This will be a top “sticky” post for awhile since interest is high – new stories will appear below this one – Anthony
UPDATE: Josh channels the boat people
UPDATE2: Another irony is discovered, this one doubly deep. See update 2 below.
UPDATE4: AMSA: Helicopter rescue of Akademik Shokalskiy likely to commence shortly
(It’s off again, then now its on again, with report the helicopter has landed)
UPDATE5: All the passengers (tourists and scientists) are off the ship
UPDATE6: Tough questions need to be asked
UPDATE7: Trouble on the rescue ship – reaching open water not so easy
As we reported previously on WUWT here and here, the saga of the “climate scientists/tourists trapped in ice” continues to fascinate many. Now a second ship has given up on rescue, after the Chinese ship “Snow Dragon” gave up two days ago. The Aurora Australis has abandoned rescue of the trapped Russian “research”vessel in Antarctica and a helicopter evacuation in now being ordered. This episode has taken on a heightened comedic fiasco-like quality.
Now, with such a fantastic failure in full world view, questions are going to start being asked. For example, with advanced tools at their disposal (that Mawson never had) such as near real-time satellite imaging of Antarctic sea ice, GPS navigation, on-board Internet, radar, and satellite communications, one wonders how these folks managed to get themselves stuck at all. Was it simple incompetence of ignoring the signs and data at their disposal combined with “full steam ahead” fever? Even the captain of the Aurora Australis had the good sense to turn back knowing he’d reached the limits of the ship on his rescue attempt. Or, was it some sort of publicity stunt to draw attention? If it was the latter, it has backfired mightily.
One might argue that with photos like the one below, this whole “Spirit of Mawson” research expedition, is little more than a media stunt.
Source: [ http://twitter.com/GdnAntarctica/status/412977161323036672 ]
Even after the ship was trapped, these reporters still had a party like atmosphere going on:
Source: [ http://twitter.com/GdnAntarctica/status/416881634273525761/photo/1 ]
Yesterday, Andrew Revkin tweeted something that I agreed with, especially since so many of the people trapped in the ice on the ship seem to have a nonchalant, almost partly-like atmosphere going on.
Scientist on trapped Antarctic ship: "Fantastic-I love it when the ice wins & we don't." http://t.co/UsxA2tiV2i What about rescue risk/cost?
— Andrew Revkin 🌎 ✍🏼 🪕 ☮️ (@Revkin) December 29, 2013
Yes, the cost and risk is significant. These folks trapped on-board don’t seem to be cognizant of that issue, following the #spiritofmawson Twitter feed, it’s like watching reports (with pictures and video) from a high school class party.
And here’s the kicker. Even the public saw through the charade at the beginning. Trying to get crowd funding from the public for this trip failed miserably as this Indigogo campaign shows:
Source: http://www.indiegogo.com/projects/help-us-return-to-mawson-s-antarctic-hut-the-home-of-the-blizzard
Maybe it had to do with the ridiculous image of Professor Chris Turney in full cold weather gear standing in the midst of a tropical forest.
Right after the ship got stuck and there was a realization that the world was watching, one scientist on-board, Dr. Chris Fogwill, of the University of New South Wales, decided that it would be an opportune time to hit the public for money again:
Source: http://www.spiritofmawson.com/
And again, the public has seen through this, and today, the campaign remains stuck at $1000 with just a few donors. People are realizing that there’s no real science being done on this trip, and that it seems to be little more than a chartered party boat for Antarctic enthusiasts and media.
Now, with the ship to be evacuated via helicopter, will the Akademik Shokalskiy join the list of recent ships that have been sunk in Antarctic waters?
Ships that have sunk in Antarctic waters in recent years (h/t to David Archibald)
The Brazilian yacht “Endless Sea” sank in Maxwell Bay, Ardley Cove on Saturday 7th April, 2012. It was used for “scientific and educational expeditions”.
The sunken remains of the 76-ft Mar Sem Fin, aka “Endless Sea”, which sunk on April 7, 2012, lies at a depth of about 9 meters (30 ft) in Ardley Cove, Antarctica.
In November 2007, the Linblad Explorer hit sea ice and sank.
In April 2013, the Chinese factory fishing ship Kai Xin caught fire and sank near Bransfield Strait at the Antarctic Peninsula.
And there are others, these are just a few recent ones.
With so much concern for the pristine environment of Antarctica, one wonders how much environmental damage these sinkings are doing.
And when the trip is nothing more than a party for your friends and media, disguised as a “scientific expedition”, one wonders if there shouldn’t be some moratorium on such trips.
Richard Tol summed it all up nicely with one sentence:
There has been a strong and statistically significant upward trend in climate-change-related public-relations disasters #spiritofmawson
— Richard Tol (@RichardTol) December 30, 2013
UPDATE:
The #spiritofmawson hashtag is now getting competition from the hashtag #ClitanicDisaster in honor of the trapped climate scientists that the MSM won’t mention as being climate scientists.
========================================================
UPDATE 2:
reader Aphan writes on 2013/12/31 at 7:16 pm
I don’t know if anyone was posted this yet, but the IRONY just gobsmacked me.
The British “explorers” on board the MV Explorer who were “commemorating the Spirit of Shackleton” found themselves repeating HIS adventure when their ship struck a piece of submerged ice and then SANK in the Antarctic in November of 2007! None of the passengers or crew were lost. But HOW AMAZING is it that both the “Spirit of Mawson” trip AND the “Spirit of Shackleton” cruise trips ended in disaster from sea ice?????
http://www.jamescairdsociety.com/shackleton-news-104519.htm
http://www.nationalgeographic.com/adventure/news/explorer-sinks-antarctica.html
I mean…come on. What are the odds?
============================================================
Related articles
- Saving the Antarctic scientists, er media, er, activists, er tourists trapped by sea ice (wattsupwiththat.com)
- Antarctic rescue mission fails to reach trapped ship (theguardian.com)
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Richards in Vancouver says:
December 30, 2013 at 5:03 pm
“It [scientific expedition] may also find the missing heat on the ocean bottom. That triumph could come any day now, especially if the present winds freshen.”
______________________
Classic.
Even though the ice volume is growing there seems to be an increasing number of iceholes down there!
John,
Thank you.
Yes, I honestly believe it was, yes.
A cognitive paradigm shift is a painful process though…Good luck to him.
I can’t help but warm to this guy I must confess. I mean that.
Dunno why?
This is more than a complete success, they proven the existence of ice-nine!
CNN is about to air a segment with a few members on the stranded ship.
Tune into Anderson Cooper 360
Send the multi-million-dollar rescue bill to the Al Guardian and the BBC.
We hope it doesn’t deteriorate into a Dumber’s Party.
By the way. Helluva capable helicopter the Russian built Kamov 32: Co-axial – great lifting capacity.
DESIGN FEATURES: Conceived as completely autonomous ‘compact truck’, to stow in much the same space as Ka-25 with rotors folded, despite greater power and capability, and to operate independently of ground support equipment; special attention paid to ease of handling with single pilot; overall dimensions minimised by use of coaxial rotors, requiring no tail rotor, and twin fins on short tailboom; upper rotor turns clockwise, lower rotor anti-clockwise; rotor mast tilted forward 3°; twin turbines and APU above cabin, leaving interior uncluttered; lower fuselage sealed for flotation.
FLYING CONTROLS: Dual hydraulically powered flight control systems, without manual reversion; spring stick trim; yaw control by differential collective pitch applied through rudder pedals; mix in collective system maintains constant total rotor thrust during turns, to reduce pilot workload when landing on pitching deck, and to simplify transition to hover and landing; twin rudders intended mainly to improve control in autorotation, but also effective in coordinating turns; flight can be maintained on one engine at maximum T-O weight.
STRUCTURE: Titanium and composites used extensively, with particular emphasis on corrosion resistance; fully articulated three-blade coaxial contrarotatmg rotors have all-composites blades with carbon fibre and glass fibre main spars, ………
……
POWER PLANT: Two 1,633kW Klimov TV3-117V (Ka-32) or TV3-117VMA (Ka-32A) turboshafts, with automatic synchronisation system, side by side above cabin, forward of rotor driveshaft. …… Fuel in tanks under cabin floor and inside container each side of center-fuselage; capacity of main tanks 2.180 litres; maximum capacity with two underfloor auxiliary tanks 3,450 litres……
ACCOMMODATION: Pilot and navigator side by side on air conditioned flight deck, in adjustable seats. …… Seat behind navigator, on starboard side, for observer, loadmaster or rescue hoist operator. ….Direct access to cabin from flight deck. Heated and ventilated main cabin of Ka-32 can accommodate freight or 16 passengers……
http://www.aviastar.org/helicopters_eng/ka-32.php
What was said during the CNN interview.
No mention what the expedition was for. No mention of climate change.
Turney says its raining. Weather hasn’t been like this in year. They were at the wrong place at the wrong time.
blah blah blah
GlynnMhor says:
December 30, 2013 at 3:26 pm
“Clitanic” sounds rather suggestive, does it not?
We’ll all be on Santa’s naughty list if we keep going in that direction.
Perhaps “climatanic”?
@ur momisugly elmer says:
December 30, 2013 at 1:59 pm
If they were smart they would claim victory.
——————
[snip – not funny !]
Mods
My earlier comment was held for moderation and now seems to have just vanished. It would be nice to know what caused that, as it would be my first ever deleted or snipped comment here.
What was wrong with it?
[Reply: Found in spam folder & posted. Sometimes it’s a mystery why that happens. ~mod]
I just checked the business expedition leader Turney is involved:
http://carbonscape.com/
They are using sawdust to make charcoal. And using this to make green steel! Or to bury it in field soil to improve fertility and to capture there the CO2 for a long time.
And they are trying to produce a lot of bi-products like oils and combustible gases. The process is done with microwaves.
1. Seems somehow expensive to use electrictiy for making charcoal by using microwaves and then. They could use (green) electricity directly to produce steel.
2. Sawdust is no waste anymore. A lot of products are made out of it and there is a good market – at least in Europe. So there will be competition for those sawdust-made products.
3. They are looking for investors, but as they doing the research from 2006, still not yet having gone in comercial production it doesn’t look like the big business.
So how did the ship get icebound as she is now?
The ship encountered a severe storm which pushed her into the position she is now.
The storm also pushed sea ice into the area and this sea ice surrounded the ship.
Inclement conditions have exacerbated the situation. More strong winds have increased the sea ice buildup and are threatening to damage the hull of the ship.
The sea ice is dangerous with large and small chunks melded together by the cold conditions. very dangerous to walk on. Very dangerous to land a helicopter on.
Trying to walk to the edge of the ice field would be extremely dangerous and not to say extremely difficult. – Not an option.
Clearing an area for use as a helipad will also be touch and go. The ice is not one solid area – it’s lots of smaller bits fused together by the cold. Evacuation by a small helicopter will require multiple visits and will also be fraught with some danger.
Ironically if the weather eases up and the ice breaks up a little and there is damage to the ship – well you can see where this is going. I wonder if the chopper crew are adapt at doing airlifts or have the ability to do so?
ConfusedPhoton says:
December 30, 2013 at 12:04 pm
…. Rescuing the people will not be easy as it will depend on: weather; skill of the pilot; aircraft performance & condition; and landing zone condition (assuming they can land)…..
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
“…assuming they can land…” Ah yes the dangling cable ladder…
As a caver I climbed into and out of a pit cave on a free hanging cable ladder – ONCE. That was in relatively warm conditions and no wind. I rather a hanging rope and prussik knots but not in ice and snow. (And yes I have used Jumars and Charlie Gibb’s ascenders, I still like prussiks.)
Instead of partying they should be out prepping an area for that helicopter to land.
Afraid I can’t feel too sorry for the passengers, It’s just Darwin at work. I do wonder about the Captain and crew though and how they got into this mess.
The sad fact is that once the EcoCelebs have been rescued along with their gaggle of propagandist reporters, the story will be no more. Dutiful Russian crew members staying behind, risking their lives to right a terrible wrong won’t capture the imagination of the Anglophone West that dominates the MSN and Climate Change agenda.
This story hasn’t even touched the public imagination yet, let alone captured it: three casual phone calls to media savvy friends drew a blank. Not one had heard of the drama. This being the case, it would be fitting for one or two helicopter runs to be made to evacuate the eldest of the passengers, and the infirm before the weather closes again. Then, for Mother Nature to whip their sorry arses till the ice melts and the Ship of Fools sails home in shame with all on board alive, well and utterly chastened. Only then will this be properly reported and only then will the Alarmist bandwagon discover a modicum of humility.
And my sincerest apologies to all remaining crew members for saying that should it come to pass.
ConfusedPhoton says: @ur momisugly December 30, 2013 at 12:30 pm
Mark – “They’re in real danger”
……
… Even worse they do not understand the dangerous situation they have put the rescuers in!
>>>>>>>>>>>>>
I have every sympathy for the crews and I hope like heck the Russian skipper and his 17 volunteers makes it out alive. The others, given their attitude, I have no sympathy for what’s so ever.
These are not a bunch of innocent befuddled tourists but a bunch of campaigning activists who combined with their brethren have cause food riots in over 60 countries (2008 biofuel -food crisis) the real deaths of thousands in the UK (fuel poverty), not to mention undermining the economies of several nations and potentially causing the suffering and early deaths of not thousands but millions.
If Mother Nature wants to deliver a hard object lesson to activists so be it.
The unfortunate problem is they will just find a way to spin it.
Well just saw Anderson Coopers interview with those trapped. Seems they have no idea how a serious situation they are potentially in. Seems a new years party and drinking is the main thing on their mind while serious money is being spent to rescue them not to mention the risk to life of the rescuers.
I also watched Global National news Canada and they called it a research ship but no mention that is was involved in climate change research.
Way to go MSN, two thumbs down.
I
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11179877
Expedition leader Professor Chris Turney described the past week as “sobering” in a blog post.
“At the time we were initially caught by the sea ice, the Shokalskiy was just 2 to 4 nautical miles from open water.
“Now the sea ice distance has become even greater with the continued winds from the east, putting our nearest point of exit at some 16 nautical miles.”
3pm NZT Radio news Helicopter from Xue Long will attempt to lift the fools off tomorrow if weather permits. Landing pad has been marked out on the ice, then transfer when safe to Aurora. Captain and 22 crew to remain with Akademie.
J. Herbst says:
December 30, 2013 at 5:39 pm
I just checked the business expedition leader Turney is involved:
http://carbonscape.com/
They are using sawdust to make charcoal. And using this to make green steel! Or to bury it in field soil to improve fertility and to capture there the CO2 for a long time.
========================================================
Maybe he’s trying to reinvent Pykrete?
Please leave them there. Feed them, don’t make them eat each other, but make them suffer for a few months. And shut off their internet.
It’s truly a ‘ship of fools’ … trying to laugh off what should be treated as a very serious concern to those on board and those sent to rescue these naive global warming alarmists. It should be of even created concern if somehow this vessel sinks and the resulting pollution impacts on the area.
When these idiots are back on dry land, just you wait … they’ll use their 15 minutes of fame to promote dangerous man-made global warming!
The media are doing an atrocious job reporting the truth about this ‘expedition’ relating to this ‘ship of fools’ following in the footsteps of Mawson’s expedition 100 years ago and for which film footage exists showing an absence of sea ice.
John says:
December 30, 2013 at 2:44 pm
Questions:
…Although this is a Russian flagged vessel, who are the real owners and in what port does it typically reside?
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Hobart in Tasmania: link
They should have done their reading
http://www.amazon.com/South-Endurance-Expedition-Ernest-Shackleton/dp/0451198808
They should Just be glad that they won’t have to stay for two years feasting on penguin and seal.