Looking through the maritime blogs as we do each morning we were interested to read a Post in one entitled "CARNIVAL's FATHOM ADONIA DOCKS IN HAVANNA, CUBA". Yes they spelt it with two "N's".
This is a so called "cultural exchange" cruise (brothels and bars perhaps?) which will also visit Cienfuegos and Santiago de Cuba on the South coast of Cuba in addition to the Havana Port call. NAUTICAL LOG has called at Cienfuegos in March 1954 to pick up a pilot for the coastal passage to Tunas de Zaza a small Port at the end of a railway line from the city of Sancti Spiritus. There we anchored off for two weeks loading sugar and listening to the guns firing at the Cuban rebels, led by the Castro brothers, fighting to the East of our anchorage. Quite an experience for a 17 year old boy on his first voyage. Well ancient history now but I think interesting.
The above named Post had a comment and a reply to that comment both worth reading. We have decide to reproduce the comment here:
" harry t scholer says:
I heard this story countless times on the news yesterday, both on the radio and cable TV. My only beef is the fact that all the reporters used the same phrase : "First American cruise ship to call on Havana in decades." The Adonia is not an American cruise ship, it is an FOC cruise ship. An American cruise ship employs American seaman, flies the stars and stripes and adheres to all the regulations that govern U S flag vessels. The Adonia doesn't. Sadly most americans probably believe that report and that the assortment of ships operating out of places like Bayonne, Baltimore, Miami, etc. are just that, American. What a deception. BTW This is not an attack on the crew of Adonia, just a simple statement of fact."
Well now we have reproduced his comment to that other blog down to any misspelled words and lack of upper case usage so as not be accused of editing.
Let us now take a look at this comment, which is not a statement of fact it is Mr. Scholer's personal opinion, and Mr. Scholer does not live up to his name. First of all this excellent vessel is fully compliant with the IMO requirements and British Merchant Navy Regulations. It is registered in the Crown Colony of Bermuda and her Master is Captain David Box one of the most highly respected Masters of both the P & O line and the British Merchant Navy which itself existed before the United States was even thought about. Mr. Scholar uses the term "FOC" in a derogatory manner, which he has done before, to try and degrade non-American flagged vessels.
The IMO Rules and Regulations are enforced in the U.S. by the USCG and one has to wonder how they enforce them on U.S. flagged vessels after seeing the condition of the SS El Faro which resulted in its tragic loss. Due to the Rules of Mr. Scholer's Seaman's Union attempts to use U.S. flagged vessels from Hawaii ended in complete disaster as did an Inter-Island ferry service. NAUTICAL LOG was in Hawaii at that time so saw and heard about the operation firsthand.
Mr. Scholer has a lot to learn and indeed apply to his comments, about both his own American Merchant Marine and the Merchant Navies of other Nations. One suspects that his mind is somewhat blocked by having to always and fully follow his Seaman's Union's line otherwise he would likely be "blacklisted" and not be employable in American Merchant Marine U.S. flagged vessels.
Good Watch.
This is a so called "cultural exchange" cruise (brothels and bars perhaps?) which will also visit Cienfuegos and Santiago de Cuba on the South coast of Cuba in addition to the Havana Port call. NAUTICAL LOG has called at Cienfuegos in March 1954 to pick up a pilot for the coastal passage to Tunas de Zaza a small Port at the end of a railway line from the city of Sancti Spiritus. There we anchored off for two weeks loading sugar and listening to the guns firing at the Cuban rebels, led by the Castro brothers, fighting to the East of our anchorage. Quite an experience for a 17 year old boy on his first voyage. Well ancient history now but I think interesting.
The above named Post had a comment and a reply to that comment both worth reading. We have decide to reproduce the comment here:
" harry t scholer says:
I heard this story countless times on the news yesterday, both on the radio and cable TV. My only beef is the fact that all the reporters used the same phrase : "First American cruise ship to call on Havana in decades." The Adonia is not an American cruise ship, it is an FOC cruise ship. An American cruise ship employs American seaman, flies the stars and stripes and adheres to all the regulations that govern U S flag vessels. The Adonia doesn't. Sadly most americans probably believe that report and that the assortment of ships operating out of places like Bayonne, Baltimore, Miami, etc. are just that, American. What a deception. BTW This is not an attack on the crew of Adonia, just a simple statement of fact."
Well now we have reproduced his comment to that other blog down to any misspelled words and lack of upper case usage so as not be accused of editing.
Let us now take a look at this comment, which is not a statement of fact it is Mr. Scholer's personal opinion, and Mr. Scholer does not live up to his name. First of all this excellent vessel is fully compliant with the IMO requirements and British Merchant Navy Regulations. It is registered in the Crown Colony of Bermuda and her Master is Captain David Box one of the most highly respected Masters of both the P & O line and the British Merchant Navy which itself existed before the United States was even thought about. Mr. Scholar uses the term "FOC" in a derogatory manner, which he has done before, to try and degrade non-American flagged vessels.
The IMO Rules and Regulations are enforced in the U.S. by the USCG and one has to wonder how they enforce them on U.S. flagged vessels after seeing the condition of the SS El Faro which resulted in its tragic loss. Due to the Rules of Mr. Scholer's Seaman's Union attempts to use U.S. flagged vessels from Hawaii ended in complete disaster as did an Inter-Island ferry service. NAUTICAL LOG was in Hawaii at that time so saw and heard about the operation firsthand.
Mr. Scholer has a lot to learn and indeed apply to his comments, about both his own American Merchant Marine and the Merchant Navies of other Nations. One suspects that his mind is somewhat blocked by having to always and fully follow his Seaman's Union's line otherwise he would likely be "blacklisted" and not be employable in American Merchant Marine U.S. flagged vessels.
Good Watch.
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