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Cruise Ship Passenger Lost Overboard At Glacier Bay National Park

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Published Date

July 15, 2018
Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve/Kurt Repanshek

A 69-year-old cruise ship passenger has been lost overboard at Glacier Bay National Park/Kurt Repanshek file

Editor's note: An update to this story can be found at this page: Man Overboard For 9 Hours Before Being Reported Missing At Glacier Bay National Park

A 69-year-old passenger of a Holland America cruise ship has been lost overboard at Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve in Alaska.

In a brief news release, the park said Saturday night that it had suspended its search for the man, who was reported missing from Westerdam on Friday. The individual was reported missing at 3:50 p.m. when he did not appear for a medical appointment on board, a park release said.

The Park Service was notified 7:30 Friday evening after a ship-wide search confirmed that the passenger was absent. 

Searches for the unidentified passenger were conducted both from Park Service boats and from the air, supported by the U.S. Coast Guard.

The release did not say where along the 65-mile Glacier Bay the man was reported missing, and park staff could not immediately be reached Sunday morning.

Holland America Westerdam/NPS HO

This file photo of the Holland America Westerdam was released by the National Park Service.



 

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Comments

Submitted by Kinikini on July 15, 2018 - 11:19pm.

It takes a lot of effort to fall off a Holland America ship. I know because I have travelled the world on Holland America. The only people that fall off by mistake are employees working in places that passengers would never go. I have been drunker than a skunk on those ships and I'm still alive. Suicide or murder is how passengers fall off. That is a fact. In that cold water a human would only last a couple minutes at best. So even if they launched every tender, lifeboat and the jet ski thingy that person would still be dead and gone. It's an urban legend amongst some cruise ship employees that Alaska cruises are the suicide cruise. 


Submitted by Wayne on July 15, 2018 - 11:23pm.

Did the captain personally inform you of the actions he took, didn't think so. 


Submitted by Bobtax on July 15, 2018 - 11:35pm.

We were on this cruise in room 5190.There was no 'excursion", previous commenter misspoke. We were all aboard 8:30 pm thursday the 12th and did not stop until seward today sunday the 15th. Commenter stating captain did not do enough is ridiculous 300 square miles to search in 50 degree water. The unfortunate man would have survived that water temp no more than 20 minutes if he survived the fall. We feel bad for his wife in room 4177. I am 6`1 and checked rail heights-i do not believe it is possible to fall.


Submitted by Bart on July 16, 2018 - 12:07am.

I think in Being that so much time had passed since he went overboard that it was impossible to know where to start lookinG. I was at the "ask the captain" event yesterday at 3:00 on the mainstage and he was visibly upset about it. I just hope there is something that can be learned from it and measures can be implemented to trigger an alarm as soon as someone is overboard. 


Submitted by DG on July 16, 2018 - 12:27am.

You have to work really hard to get over the railings, someone wants to do it or someone does it to you, but that would also be really hard.


Submitted by Nana x4 on July 16, 2018 - 1:06am.

Is it just me but why are so many people falling off Cruise ships


Submitted by Cruise Queen on July 16, 2018 - 1:44am.

You can't survive icy waters.  Hypothermia sets in within 20 minutes


Submitted by Ellen on July 16, 2018 - 2:24am.

Thank You...Maritimme Law is most specific.


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