Passengers rescued from Russian ship stuck in Antarctic ice

[News_Editor]

SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA (BNO NEWS) -- More than 50 people on board a Russian cruise ship that got stuck in sea ice in Antarctica last month were rescued by helicopter on Thursday and flown to a nearby vessel, Australian officials said. Nearly two dozen crew members remain with the vessel.

The operation began at approximately 6 p.m. Australian Eastern Daylight Time (AEDT) on Thursday when a helicopter from the Chinese research vessel Xue Long had reached the MV Akademik Shokalskiy. Twelve passengers boarded the aircraft and arrived at another nearby vessel, the Australian icebreaker Aurora Australis, a short time later.

"Five flights were conducted to take the passengers to the Aurora Australis over a distance of about 14 nautical miles (25.9 kilometers). Four flights were undertaken with 12 people each flight, and the fifth flight rescued four passengers," a spokesperson for the Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) said, adding that the helicopter was able to land on an ice floe near the Aurora Australis.

All 52 passengers, along with their luggage and some equipment, were rescued by 10 p.m. EADT and the group was provided with hot drinks and meals. The Australian icebreaker later began a slow journey through heavy sea ice and is expected to reach open waters by late Friday.

"The Aurora Australis will then head towards the Casey base to complete a resupply before heading to Australia. The Aurora Australis is not expected to arrive in Australia until mid-January," AMSA said in a statement. It added that 20 crew members remained on board the Russian vessel to wait for further icebreaker assistance, which is likely to take several weeks.

The MV Akademik Shokalskiy became beset by ice on early Christmas morning when the vessel was approximately 1,500 nautical miles (2,778 kilometers) south of the Australian island state of Tasmania. The former research ship was on an Antarctic cruise, carrying 74 people, to retrace the footsteps of Australian Antarctic explorer Douglas Mawson more than 100 years ago.

Several icebreakers, including the Aurora Australis and Xue Long, had attempted to reach the Russian ship but were both forced to abandon their attempts due to thick sea ice and severe weather conditions. Throughout the ordeal, however, the passengers and crew were never in any acute danger as they had supplies lasting for several weeks.

(Copyright 2013 by BNO News B.V. All rights reserved. Info: [email protected].)

[RickBradford]

This is not over. The Aurora Australis is only able to make 1/4 knot headway against thick ice, and has now been ordered to hang around to aid Xue Long, another of the rescue vessels, which has notified it "has concerns about their ability to move through heavy ice in the area."

The causes of this serial mishap are becoming clearer, thanks to the blogging of one of the tourists on board, Janet Rice of the Australian Green Party. It seems they were sightseeing on the ice when the captain wanted them back on board so the Akademik Shokalskiy could get out of harm's way.

Writes Rice:

"I’m told the Captain was becoming rather definite late in the afternoon that we needed to get everyone back on board ASAP because of the coming weather and the ice closing in. As I write we are continuing to make extremely slow progress through what looks like a winter alpine snow field ...I’m sure the Captain would have been much happier if we had got away a few hours earlier.

I'm sure he would; instead, he faces several uncertain weeks onboard his vessel, stuck in an ice-field.

[F430murci]

This is not over. The Aurora Australis is only able to make 1/4 knot headway against thick ice, and has now been ordered to hang around to aid Xue Long, another of the rescue vessels, which has notified it "has concerns about their ability to move through heavy ice in the area."

The causes of this serial mishap are becoming clearer, thanks to the blogging of one of the tourists on board, Janet Rice of the Australian Green Party. It seems they were sightseeing on the ice when the captain wanted them back on board so the Akademik Shokalskiy could get out of harm's way.

Writes Rice:

"Im told the Captain was becoming rather definite late in the afternoon that we needed to get everyone back on board ASAP because of the coming weather and the ice closing in. As I write we are continuing to make extremely slow progress through what looks like a winter alpine snow field ...Im sure the Captain would have been much happier if we had got away a few hours earlier.

I'm sure he would; instead, he faces several uncertain weeks onboard his vessel, stuck in an ice-field.

Haha, here is something else to fuel your resentment and obsession. You should be real angry about this one. How dare they? Unbelievable! Those dang incognito greenies putting that Russian, and now the Chinese, trawler in harms way so they could play on the ice. The nerve! You just might ought to drink over this one!

-----

CANBERRA, Australia -- An icebreaker carrying 52 passengers who were retrieved from an icebound ship in the Antarctic was told to halt its journey home on Friday after a Chinese vessel involved in the dramatic rescue became concerned that it, too, may get trapped in the heavy sea ice.

http://worldnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2014/01/03/22158911-rescue-ship-sent-to-retrieve-stranded-antarctic-voyagers-now-stuck-in-ice?lite

[p_brownstone]

This is so much rubbish - but typical of the hysterical "Global Warming" cabal.

There were NO "Passengers" much less "Tourists" on this Vessel.

This ship actually carried ONLY so called Global Warming advocates and "Scientists" eager (desperate?) to prove their theory - only to get themselves stuck in a huge Ice-field which clearly, immediately, destroys their silly contentions.

NOTE:

Almost 96% - by Internet Polls of News Sites - continue to describe these people simply as "Passengers" or "Tourists" deliberately avoiding any connection to their real reason for being there - to produce "evidence of Global Warming" - and so avoiding their embarrassment and ridicule at the end result of their "Research" to show it was a failure of epic proportions ................ on International News!

Patrick

Edited January 3, 2014 by p_brownstone

[F430murci]

This is so much rubbish - but typical of the hysterical "Global Warming" cabal.

There were NO "Passengers" much less "Tourists" on this Vessel.

This ship actually carried ONLY so called Global Warming advocates and "Scientists" eager (desperate?) to prove their theory - only to get themselves stuck in a huge Ice-field which clearly, immediately, destroys their silly contentions.

NOTE:

Almost 96% - by Internet Polls of News Sites - continue to describe these people simply as "Passengers" or "Tourists" deliberately avoiding any connection to their real reason for being there - to produce "evidence of Global Warming" - and so avoiding their embarrassment and ridicule at the end result of their "Research" to show it was a failure of epic proportions ................ on International News!

Patrick

Who cares who was on the boat! Looks as if you are the one being hysterical while they were singing, dancing and having a good time.

[folium]

This is so much rubbish - but typical of the hysterical "Global Warming" cabal.

There were NO "Passengers" much less "Tourists" on this Vessel.

This ship actually carried ONLY so called Global Warming advocates and "Scientists" eager (desperate?) to prove their theory - only to get themselves stuck in a huge Ice-field which clearly, immediately, destroys their silly contentions.

NOTE:

Almost 96% - by Internet Polls of News Sites - continue to describe these people simply as "Passengers" or "Tourists" deliberately avoiding any connection to their real reason for being there - to produce "evidence of Global Warming" - and so avoiding their embarrassment and ridicule at the end result of their "Research" to show it was a failure of epic proportions ................ on International News!

Patrick

Any chance of a link to this Poll?

Looking at the "loony lefty" BBC and Guardian websites I don't see much evidence of such devious behaviour.

http://www.theguardian.com/science/antarctica-live/interactive/2013/dec/04/century-change-antarctic-interactive

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-25576218

Edited January 3, 2014 by folium

[chuckd]

This is so much rubbish - but typical of the hysterical "Global Warming" cabal.

There were NO "Passengers" much less "Tourists" on this Vessel.

This ship actually carried ONLY so called Global Warming advocates and "Scientists" eager (desperate?) to prove their theory - only to get themselves stuck in a huge Ice-field which clearly, immediately, destroys their silly contentions.

NOTE:

Almost 96% - by Internet Polls of News Sites - continue to describe these people simply as "Passengers" or "Tourists" deliberately avoiding any connection to their real reason for being there - to produce "evidence of Global Warming" - and so avoiding their embarrassment and ridicule at the end result of their "Research" to show it was a failure of epic proportions ................ on International News!

Patrick

Any chance of a link to this Poll?

Looking at the "loony lefty" BBC and Guardian websites I don't see much evidence of such devious behaviour.

http://www.theguardian.com/science/antarctica-live/interactive/2013/dec/04/century-change-antarctic-interactive

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-25576218

Foli:

Perhaps the poster was referring to this article concerning US coverage of this little fiasco.

F430 will scoff at the source, but will have no response other than to attack it. Media Matters is a conservative outfit that watches reports made by the main stream media to gauge their favoritism, or lack of same.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Frozen Out: 98% of Stories Ignore That Ice-bound Ship Was On Global Warming Mission

By Mike Ciandella | January 2, 2014 | 12:43

A group of climate change scientists were rescued by helicopter Jan. 2, after being stranded in the ice since Christmas morning. But the majority of the broadcast networks’ reports about the ice-locked climate researchers never mentioned climate change.

The Russian ship, Akademic Shokalskiy, was stranded in the ice while on a climate change research expedition, yet nearly 98 percent of network news reports about the stranded researchers failed to mention their mission at all. Forty out of 41 stories (97.5 percent) on the network morning and evening news shows since Dec. 25 failed to mention climate change had anything to do with the expedition.

In fact, rather than point out the mission was to find evidence of climate change, the networks often referred to the stranded people as “passengers,” “trackers” and even “tourists,” without a word about climate change or global warming.

Read more: http://newsbusters.org/blogs/mike-ciandella/2014/01/02/frozen-out-98-stories-ignore-ice-bound-ship-was-global-warming-missi#ixzz2pM1WRHjG

[F430murci]

This is so much rubbish - but typical of the hysterical "Global Warming" cabal.

There were NO "Passengers" much less "Tourists" on this Vessel.

This ship actually carried ONLY so called Global Warming advocates and "Scientists" eager (desperate?) to prove their theory - only to get themselves stuck in a huge Ice-field which clearly, immediately, destroys their silly contentions.

NOTE:

Almost 96% - by Internet Polls of News Sites - continue to describe these people simply as "Passengers" or "Tourists" deliberately avoiding any connection to their real reason for being there - to produce "evidence of Global Warming" - and so avoiding their embarrassment and ridicule at the end result of their "Research" to show it was a failure of epic proportions ................ on International News!

Patrick

Any chance of a link to this Poll?

Looking at the "loony lefty" BBC and Guardian websites I don't see much evidence of such devious behaviour.

http://www.theguardian.com/science/antarctica-live/interactive/2013/dec/04/century-change-antarctic-interactive

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-25576218

Foli:

Perhaps the poster was referring to this article concerning US coverage of this little fiasco.

F430 will scoff at the source, but will have no response other than to attack it. Media Matters is a conservative outfit that watches reports made by the main stream media to gauge their favoritism, or lack of same.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Frozen Out: 98% of Stories Ignore That Ice-bound Ship Was On Global Warming Mission

By Mike Ciandella | January 2, 2014 | 12:43

A group of climate change scientists were rescued by helicopter Jan. 2, after being stranded in the ice since Christmas morning. But the majority of the broadcast networks’ reports about the ice-locked climate researchers never mentioned climate change.

The Russian ship, Akademic Shokalskiy, was stranded in the ice while on a climate change research expedition, yet nearly 98 percent of network news reports about the stranded researchers failed to mention their mission at all. Forty out of 41 stories (97.5 percent) on the network morning and evening news shows since Dec. 25 failed to mention climate change had anything to do with the expedition.

In fact, rather than point out the mission was to find evidence of climate change, the networks often referred to the stranded people as “passengers,” “trackers” and even “tourists,” without a word about climate change or global warming.

Read more: http://newsbusters.org/blogs/mike-ciandella/2014/01/02/frozen-out-98-stories-ignore-ice-bound-ship-was-global-warming-missi#ixzz2pM1WRHjG

Everything is a massive cover up conspiracy to some. You guys look for the negative or try to find problems when there are none. This is like screaming irony if Rick Bradford got stranded in the Australian dessert with no water in 120 heat. The story is dude is stranded and needs rescuing. His opinions or views should be irrelevant.

I went on one of these climate expeditions, wife was the invitee, in January of 2012. A lot of people on that, including myself, were a long for the ride and to see the once in a lifetime scenes. I remember more about how penguins take care of their weak than about ice packs. That was my focus . . . well that and hob nobbing with the real players.

There were skeptics on that trip with very deep pockets and I have to say that no one was in anyone's face or pushy about anything. No one was bashing the other side. It was very laid back, jovial and cordial.

[Jdietz]

[F430murci]

This is so much rubbish - but typical of the hysterical "Global Warming" cabal.

There were NO "Passengers" much less "Tourists" on this Vessel.

This ship actually carried ONLY so called Global Warming advocates and "Scientists" eager (desperate?) to prove their theory - only to get themselves stuck in a huge Ice-field which clearly, immediately, destroys their silly contentions.

NOTE:

Almost 96% - by Internet Polls of News Sites - continue to describe these people simply as "Passengers" or "Tourists" deliberately avoiding any connection to their real reason for being there - to produce "evidence of Global Warming" - and so avoiding their embarrassment and ridicule at the end result of their "Research" to show it was a failure of epic proportions ................ on International News!

Patrick

Any chance of a link to this Poll?

Looking at the "loony lefty" BBC and Guardian websites I don't see much evidence of such devious behaviour.

http://www.theguardian.com/science/antarctica-live/interactive/2013/dec/04/century-change-antarctic-interactive

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-25576218

Foli:

Perhaps the poster was referring to this article concerning US coverage of this little fiasco.

F430 will scoff at the source, but will have no response other than to attack it. Media Matters is a conservative outfit that watches reports made by the main stream media to gauge their favoritism, or lack of same.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Frozen Out: 98% of Stories Ignore That Ice-bound Ship Was On Global Warming Mission

By Mike Ciandella | January 2, 2014 | 12:43

A group of climate change scientists were rescued by helicopter Jan. 2, after being stranded in the ice since Christmas morning. But the majority of the broadcast networks’ reports about the ice-locked climate researchers never mentioned climate change.

The Russian ship, Akademic Shokalskiy, was stranded in the ice while on a climate change research expedition, yet nearly 98 percent of network news reports about the stranded researchers failed to mention their mission at all. Forty out of 41 stories (97.5 percent) on the network morning and evening news shows since Dec. 25 failed to mention climate change had anything to do with the expedition.

In fact, rather than point out the mission was to find evidence of climate change, the networks often referred to the stranded people as “passengers,” “trackers” and even “tourists,” without a word about climate change or global warming.

Read more: http://newsbusters.org/blogs/mike-ciandella/2014/01/02/frozen-out-98-stories-ignore-ice-bound-ship-was-global-warming-missi#ixzz2pM1WRHjG

I am curious. If CNN, MSNBC, weather channel, local news or whatever has a least one story reporting that Chris Turney, a professor of climate change, was leader of the expedition, is it your contention they need to report that fact over and over again in every rescue attempt story to appease you cover-up guys? You do realize there are time allocations for broadcast news stories and repeating already reported information in the new stories may not fit within time constraints.

Example:

CNN said (this came from an interview with Turney played live on December 26), and this was picked up by multiple new wires and television stations across the nation and causes me some concern that your source was not very good:

-----

. . . said Chris Turney, expedition leader and professor of climate change at University of New South Wales in Australia. . . .

"This is an area of enormous change. We're in an area of a big driver of global climate," Turney said. "We wanted to come here to see how much change has taken place.

"Ironically, this is actually giving us extra time to do research," he said about being stuck in the frozen waters.

He joked that he gave researchers the day off on Christmas, though.

"We're looking at life under the sea ice," he added.

http://www.ksat.com/news/Trapped-Antarctic-ship-to-be-rescued-Friday/-/478452/23662488/-/gsobo9z/-/index.html

http://www.ktxs.com/news/national/Trapped-Antarctic-ship-to-be-rescued-Friday/-/14769504/23662488/-/ssdnix/-/index.html

-----

Wow, that just reeks of cover up to me and sounds as if Turney is hysterial and in on the attempted cover up also.

So the questions remains, once this is made clear why in the world does the new outlets need to keep putting this in for every little blurb or story that relates to the failed rescue efforts?????

Wait, what do we have here??? Could it be more than one news network on December 26 playing the above interview with Chris Turney were he said the above???

Surely Chuck's source is not bunk as well as rather obsessive . . .

------

http://www.krcrtv.com/news/Trapped-Antarctic-ship-to-be-rescued-Friday/-/14286064/23662488/-/m0j9u8/-/index.html

http://www.kesq.com/news/Trapped-Antarctic-ship-to-be-rescued-Friday/-/233092/23662488/-/m2gmrv/-/index.html

http://www.kplctv.com/story/24311323/antarctic-ship-trapped-in-sea-ice-should-be-rescued-by-Friday

http://www.wptz.com/news/national/Icebreaker-stalled-en-route-to-stranded-ship/-/8869978/23665336/-/11b5c09z/-/index.html

http://www.news4jax.com/news/Trapped-Antarctic-ship-to-be-rescued-Friday/-/475880/23662488/-/bueewl/-/index.html

Frankly, there are just too many to list . . ., but it was so easy to find.

Edited January 3, 2014 by F430murci

[folium]

This is so much rubbish - but typical of the hysterical "Global Warming" cabal.

There were NO "Passengers" much less "Tourists" on this Vessel.

This ship actually carried ONLY so called Global Warming advocates and "Scientists" eager (desperate?) to prove their theory - only to get themselves stuck in a huge Ice-field which clearly, immediately, destroys their silly contentions.

NOTE:

Almost 96% - by Internet Polls of News Sites - continue to describe these people simply as "Passengers" or "Tourists" deliberately avoiding any connection to their real reason for being there - to produce "evidence of Global Warming" - and so avoiding their embarrassment and ridicule at the end result of their "Research" to show it was a failure of epic proportions ................ on International News!

Patrick

Any chance of a link to this Poll?

Looking at the "loony lefty" BBC and Guardian websites I don't see much evidence of such devious behaviour.

http://www.theguardian.com/science/antarctica-live/interactive/2013/dec/04/century-change-antarctic-interactive

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-25576218

Foli:

Perhaps the poster was referring to this article concerning US coverage of this little fiasco.

F430 will scoff at the source, but will have no response other than to attack it. Media Matters is a conservative outfit that watches reports made by the main stream media to gauge their favoritism, or lack of same.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Frozen Out: 98% of Stories Ignore That Ice-bound Ship Was On Global Warming Mission

By Mike Ciandella | January 2, 2014 | 12:43

A group of climate change scientists were rescued by helicopter Jan. 2, after being stranded in the ice since Christmas morning. But the majority of the broadcast networks’ reports about the ice-locked climate researchers never mentioned climate change.

The Russian ship, Akademic Shokalskiy, was stranded in the ice while on a climate change research expedition, yet nearly 98 percent of network news reports about the stranded researchers failed to mention their mission at all. Forty out of 41 stories (97.5 percent) on the network morning and evening news shows since Dec. 25 failed to mention climate change had anything to do with the expedition.

In fact, rather than point out the mission was to find evidence of climate change, the networks often referred to the stranded people as “passengers,” “trackers” and even “tourists,” without a word about climate change or global warming.

Read more: http://newsbusters.org/blogs/mike-ciandella/2014/01/02/frozen-out-98-stories-ignore-ice-bound-ship-was-global-warming-missi#ixzz2pM1WRHjG

Thanks Chuck

we seem to have a classic "mountain out of molehill" story here. Whether you are a proponent or sceptic of the GW theory, these guys were hardly running some covert, stealth expedition with the media "in" on the great conspiracy.

http://www.spiritofmawson.com/

Anyone with any expertise or experience in a certain field which then hits the news networks attention for a brief sound bite or 16, rarely comes away from the experience with much beyond total amazement at the utter superficiality and often factually deficient nature of the coverage. That's the nature of the beast.

Indeed there were paying passengers (aka "tourists") along for the ride on this expedition (or "cruise" to those so-inclined), most probably to defray some of the cost of hosting a bunch of scientists and journalists. Christmas is the ideal time to visit Antarctica and this trip was far more interesting than the usual cruise out of Ushuaia to the Peninsula and back, and personally I would be very happy to take the same trip with whoever, even a bunch of TVF's finest, if it gave me the opportunity to visit the one continent I am yet to set foot on.

[RickBradford]

The Xue Long, with 122 on board, is now officially stuck, but it is not asking for further assistance as "it has food supplies for several weeks."

This will forever be known as The Global-Warming-Mission-That-Got-Stuck-In-The-Ice, but I suppose it was always on the cards for a mission whose official "science leaders" included the Events and Branding Marketing Manager for Google Australia.....

[Publicus]

The captain of the ship is responsible for its safety and success, not the passengers whomever the passengers may be.

Did the passengers run the Titanic into an iceberg? Did the passengers run this ship into an immovable mass of polar ice?

Now the Chinese rescue ship which was sent to save the Russian ship stuck in the ice is itself stuck in the ice. Are there any scientists on board the Chinese rescue ship that now also needs rescue (but is now denying it needs rescue), as if that could matter at all about anything?

I heard North Korea is sending a recently well-fed dog team rescue sled to the scene .

Mush.

[Credo]

(Snipped)

I heard North Korea is sending a recently well-fed dog team rescue sled to the scene .

Mush.

The would be the ultimate Mea Culpa.

[teatree]

Had there been less ice than in recent years and the ship had been able to get to places that had not been accessible before, the mainstream media would have screamed from the rooftops that there were scientists doing a study on the effects of global warming.

The ship getting stuck in ice didn't quite fit in with the narrative so the scientific part was rather hushed up.

The "Gore" effect strikes again. What makes it even more ironic is that last month saw the highest total ice on the polar regions since records began in the late 70's.

[chuckd]

I ran across this little blurb about the incident. It is from the New Zealand Herald.

It doesn't get much better than this.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Forest needed to cover carbon footprint of icy rescue

By Matthew Theunissen

5:30 AM Sunday Jan 5, 2014

The hapless Australasian Antarctic Expedition is finally homeward bound - and thousands of trees will have to be planted to offset the carbon footprint from the prolonged rescue effort.

...From the article...

The expedition had pledged to plant about 800 kauri trees in Northland to cover its carbon footprint. Environmentalists believe planting trees helps to offset the impact of burning fuels such as diesel.

But former Act Party leader and Herald on Sunday columnist Rodney Hide said that would have to increase to about 5000 trees to make up for the fossil fuels burned in the rescue.

Expedition leader Chris Turney said more trees would be needed than earlier estimated but he was yet to work out how many.

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11181470

[chuckd]

This was also in the news this morning.

Now the US taxpayers are being tasked to support this little adventure.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

USA to the rescue! US Coast Guard Ice breaker asked to assist Antarctic rescue vessels trapped in ice due to #spiritofmawson fiasco

Posted on January 4, 2014 by Anthony Watts

6.30am AEDT Sunday 05 January 2014

The Australian Maritime Safety Authority’s Rescue Coordination Centre (RCC Australia) has requested the US Coast Guard’s Polar Star icebreaker to assist the vessels MV Akademik Shokalskiy and Xue Long which are beset by ice in Commonwealth Bay.

The US Coast Guard has accepted this request and will make Polar Star available to assist.

The Polar Star has been en route to Antarctica since 3 December, 2013 – weeks prior to the MV Akademik Shokalskiy being beset by ice in Commonwealth Bay. The intended mission of the Polar Star is to clear a navigable shipping channel in McMurdo Sound to the National Science Foundation’s Scientific Research Station. Resupply ships use the channel to bring food, fuel and other goods to the station. The Polar Star will go on to undertake its mission once the search and rescue incident is resolved.

http://wattsupwiththat.com/2014/01/04/usa-to-the-rescue-us-coast-guard-ice-breaker-asked-to-assist-antarctic-rescue-vessels-trapped-in-ice-due-to-spiritofmawson-fiasco/

[RickBradford]

There are two aspects to the rescue -- the financial cost, and the resource cost to real Antarctic science.

With all these ships being tasked to help the scientists-turned-tourists, considerable resources have been drained from the French, Chinese and Australian scientific missions in Antarctica.

Yves Frenot, director of the French Polar Institute, said that French scientists had had to scrap a two-week oceanographic campaign this month:

"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."

The saga of the Akademik Sholaskiy is a mere symptom of creative ways to waste money on immature, misguided self-aggrandizing adventure.

[thailiketoo]

Is this the trip that the Thai lady scientists from Chula went on?

[mopar71]

Mark Steyn: Global warming's glorious ship of fools

Has there ever been a better story? It's like a version of Titanic where first class cheers for the iceberg

http://www.spectator.co.uk/features/9112201/ship-of-fools-2/

[RickBradford]

The vessel Akademik Shokalskiy, which transported the intrepid climate activists to Antarctica, has reached port in Invercargill, New Zealand.

The Aurora Australis, to which the tourists were daringly airlifted and where they remain, is still on station in Casey Station, Antarctica, carrying out a scheduled resupply.

The longest way round is often the shortest way home, otherwise expressed as "Don't panic."

[RickBradford]

A full researched chronology of the journey and the rescue is online at http://climateaudit.org/2014/01/15/ship-of-fools/.

It covers not just the events at the time, but the attempted cover-up afterwards.

[RickBradford]

The Australian Academy of Science, whose awards "celebrate scientific excellence" has just given the 2014 Frederick White Prize for "scientific achievements contributing to the understanding of natural phenomena" goes to .....

..... Professor Chris Turney, University of New South Wales, the leader of the Ice Follies team that got 2 ships and 200 people stuck in pack ice, and which had to be rescued from Antarctica due to a shortage of peanut butter and milkshakes.

What achievement! What excellence!

[RickBradford]

The Ship of Fools has arrived back in Australia.

Australian Antarctic Division director Tony Fleming estimated the cost of the rescue to the Australian government was between 1.8 million Australian dollars (US$1.6 million) and AU$2.4 million (US$2.1 million).

Excellence and achievement on the scale of the Ice Follies doesn't come cheap.....

[Steely Dan]

The Ship of Fools has arrived back in Australia.

Australian Antarctic Division director Tony Fleming estimated the cost of the rescue to the Australian government was between 1.8 million Australian dollars (US$1.6 million) and AU$2.4 million (US$2.1 million).

Excellence and achievement on the scale of the Ice Follies doesn't come cheap.....

I'll drink to their safe return, Scotch on the rocks shaken not stirred.

[RickBradford]

And a belated note of hedged apology:

“We’re incredibly grateful to everyone who’s come out to help us,” leader of the privately funded expedition, Professor Chris Turney, told a media conference in Hobart.“We are terribly sorry for any impact that it might have had on fellow colleagues whose work has been delayed."

Impact it might have had? It had a major impact, as he well knows.

"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," said Yves Frenot, director of the French Polar Institute.