‘Man Overboard’: A Look at Cruise Ship Disappearances

Oh brother, another fool falling for the sensationalism of sites like CruiseJunkie. You sir, are misinformed, at the very least, and something else, in fact.

The fact is cruising is that safest vacation option ever. Despite your incorrect, unsubstantiated claim, no one has fallen from a cruise ship ever, unless they bypassed the safety system, and in 4 out of 5 of those cases they were recovered.

The vast majority of people who go missing are suicides, there are but two cases of any kind of possible “crime” involving people being pushed, and neither has ever been proven. One is George Smith, the other is a sadder and more mysterious case, but still no proof.

There has never been a conviction, or even a trial, for a murder at sea.

The problem with cruisejunkie’s sensationalism is that he fails to distinguish between people who jump on purpose, and those who fall out of plain recklessness (almost always because they were smashed on alcohol). He makes them all sound as if they simply “fell” because of faulty safety precautions on cruise ships. That has never happened in modern cruise ship history.

What bothers me the most about your article is the underlying innuendo that cruising is somehow dangerous and that the criise lines are trying to cover it up. Nothing is further from the truth.

CruiseJunkie is a web site by a sensationalist with a motive of fear-mongering as a means to stop the growth of the cruise industry because he has personal reasons for wanting to “get back” at it. A sad way to spend a life in my opinion.

I highly suggest you read this article exposing this site and others like it for what they are…
http://cruisemates.com/articles/guest/todd6707.cfm

Paul wrote: “there are but two cases of any kind of possible “crime” involving people being pushed, and neither has ever been proven. One is George Smith, the other is a sadder and more mysterious case, but still no proof”

What about the wheelchair guy executed by Palestinian hijackers and pushed off the Achille Lauro? Does he count?

Paul wrote: “What bothers me the most about your article is the underlying innuendo that cruising is somehow dangerous”

I didn’t find any underlying innuendo in Mike’s write-up, but I do find cruising dangerous…to my mental and intestinal health. Forty-five minutes into my first and only cruise, I wanted to perform a swan dive off the lido deck. But thank God, the flawless safety system saved me.

And this cruise was on what ship? For the record, avid cruisers do not count casino day boats, fishing boats or ferries to Catalina as cruises. We stick the the ships of the Cruise Line International Assn, which includes Carnival, NCL, Royal Caribbean and many more.

The industry has the highest satusfaction rating (in that more cruisers reports having been “extremely satisfied” with their vacation than any other vacation option), and the vast majority of people who cruise do it again. The majority of people on cruises are repeaters.

Wow, just recently signed up for a cruise.  After reading this I will be more aware of exactly what can happen on a cruise.  Thx for the info. MM

I went on my first cruise last October (2006) and had a wonderful time. I’d go again in a heartbeat! While there was a report of someone falling overboard before the ship returned to Galveston, the Carnival Conquest captain did all he could to find the person. I don’t know what happened to him.

Just because you’re on vacation, don’t expect someone to be there to rescue you from irresponsible actions.

For information about cruises and passenger experiences, http://www.cruisecritic.com is an excellent site.

Cruisemates.com is also an excellent site that has been on the Internet for even longer than cruise critic.  There are a few people out there who want you to believe the worst about curising, but it really is a great vacation. Just use the normal precaution you would use on any vacation.

Now posted At safecruise.blogspot.com
Wednesday, July 04, 2007

We were on the Carnival Destiny near Aruba when an elderly couple disappeared without a trace in early 2005. Investigations by authorities were delayed and incomplete. While on our Caribbean cruise, we were shocked by comments by the locals that crime was on the increase on all of the islands due to organized crime activity and the use of the Caribbean as a half way point for drug traffickers from South America and elsewhere. Local law enforcement was poorly trained, understaffed, and ill-equipped to handle the growing security threats. This added to the fact that there are no independent, trained, and experienced law enforcement on cruise ships creates a dangerous situation. A report just released by the Government Accounting Office validates our initial concerns. 87 individuals have fallen overboard since the year 2000 and most cases go unsolved; no thanks to the incomplete security provided by the cruise lines. Last year was the worst with 22 and there have been 11 so far this year. Because of pressure from the families of victims and groups like http://www.internationalcruisevictims.org cruise lines have made limited changes to safety procedures and a few ships reacted quick enough to actually save victims. Congress has held several hearings but have taken no real action except to witness a last minute voluntary agreement with the cruise lines. Congressman Elijah E. Cummings, Maryland, Chairman Says the Subcommittee on Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation Will Give Cruise Lines Six Months or until from September 27, 2007 to Work Voluntarily with Coast Guard & FBI and Then Hold More Hearings.

Paul, your comment misrepresents me and my post.

I am not making unsubstantiated claims, or any claims at all. In my post, I am simply condensing and referring to an intriguing story by Jane Archer in the Telegraph. She writes that “more than 30 [passengers] have disappeared from ships in the past four years, according to the cruise industry.” She also lists many instances of people going overboard, and some of them, she writes, fell. The chart on Cruise Junkie, contrary to what you write, is not central to my post. It is a link with material that supports Archer’s argument regarding the number of people who have gone overboard, and it includes other links to many media reports.

Regarding your assertion that “the underlying innuendo that cruising is somehow dangerous and that the cruise lines are trying to cover it up,” you’re free to believe what you believe. However, my post also includes the position of the Passenger Shipping Association, which, according to Archer’s story, “maintains incidents like this are rare and that cruising is one of the safest holidays you can take.”

TambourineMan, thanks for the note and glad you pulled yourself back from the lido deck.

James, good point about taking responsibility for your actions. I’ll second that for those traveling on cruise ships or on a bus tour or solo or anywhere.

Long live Charo!

I am sorry, it is just that I have been on the receiving end of attacks from web sites that claim to “expose” the cruise industry simply because I am “pro-industry” so I have done thorough research into these web sites and have found them to be sensationalistic and biased beyond journalistic accountability. Naturally, I get upset whenever I see anyone refer to them as a reliable resource for cruise information.

When Klein or Archer states that people “fell” from ships s/he does not clarify that “falling” is an inaccurate verb that resounds with the impression it is possible to simply lose footing and go overboard on a cruise ship. That has never happened to anyone on a cruise ship in modern history. The only people that have fallen from ships are people who have intentionally done something to go beyond the safety barriers in place.

In most cases they jumped, in all the other cases, they positioned themselves beyond the safety barriers. Those are the facts.

Here’s another great book on cruising - a must read for anyone about to embark on a cruise voyage. It contains a step by step guide on how to keep you and your loved ones safe :-) Highly recommend it. Also available on Amazon.com, search for UNSAFE ON THE HIGH SEAS.

Paul, it is very clear to me that you are working for the cruise lines. Further, the cruisemates site you refer to is a marketing web site paid for by cruise lines. People reading this blog string please beware! Do a WHOIS search on cruisemates.com and you will see it is a marketing company that owns the site!

Paul…you also state that there has never been a conviction or trial for a murder at sea. THATS EXACTLY THE PROBLEM. Thats what makes a cruising unsafe - that there is no oversight, no police, when something happens it is just shuffled under the rug in order to protect the cruise line’s image, and pocket book.

A great read with real factual information for anyone about to go on a cruise is

Check it out and happy reading. Books gives you advice on how to cruise safe.

Sorry - book is called UNSAFE ON THE HIGH SEAS. Available on Amazon.com

Tamborine man, do you really think its the cruise industry’s responsiblity if terrorists murder their passengers? Should they give us bullet proof body armor before we board or forcing us all to take that medicine that makes you sick as a dog if you drink alcohol?  Gees!  I have visual and dexterity imapirments and I’ve traveled on cruises, trains, subway platforms, etc.  Blind people regularly travel on them.  Safety precautions are built in.  You have to try very hard to hurt yourself to succeed.  Before they wrap us all in mattress before we’re allowed to leave our cribs, if you don’t know how to take care of yourself, stay home.

Wow, this is something I would never expect, I understand that accidents can happen but it looks like some people have a different perspective about cruise ships and that perspective is not about having fun.

Lauren, you are a LIAR when it comes to how you describe me, and so I encourage people not to take YOU seriously. CruiseMates is NOT a marketing site, nor it is owned by a cruise line. It is an independent cruise travel guide that OFTEN does critical articles. If you look at our front page there is a critical article on cruise art auctions, another on people refused boarding and another critical of ship design.

My opinion is UNBIASED, and I resent you saying anything else. But when it comes to cruise crime, note the following:

Jennifer Hagel Smith, widow of George Allen Smith who died mysteriously on a Mediterranean cruise in 2005, has released a statement that says her husband’s family has refused to acknowledge the possibility that Smith’s death was accidental. The family has insisted Smith was a victim of foul play despite a lack of evidence, according to the widow. Her attorney says the family has “described a crime scene in the cabin on the ship that simply didn’t exist” and “published reports of blood evidence that the families now know is baseless.”

The statement, as reported by the Associated Press, is a response to an appeal the family filed against the widow claiming she accepted an inadequate settlement from Royal Caribbean. Her lawyer further remarks that Hagel Smith has received numerous documents, including cabin access records and statements made to investigators, and “There’s no evidence we can see of murder.”

The crime was investigated by the FBI and no charges were ever brought. All of the evidence and the testimony of Smith’s widow points to an accident or suicide.

What is most interesting about this? George Smith’s family is one of the co-founders of the highly outspoken anti-cruise industry organization “International Cruise Victims.” The other co-founder of ICV, and their spokesperson, is Kendall Carver whose daughter Merrian disappeared from a cruise ship in 2004. In that case there is also no evidence that a crime ever occured. The final conclusion was that her disappearance was a deliberate act by the deceased.

So, now the best evidence we have in both of the cases of the families who started “International Cruise Victims” is that neither case involved foul play. Neither of them were victims at all, let alone “cruise victims,” yet they have been such highly consistent critics that they have have sparked three congressional investigations into “cruise ship crime.”

In two of the most recent additions to ICV’s roster of “cruise victims”, Ashley Barnett and Mindy Jordan, neither of those cases bears proof of foul play, either. Ashley ingested her boyfriend’s methadone (a strong opiate) apparently by accident because it had been transferred to a Nyquil bottle. Mindy was attempting to climb from one balcony to another, high above open water in high seas. A camera caught her in the act and shows her losing her grip. Both incidents were investigated by the FBI and no charges were filed.

Are these cases sad? Of course. Is it easy to criticize anyone who has lost loved ones? It doesn’t feel good at all. But since these are the same people who have put the cruise industry on trial a look in the mirror is only fair. We are desperately sorry for their losses, but are they “cruise ship crime victims?”

Hi Paul. I dont appreciate being called a liar.

Do you see banner ads on the cruisemates site? I do. They are banner advertisements for the cruise lines. Ergo my statement that the cruise lines pay for the site is accurate. The site would not make money on banner ads from the cruise lines if it published material that reflected negatively on the cruise lines.

Reg the Smith. Mrs. Smith was drugged and raped by one or more people. My guess is Mr. Smith walked in on it happening and the rapist(s) killed him. Why no prosecution? Because the cruise lines had already washed away all the evidence. That is exactly the problem. That is why congress is working on passing laws to make cruising safer - to make sure there is oversight on cruise ships. A cruise ship is like a big floating city. Image any city without police - it would be chaos.

Regarding ICV - the site was started prior to the Smith murder. The family joined in to support the site after they lost their loved one. That is what the site is for.

Who do you work for Paul? Doing what? If you are going to attack me with slanderous remarks let the readers know exactly what it is you do - and where you are coming from. Only fair..

Best,
Lauren

You stated this “Paul, it is very clear to me that you are working for the cruise lines. Further, the cruisemates site you refer to is a marketing web site paid for by cruise lines. People reading this blog string please beware! Do a WHOIS search on cruisemates.com and you will see it is a marketing company that owns the site! “

I do not work for the cruise lines. I am a journalist who covers the cruise industry. I writepositive and negative articles. I proved that by pointing them out to you on our front page. Cruise Lines advertise on my web site because we attract almost 200,000 unique visitors/month, all of them researching cruises. They advertise where the people researching cruises go.

Sites like ICV are backed by sites like cruisebruise who make their money selling advertising to lawyers who sue the industry. The exact same situation we have - except in reverse. Therfore, if that was the only standard for judging veracity you would have to say exactly the same thing about them.

You slandered me. You said untruths about me, which are also called “lies”. You obviously have no regard for accuracy, while as a jounalist I make my living by it.

Your allegations that Ms Smith was drugged and raped have NO credence at all. If that were the case, why would she PERSONALLY be the one making the statements that there was no foul play?
Furthermore, GAS’s family is often credited as being co-founders of ICV.

I have been following these issues on a daily basis for 10 years now, I have met and discussed at length with the heads of ICV and CruiseJunkie (and read all his books). I have looked them in the eyes and debated them point for point. I know what I am talking about.

You are making things up. That I work for the cruise lines, the Mrs. Smith was drugged and raped, and that there is a huge crime problem on cruise ships that goes unreported. Every possible crime gets reported to the FBI as congress mandated.

I don’t mean to come down hard on you, but I resent people saying things about me that are not true. I have been around a long time.  I may be the opposition to ICV, I disagree with their views and their conclusions, but I do not normally resort to name-calling unless I am responding to the kind of lies you just wrote.

You can have an opinion and still honor the truth. I realize that is hard for some young people to understqand in this age of spin we live in, but some of us journalists still care about accuracy.

You write"The site would not make money on banner ads from the cruise lines if it published material that reflected negatively on the cruise lines.”

Obviously that is not true at all if you read my articles online RIGHT NOW about art auctions and people being refused boarding.

You are one of those not-rare enough people who fail to understand “post hoc ergo prompter hoc” It means “just because one event followed another the second event was caused by the first.”

That is known as “the great fallacy” and it applies to people who draw conclusions based on circumstantial evidence rather than known facts.

You assume that because we have cruise line advertising that we work for the cruise lines. Not true. The New York Times and CNN make money from advertising. Does that make them “marketing sites?” Obviously not.

Furthermore, a WHOIS does nothing to show we are owned by a marketing site. Internet Brands is a conglomerate of several travel web sites, and a subsidiary to “carsdirect.com” which sells cars. Nowhere does it say the company is a “marketing site.”

So, I will take back my statement about you being a LIAR and say “you could be a liar, or you could be crazy or just intellectually challenged.” In any case you know absolutely nothing about me, and your statements about me are untrue.

I was reading about European cruises and the number of people filed as missing on the cruise. It’s quite odd actually. I see this type of traveling as the best way to plan a murder for instance. Just a push overboard and it’s done. Maybe the sea movement makes people to jump. Maybe they get suicidal from the water’s breeze. Another cause might be the quantity of alcohol one consumes and then slips on the deck and goes overboard. Who knows…as long as the bodies are not found, we can’t know their reasons.

There is actually a scene in Titanic that illustrates this exact situation. If you recall, Jack meets Rose by thwarting her suicide attempt off the stern of the ship. He is caught with the lady in his arms with his boots off.

The scene shoes exactly how one prone to suicidal tencendies may be drawn into the monemt - just like on Golden Gate Bridge. But do you sue the bridge?