USS Ronald Reagan Aiding Cruise Ship Stranded Off Baja
Reported by: San Diego 6 News Team
Email:
newstips@sandiego6.com Last Update: 10:56 am
Carnival Splendor SAN DIEGO - The USS Ronald Reagan is being diverted from its training exercises in the Pacific to help deliver supplies to a marooned cruise ship about 150 miles south of San Diego Tuesday.
The Carnival Splendor became marooned when a blaze erupted in its engine room about 6 a.m. Monday as the 952-foot luxury liner was roughly 55 miles west of Punta San Jacinto on the first leg of a seven-day Mexican Riviera cruise, according to a statement from Carnival Cruise Lines.
This morning, about 35 pallets of supplies will be transferred from Naval Air Station North Island to the USS Ronald Reagan by aircraft. Once aboard the Reagan, the supplies will be taken by helicopter to the cruise ship, according to Third Fleet public affairs office.
None of the thousands of passengers and crew members aboard was injured in Monday's blaze, though several people reportedly suffered panic attacks during the emergency.
The fire and all hot spots were fully extinguished within about three hours, officials said.
Regular announcements apprising passengers of the situation began about 6:30 a.m., according to the cruise company.
Guests were initially asked to move from their cabins to the ship's upper open-deck areas
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By early afternoon, they had access to their cabins once again and were being provided with bottled water and cold food, though several "key hotel systems," including air conditioning, hot food service, flushing toilets and telephones, were not available.
The crew of the 113,000-ton ship was "actively working to restore partial services" through the day, Carnival asserted in its statement.
The U.S. Coast Guard sent three cutters and a helicopter to monitor the situation and provide any needed assistance.
The ship operated on auxiliary generators throughout the day. Because engineers were unable to restore the vessel's propulsion systems, the cruise was canceled, and tugboats were en route in the early evening.
The liner will be towed to Ensenada, Mexico, "in an effort to get the guests home as quickly as possible," according to the cruise line.
The affected customers will receive a full refund along with reimbursement for transportation costs, according to the cruise company. Additionally, they will receive a complimentary future cruise equal to the amount paid for the aborted voyage.
A total of 3,299 passengers and 1,167 crew members were taking part in the cruise, which began Sunday in Long Beach. The ship's normal itinerary includes stops in Puerto Vallarta, Mazatlan and Cabo San Lucas, Mexico
