 9-month world cruise are going viral on social media. For some travelers, not even nine months was enough time on a ship; they sold cars, moved out of their homes and prepared to set sail for three years . That plan fell apart, but a 3.5-year version is waiting in the wings.

Passengers beware: It’s not all buffets and dance contests. Crime data reported by cruise lines show that the number of sex crimes has increased compared to previous years. And though man-overboard cases are rare, they are usually deadly .

The more you know: If you’re cruise-curious, here are six tips from a newcomer. Remember that in most cases, extra fees and add-ons will increase the seemingly cheap price of a sailing. And if you happen to get sick , know what to expect on board.

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Trending topics, philippines fires first anti-ship missile in south china sea strike test with u.s. and australian forces.

The Philippine Navy sank a decommissioned tanker in the South China Sea with an anti-ship cruise missile during Balikatan 2024’s climactic maritime strike exercise on Wednesday morning.

BRP Jose Rizal (FF-150), the flagship of the Philippine Navy, fired a C-Star anti-ship cruise missile at the decommissioned tanker BRP Lake Caliraya (AF-81). Donated to the Armed Forces of the Philippines by the Philippine National Oil Corporation in 2014 for underway replenishment duties, the Chinese-built tanker was decommissioned in 2020 due to maintenance issues.

Lake Caliraya was scheduled to be sunk during last summer’s Marine Aviation Support Activity, but bad weather canceled the SINKEX and beached the tanker. For Balikatan 2024, the ship was reused as a target.

Among other highlights, the exercise saw the first deployment of the Army’s Mid-Range Capability in a simulated maritime strike on the first island chain and the refinement of a combined sensor-to-shooter kill-chain network between the three participating forces.

“This exercise was about the collective capability of our combined fires networks and increasing interoperability to sense and shoot targets from a variety of Philippine, U.S. and Australian land, sea and air platforms,” said Marine Col. Douglas Krugman, the U.S. director of the drill’s combined coordination center, in a press release.

Last year’s iteration also involved the sinking of a decommissioned ship in the South China Sea, though not with an anti-ship missile . This year, the exercise planners focused on linking sensors to missile systems and aircraft. A variety of platforms, both on the ground and in the air, passed data to the combined coordination center, which was located hundreds of kilometers south of the maritime strike activity in Manila.

A Navy P-8 Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft, a Royal Australian Air Force E-7A Wedgetail early warning and control aircraft and a Marine Corps TPS-80 Ground/Air Task Oriented Radar helped provide data to the command center to target of the decommissioned tanker.

For the exercise’s “shooters,” the three countries deployed a myriad of platforms and munitions. U.S. Air Force F-16s from the Misawa-based 13th Fighter Squadron dropped multiple JDAM guided bombs and Philippine Navy fast-attack boats fired off Spike missiles against the 325-foot-long tanker. An AC-130J Ghostrider also took part in the drill.

A list of “U.S. Critical Capabilities” from the Philippine military stated that B-52H, MQ-1 and MQ-9 drones were expected to be present.

Lake Caliraya slipped beneath the waves after being hit by missiles, bombs and artillery shells for two hours at 10:59 Philippine Standard Time.

WATCH: BRP Lake Caliraya sunk at exactly 10:49 a.m. after being pounded for two hours by anti-ship missiles, air to ground missile, and guided bomb units fired from naval and aerial assets of the Philippines and US. | via Patrick de Jesus (1/2) pic.twitter.com/OyYIIMTeiY — PTVph (@PTVph) May 8, 2024

Despite the firepower deployed, a press release said the maritime strike was designed “[t]o maximize the training value, the goal was to keep the target vessel afloat for as long as possible before ultimately sinking it.”

U.S. Marine Capt. Colin Kennard, a public affairs officer covering the exercise, highlighted to USNI News that this maritime strike activity came from an Indo-Pacific Command effort called the Pacific Multi-Domain Training and Experimentation Capability program. According to Kennard, the program’s “modernized and distributed training capability will enhance warfighting readiness to compete against peer-level adversaries at speed, scope, scale, and operational distances – both in the near term and in the future.”

This simulation of what was described as “adversarial air and maritime threats” elevates training between U.S. and partner forces across the region that “matches real-world conflict as much as possible.”

Kicking off two weeks ago, Balikatan 2024 took a higher-end approach to training with its focus on four combined joint all-domain operations simulated in field training exercises in key locations across the country . The drills accompany Manila’s new Comprehensive Archipelagic Defense Concept, which pushes the boundaries of Philippine defense to cover the country’s exclusive economic zone. This year’s Balikatan also saw the first activities in the South China Sea and the northernmost territories in the Luzon Strait near Taiwan.

While Balikatan 2024 is set to wrap up on Friday, this summer will see more joint military drills between Washington and Manila as the two pledge to strengthen defense ties in the face of an increasingly assertive China.

Aaron-Matthew Lariosa

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