Well that’s the end of that story…until investigations begin.
Press release: 12:30pm AEDT, Wednesday 8 January 2014
Antarctic rescue operations complete
The Australian Maritime Safety Authority can confirm that the Akademik Shokalskiy and the Xue Long have broken free from the ice in Antarctica and are no longer in need of assistance.
The United States Coast Guard ice breaker Polar Star has been released from search and rescue tasking by AMSA’s Rescue Coordination Centre (RCC Australia) and will now continue on its original mission to McMurdo Sound.
At about 730pm AEDT on Tuesday RCC Australia received a message from the Captain of the Akademik Shokalskiy stating that about three hours earlier cracks had started to open in the ice around the trapped vessel.
A short time later the Akademik Shokalskiy began to make slow movements in an attempt to break free from surrounding ice. The Captain reported that at approximately 8pm AEDT they had managed to successfully clear the area containing the heaviest ice and had begun making slow progress north through lighter ice conditions. At approximately 830am AEDT the Akademik Shokalskiy informed RCC Australia that it had cleared the ice field and was no longer in need of assistance. The Captain of the Akademik Shokalskiy passed on his thanks to all those who assisted the vessel and informed the RCC that they will now proceed to Bluff in New Zealand.
Shortly after midnight RCC Australia was advised by the Captain of the Xue Long that, at about 9pm AEDT, it too had managed to break free of the heavy ice and is now making slow progress through lighter ice conditions. The Xue Long advised RCC Australia this morning that it is not in need of assistance and will continue its research mission in Antarctica.
AMSA again offers our thanks to all of the participants in the effort to assure a safe resolution to the situations that emerged following a distress incident experienced by MV Akademik Shokalskiy in Commonwealth Bay on Christmas Day.
In total five ships were involved in the multi-lateral cooperative effort – Akademik Shokalskiy (Russia), L’Astrolabe (France), Xue Long (China), Aurora Australis (Australia) and USCGC Polar Star (United States of America). The national Antarctic programs and other agencies of France, China, Australia, Germany and the United States of America have been engaged in actual operational responses, contingency planning or the provision of specialist data.
“This was a great example of the multi-lateral cooperative nature of Antarctic operations” said AMSA Acting CEO Mick Kinley.
Media Enquiries: 1300 624 633
Source: http://www.amsa.gov.au/media
==============================================================
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So, keeping mouth shut would have produced a wildly different outcome.
The onboard meteorologist would have known roughly how long to wait for second wind.
Well done, Anthony. It looks like your forecast from December 31 was spot on.
In a couple of minutes John Coleman was back on the phone to me, he wanted my assessment of the maps. I had looked at what was happening and saw what I thought might be an opening in 7-8 days based on the forecast graphics from WeatherBell, where the winds would shift to offshore in the area where Akademik Shokalskiy was stuck.
@ur momisugly tchannon. Good point Tim.
…something tells me that, if Turney hadn’t brought his family along, they would’ve been able to wait it out. Some good Antarctic science was lost because of this fiasco, and researchers from Australia, China and elsewhere must be furious to have lost this much time! “Spitting tacks” is the phrase I’ll always remember.
http://blogs.news.com.au/heraldsun/andrewbolt/index.php/heraldsun/comments/somethings_cracking_and_its_not_the_ice_around_the_warmists_ship/
The fun continues, thanks to the University of NSW – now upstaging the University of East Anglia.
From today’s letters in The Australian newspaper (8.1.14):
Report not so cool
THE Australian’s coverage of the Australasian Antarctic Expedition has been regrettable. Your editorial in particular, with its reference to a “botched” voyage and its derisory heading “ship of (cold) fools” (2/1) is an unjustified attack on the reputation and expertise of those involved.
The six-week expedition, a result of two years’ careful planning, involved a number of scientists experienced in Antarctic deep field research as well as a co-leader with more than 30 years of commercial operating experience in the Southern Ocean. It was inspired by Sir Douglas Mawson’s expedition but was neither a tourist trip nor a re-enactment – it was a serious multidisciplinary research program, developed in consultation with the Australian Antarctic Division and other scientific bodies and officially approved. Whilst one of its aims was to investigate the impact of climate change in the region over the past century the team collected a vast amount of data as part of a broader attempt to increase our knowledge of the region.
The fact that such a major rescue operation has been necessary is unfortunate. I understand that the break out of thick sea ice that trapped the Akademik Shokalskiy was the result of a massive reconfiguration of sea ice in the area and could not have been predicted. But the incident does not prove that warnings about the impact of global warming are exaggerated, nor does it justify labelling the expedition an “embarrassing failure” . It is not the first time a ship has been trapped in sea ice. It is to the discredit of The Australian that it seeks to use this particular event to deride evidence-based climate change research and the scientists involved.
Professor Iain Martin, Acting Vice-Chancellor, University of NSW
HA, HA, HA, HA, HA … I’ll stop eventually … HA, HA, HA … I can’t help it … That’s TOO funny!
7 Jan: ABC Australia: Lauren Day: Australian Antarctic Division research behind schedule after Aurora Australis diverted to help ice-bound ship
The director of the Australian Antarctic Division, Tony Fleming, says the delay will affect research projects, other resupply missions and the budget.
Dr Fleming says the Aurora Australis will complete the resupply job at Casey Station before returning to Hobart.
“The incident has delayed our season so we need to do the resupply very quickly and get the vessel back to Hobart and turn around quite quickly to the next voyage,” he said.
“I understand that the taxpayer shouldn’t pay for this rescue mission so I’ll do everything I can to recoup the costs.”
The extra passengers will stay onboard during the resupply mission which is expected to take around five days.
Dr Fleming says while scientists are used to delays in Antarctica, there is a sense of frustration.
“The economic costs will be fuel and food and the charter costs and it’s an ongoing operation,” he said.
“So we don’t know how long the operation will take but we’ll calculate that when the ship gets back to Hobart.”…
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2014-01-07/antarctic-research-delayed-after-aurora-australis-diverted-to-h/5189466
Dr. Fleming is sounding more & more like Frenot’s “counterpart”!
The rescue mission, which also initially involved the French ship the Astrolabe, has also impacted some Antarctic research programmes, according to Yves Frenot, director of the French Polar Institute.
The rescue mission forced French scientists to scrap a two-week oceanographic campaign using the Astrolabe, he said…
The Chinese have had to cancel all their scientific programme, and my counterpart in Australia is spitting tacks with anger, because their entire summer has been wiped out,” he said…
http://au.news.yahoo.com/thewest/world/a/20607004/us-icebreaker-heads-to-antarctic-to-help-stuck-ships/
The satellite imagery for today is quite interesting. It isn’t that the ice moved out or the volume changed. Like Moses parting the Red Sea, one very large crack in the ice developed on a N-S line from open ocean direct to the Hodgeman Islands (between Watt Bay and Cape de la Motte), probably opening a path very close to both ships.
@ur momisugly Tim Groves — thanks for that quote to highlight the accuracy with which An-thony performed his major role in:
“… the provision of specialist data.”
WAY TO GO, AN-THONY!
*****************************************
Heh, heh, thank you, Old Ranga, for sharing that farcical bit of humor (at 6:27pm today). The BLATANT irony is lost on Iain M., poor old sod.
Oooo, and they were so CEREAL! Ha, ha, ha, ha, haaaaaaaaa!
“… it wath a therious multidithciplinary rethearch program, … and offithially approved. … one of ith aimth wath to invethtigate the impact of climate change in the region… .” (Poor Auld Iain)
{edited to reflect what I am certain must be the way he speaks}
This apologia by Professor Iain Martin, Acting Vice-Chancellor, University of NSW, is too frikken funny.
He claims “the team collected a vast amount of data”, which we all await with baited breath. If true, those data can only say “Ice! Ice! everywhere, but not a drop to drink”
Meanwhile, thanks to the shifting winds and ice, the Russian and Chinese boats and crews are free of the fast-ice.
[hmmmmm, have we heard a single utterance of relief from the so-called Antarctic explorers, tourists, media, and related flotsam??? Nah, not yet]
Turney and Co. are still mired in the gelid morass of their own making, and we can only hope that competent legal agents are busy filing their briefs for damages
Clay Marley said on January 7, 2014 at 7:12 pm
“The satellite imagery for today is quite interesting. … one very large crack in the ice developed on a N-S line from open ocean direct to the Hodgeman Islands (between Watt Bay and … .”
{emphasis mine}
And that, the Watt Bay part, proves to me (yes, I realize others here do not even believe God exists, much less had anything to do with it) that it was, indeed, the finger of God. Also, I had (and I think other believers, too) been praying exactly that prayer: that God would part the ice like He parted the Red Sea for the Israelites escaping Pharaoh’s army. Thus, I say, Hallelu Jah. Thank you for sharing that, Mr. Marley.
GOD does have a sense of humor. The “Gore” effect strikes again. AGW propaganda crews’ voyage gets stuck in shifting Summer Ice where there should be none. As soon as They are rescued and gone, the wind shifts, the ice breaks up and the ships can leave. Ha! Ha! And the AGW crowd are still unable to go home as they are stuck on a government ship that still must complete its’ original mission. The chartered ship is on its’ way back to pick up another charter right on schedule. LoL
They did do a great deal of “Climate Science” research. For what little that is worth. Just tooo funny. pg.
for the record, I can’t recall posting the Swedish Tour Operator’s (who booked the “passengers”) page on the itinerary previously:
http://expeditionsonline.com/tour-44/spirit-of-mawson-akademik-shokalskiy
The extra passengers will stay onboard during the resupply mission which is expected to take around five days.
By the time the AA completes the resupply and departs from Casey Station, the AS might have arrived in Australia (or is it New Zealand?) already in time for its next cruise. Our valiant tourists would have gotten back sooner if they’d just remained aboard the AS. Now that’s a measure of poetic justice. =)
disgraceful to the end: AAP does not even mention AAE:
8 Jan: Herald Sun: AAP: Antarctic ice drama over as ships freed
A STRANDED Russian ship, and the Chinese vessel that came to its aid, have finally broken free of heavy ice in the Antarctic…
http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/breaking-news/antarctic-ice-drama-over-as-ships-freed/story-fni0xqll-1226797367263
compare with how National Geographic (which has been publishing the photos of AAE doctor/photographer Andrew Peacock) reported the Expedition BEFORE the ship got stuck! not a mention of the Shokalskiy:
17 Dec: National Geographic: David Roberts: Modern Explorers Follow the Century-Old Antarctic Footsteps of Douglas Mawson
Scientists set out to re-create an epic life-or-death trek, using today’s technology..
Last week, a 36-person team led by Chris Turney, an Australian adventurer and climate scientist, set out from New Zealand to retrace the historic journey of a scientific expedition to Antarctica that took place a century ago. The Australasian Antarctic Expedition 2013-2014 aims to find the hut of Douglas Mawson, leader of the original Australasian Antarctic Expedition (AAE), to repeat many of the original team’s observations and, time willing, to locate the South Magnetic Pole, one of the goals of Mawson’s expedition…
It won’t be easy. According to Turney, “Right now there’s a huge ice pack tight to the shore at Commonwealth Bay, three and a half meters thick.” Yet if the team can reach the hut, says Turney, “we’ll replicate Mawson’s work, using the twist of modern technology.”
His team’s scientists hope to record the temperature and saltiness of the Southern Ocean, make censuses of the bird populations, extract drill cores from the land ice, and send drones into the air to map the surroundings of Commonwealth Bay. These data may help to determine how much the climate has changed in what scientists have now proved is the windiest place on Earth at sea level…
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2013/12/131217-mawson-turney-australasian-antarctic-expedition-south-magnetic-pole/
6 Jan: Conversation: Stephan Lewandowsky: An icebreaker gets stuck in the ice, photos are used to mislead
As the saying goes, a picture is worth a thousand words, and by now you might have seen dramatic images of passengers on stranded icebreaker Akademik Shokalskiy being rescued by helicopter last Friday after becoming lodged in Antarctica sea ice on Christmas Eve…
An ice breaker gets stuck in ice – we’ve all seen the pictures – and somehow this is an embarrassment to “global warming scientists”…
(Disclosure Statement: Stephan Lewandowsky receives funding from the Australian Research Council and the Royal Society)
http://theconversation.com/an-icebreaker-gets-stuck-in-the-ice-photos-are-used-to-mislead-21736
Expedition Fiasco Leader Professor Chris Turney Fibs Yet Again: Now Claims Akademik Shokalskiy Is An “Icebreaker”!
http://notrickszone.com/2014/01/06/expedition-fiasco-leader-professor-chris-turney-fibs-again-now-claims-akademik-shokalskiy-is-an-icebreaker/
About time!
Looks like Australian Taxpayers will get a “reprieve” from footing the $2million (US Dollar Scale) of the “Rescues.”
Although, Guardian and BBC Enterprises’ are “sunk” yet again in terms of scammed money and legally “without a paddle” should “anyone” want to file a criminal complaint. “anyone” applies to the 100+ NYPD perverts who were scamming NYC for “disability benefits.” One wonder what we will see under the ObamaCare Scams” to come.
Tah tah. “Oh the Irony of it all. [sniff sniff whimper whimper]”
earlier version of Lewandowsky:
2 Jan: ShapingTomorrowsWorld: Stephan Lewandowsky: Antarctic Confusions
http://www.shapingtomorrowsworld.org/lewandowskyAntarctica.html
discussion going on here:
7 Jan: ClimateResistance: Ben Pile: Re-Writing Mission History?
Stephan Lewnadowsky has an article at The Conversation, saying that sceptics are wrong, in their pointing and mocking of the failed Spirit of Mawson expedition…
http://www.climate-resistance.org/2014/01/re-writing-mission-history.html
So tourists on a ship have become scientists on an icebreaker.
I also notice that embarassing failure has become a scientific success, incompetent muppets have become skilled planners and detection of ice by getting a ship stuck in it has become valuable science.
So glad my taxes are paying for this tremendous endeavour. I guess in Turneys mind this is up there with the Apollo program.
Prof. Iain Martin of the UNSW needs dragging before the inevitable inquiry into this disgraceful debacle with his comment, “The fact that such a major rescue operation was necessary is unfortunate”.
Unfortunate?!
Nothing to do with fortune, everything to do with studied zealotry, carelessness, incompetence and lack of leadership. What is Martin, an astrologer?
Good grief, would you send a son or daughter to UNSW?
Lol, Prof Martin said
Quote
. I understand that the break out of thick sea ice that trapped the Akademik Shokalskiy was the result of a massive reconfiguration of sea ice in the area and could not have been predicted.
Unquote
Yet humble Anthony correctly predicted the reconfiguration of the Ice that enabled the ships to exit.
Who obviously has the greater Mojo?
Professor Iain Martin, Acting Vice-Chancellor, University of NSW: “THE Australian’s coverage of the Australasian Antarctic Expedition has been regrettable.”
Yes, it’s regrettable that the coverage was accurate, something Warmists are unaccustomed to.
“Your editorial in particular, with its reference to a “botched” voyage and its derisory heading “ship of (cold) fools” (2/1) is an unjustified attack on the reputation and expertise of those involved.”
How much of a reputation can an expert on global warming who gets stuck in record summer Antarctic ice expect?
“The six-week expedition, a result of two years’ careful planning, involved a number of scientists experienced in Antarctic deep field research as well as a co-leader with more than 30 years of commercial operating experience in the Southern Ocean.”
Their two years of careful planning didn’t include obtaining a vessel suitable for the conditions likely to be encountered, nor use of available meteorological data to prevent getting stuck in the ice.
“It was inspired by Sir Douglas Mawson’s expedition…”
Bad idea, then.
“…but was neither a tourist trip nor a re-enactment – it was a serious multidisciplinary research program, developed in consultation with the Australian Antarctic Division and other scientific bodies and officially approved.”
Explain why, then, the media stopped calling the expedition “scientists” and started calling them “passengers,” once they got stuck. (There were tourists on board, too.)
“Whilst one of its aims was to investigate the impact of climate change in the region over the past century…”
Films of the area circa 1912 reveal no ice at the shoreline. It’s a pity Turney couldn’t have observed that the area was currently surrounded by so much ice he had to moor well offshore.
“…the team collected a vast amount of data as part of a broader attempt to increase our knowledge of the region.”
I suspect a half-vast amount of data is closer to the truth. They were obviously there to find evidence that their preconceived notions about global warming were correct.
“The fact that such a major rescue operation has been necessary is unfortunate.”
The fact that you still can’t grasp the fact that the “expedition” was a hideous flop is even more unfortunate.
“I understand that the break out of thick sea ice that trapped the Akademik Shokalskiy was the result of a massive reconfiguration of sea ice in the area and could not have been predicted.”
You understand incorrectly, and attempts to make a silk purse out of this sow’s ear seem desperate.
“But the incident does not prove that warnings about the impact of global warming are exaggerated, nor does it justify labelling the expedition an “embarrassing failure”
Well, since there’s been no “global warming” for over 17 years, I’d say the warnings are moot, the climate models are a similarly embarrassing failure, and your continuing to push the meme merely adds you to the list of embarrassed parties in perpetuity.
“It is not the first time a ship has been trapped in sea ice.”
Not only that, it’s not the first time a voyage to Antarctica named after a British explorer has been a disaster. The ship carrying the “Spirit of Shackleton” tour of 2007 went to the bottom when it struck sea ice, something that AGW devotees claim will be in short supply in the future, based on climate models that have been shown to overestimate warming by a factor of four.
“It is to the discredit of The Australian that it seeks to use this particular event to deride evidence-based climate change research and the scientists involved.”
It is greatly to the credit of The Australian that it derides the failure of a climate expedition that apparently didn’t know that Antarctic sea ice is almost 3 sigmas above average. AGW-based climate science is not based on evidence; it’s based on failed models, failed statistical methods, and Lysenkoist pseudoscience, including attempts to silence critics and evade FOIA, plus refusals to provide underlying data and methodology for pal-reviewed pro-AGW papers.
Lots of losses – time, money, egos, etc…..thankfully no loss of life….
Ϟ Jorge Kafkazar, Engineer Extraordinaire, strikes again! Great point-by-point smack down of Poor Auld Iain (at 8:41pm today). ☺
(And, yes, I agree — not a “slosher,” a flow-er.)
still stuck in the Travel section:
8 Jan: SMH; Andrew Darby: Antarctic escape: Akademik Shokalskiy, Xue Long break free from pack ice
The fortnight-long Australian-led operation to rescue two ships trapped by pack ice at Commonwealth Bay in Antarctica is over, after the vessels freed themselves…
The Shokalskiy, whose 52 rescued passengers were transferred to the Australian ship Aurora Australis, advised AMSA that it was headed for Bluff, New Zealand, where it was due for another tourist cruise***…
http://www.smh.com.au/travel/travel-news/antarctic-escape-akademik-shokalskiy-xue-long-break-free-from-pack-ice-20140108-30gtb.html
in the Technology/Sci-tech section! nice little pr stunt for CSIRO, complete with unnamed “film crew”:
8 Jan: SMH: Ben Westcott: CSIRO ‘apologises’ for lack of research on dragons
The CSIRO has promised to step up its dragon research program, after a seven-year-old girl wrote asking them to make her a dragon…
Mrs Lester said she had hoped they’d write back and say it can’t be done, but the CSIRO had another idea.
In a tongue-in-cheek statement released on Monday, the CSIRO apologised to the nation for their lack of a dragon research program…
“This morning when the film crew left, Sophie said ‘I forgot to tell them they can come back when we have a dragon’,” she said. “I told her they can’t do it now, it might be very long time but they’re looking into it.”
http://www.smh.com.au/technology/sci-tech/csiro-apologises-for-lack-of-research-on-dragons-20140108-30ggg.html