Whale wedged on cruise ship bow

[dipsydoodle]

Source: BBC News

A rare whale was discovered wedged on to the bow of a cruise ship when it docked in a Canadian port.

The 70ft fin whale, a threatened species in Canada, was found when the Sapphire Princess docked at the Port of Vancouver, the cruise company said.

It said it had "strict whale avoidance" measures and it was unclear where, when or how the whale became stuck.

>

The captain was unaware of the whale's presence until the ship docked, said a spokeswoman from the Department of Fisheries and Oceans quoted by the Vancouver Star.

Read more: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/8169309.stm

[ProgressiveProfessor]

1. Where was Watson when this happened?

[rzemanfl]

2. That must be a powerful ship not to have noticed the drag from

the carcass.

[MADem]

3. I wonder if it was dead when they scooped it up. NT

[Robb]

4. Yeek.

...Oddly enough, there's a better than even chance my parents were on that cruise.

[Lorien]

12. I'm guessing probibly so. It's easy to see a whale in the distance because

of the spray from the blowhole....but would be far less easy if the whale were no longer alive. I can't say that I've ever been "surprised" by a cetacean when out at sea, but I guess that it could happen.

[Arctic Dave]

5. Wow, that's two this summer. One was on the bow of an oil tanker

when it pulled into Valdez, AK.

[NOW tense]

13. That is what I thought of too.

I wonder how often whales get clipped by ships.

[FreakinDJ]

6. Anyone for Sushi !

sorry - couldn't resist

[sellitman]

7. Are they sure it's not Rush just out for a swim?

:rofl: :rofl:

[Turbineguy]

8. Nothing wrong

with wishful thinking!

[benld74]

9. Clearly a terrorrist whale attempting to get past authorities portside

[trocar]

10. Last Month

I was on that ship last month for that exact itinerary. The ship is huge 950 feet long, and they do seem to take considerable attention to surrounding sea life. They bring a specifically trained navigators to go through the straits before Vancouver. Sad story.

[BadgerKid]

11. Same here. A sad accident. n/t

[applegrove]

14. This has happened before to fin whales and vancouver ships. I think it was a ferry last time.