Guitarist and Bass Player Don't Go Down with the Ship

Canard

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But they are the last ones off ... having helped to save hundreds of lives ..

Interesting story. Does a life as a working musician give one the strength, stamina, and fortitude to deal calmly with any (other ;)) disaster?

 

Opsimath

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Wow! That's quite a story, and what a relief, if not a miracle, that everyone survived, but this radio exchange caused a chuckle:

"OK. What is your position?"
"We're probably about halfway between the port of East London and Durban."
"No, no, no, what are your coordinates?"
Moss had no idea what their coordinates were.
"What rank are you?"
"Well, I'm not a rank - I'm a guitarist."
A moment's silence.
"What are you doing on the bridge?"
"Well, there's nobody else here."
"Who's on the bridge with you?"
"So I said, 'It's me, my wife - the bass player, we've got a magician here…'"
 

Opsimath

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But did he save his gear?
No mention of saved gear. He and his wife, the bassist, were among the last ones off.

Edit: See post #9, he rescued the captain's dog and turned his canary loose.
 
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fronobulax

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Very interesting.

The cruises I have been on with onboard musicians were all river cruises in the US. But the musicians were considered crew members and trained for certain emergencies and given specific jobs. There was at least one mandatory lifeboat drill I recall where a bassist was assigned to a lifeboat to assist passengers with donning their life jackets and getting them into the lifeboat. When I talked to them later there were also "other duties as assigned" and band members were tasked with knocking on cabin doors and helping people to the lifeboats as necessary.
 

Opsimath

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Very interesting.

The cruises I have been on with onboard musicians were all river cruises in the US. But the musicians were considered crew members and trained for certain emergencies and given specific jobs. There was at least one mandatory lifeboat drill I recall where a bassist was assigned to a lifeboat to assist passengers with donning their life jackets and getting them into the lifeboat. When I talked to them later there were also "other duties as assigned" and band members were tasked with knocking on cabin doors and helping people to the lifeboats as necessary.
I think this ship was out of Greece? Maybe their rules are different. Also, I think it was in 1991. Maybe new rules were implemented later.

As a side note here, I'm reasonably sure they meant "potted" plants, although ashtrays were mentioned right after the plants.

Pot plants, ashtrays, and chairs were sliding around, and people had to move from their seats to sit on the floor as the ship lurched wildly from one side to the other, port to starboard.
 
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fronobulax

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I think this ship was out of Greece? Maybe their rules are different. Also, I think it was in 1991. Maybe new rules were implemented later.
US Americans who tell horror stories about cruise ships often cite the nationalities of the crew and the country of ownership and the associated absence of regulations as a cause of the problems. Consequently many of them take river cruises on US rivers on US flagged vessels with US crews.

That's not me. My job at the time actively discouraged foreign travel and my temperament doesn't mind always being in sight of land.

If you look there are still modern stories about crew members being exploited and maltreated on international cargo and passenger ships.
 

Opsimath

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Here's more. Haven't read it all yet but says the captain and some of the crew were convicted of negligence.


And, the guitarist did this, too:

Hills later said that searching for Captain Avranas, he had discovered him smoking on the fantail and "I think he was in deep, deep shock." Hills reportedly rescued Avranas' dog and released his canary.
 
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fronobulax

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I was hoping to see the footnote where the officers were prosecuted.

In 1992, he [the Captain] and five other officers were convicted of negligence by a Greek board of inquiry for fleeing the ship without helping the passengers

So some justice was served but an author or editor didn't think reporting that was core to the story they were trying to tell.
 

Prince of Darkness

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So some justice was served but an author or editor didn't think reporting that was core to the story they were trying to tell.
From the Wikipedia article on the captain "A Greek board of inquiry found Avranas and four officers negligent in their handling of the disaster. He was never incarcerated and Epirotiki gave him command of a ferry until his retirement".
 

fronobulax

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From the Wikipedia article on the captain "A Greek board of inquiry found Avranas and four officers negligent in their handling of the disaster. He was never incarcerated and Epirotiki gave him command of a ferry until his retirement".
Interesting that I picked up on the claim they had been convicted but you found that they had never served time.
 

davismanLV

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Most maritime regulations and guidelines are determined by SOLAS Convention. (Safety Of Life At Sea) It's fairly long and drawn out, but unfortunately although they can regulate equipment and rules and ships, they can't regulate defective people. If you want the long-strokes, go HERE.
 
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