Metro Jacksonville

You can forget about getting this ship into the Port of Jacksonville.

1,181 feet long, 154 feet wide, 213 feet above the waterline with a 30ft draft, 18 decks, max 7300 passengers.

The Port

http://www.youtube.com/v/KEalXuh_e50&hd=1



The Ship during Sea Trials

http://www.youtube.com/v/UxlB-CRjgQg&hd=1



The ship is now 95% complete

http://www.youtube.com/v/MXm8YFfuvPU&hd=1

All I can say is Wow!  As an ex-Navy man I know firsthand that ship is huge.  I've served on the biggest warships in the world, that is, the U.S. Navy Aircraft Carriers.

That Cruise Ship is longer, more wider at the beam, and probably weighs more (bigger) than the U.S. Navy's biggest Aircraft Carriers, the Nimitz Class.  In comparison the Nimitz Class Aircraft Carrier's statistics are:

1,090 feet long from stem to stern; 252 feet wide on the flight deck; 135 feet wide at the beam; Draft 38 feet; Ships crew about 7,000; displacement about 98,000 tons fully loaded; from keel to mast is as tall as a 24 story building.

The Cruise Ship's statistics are:  1,181 feet long, 154 feet wide, 213 feet above the waterline with a 30ft draft, 18 decks, max 7300 passengers.

Photos of a Nimitz Class Aircraft Carrier
http://www.military-today.com/navy/nimitz_class.jpg
http://www.military-today.com/navy/nimitz_class_l1.jpg

Photo of Oasis of the Sea Cruise Ship
http://www.cruisecritic.com/images/Oasis-of-the-seas-sea-trial-1.jpg

So this huge cruise ship is bigger than an aircraft carrier.

Heights Unknown

This ships displacement is 220,000 tons.

(http://www.oasisoftheseas.com/galleries/1/lowres/IMG_3871.jpg)

(http://www.oasisoftheseas.com/galleries/1/lowres/IMG_5438.jpg)

Wow; it is the largest overall commercial liner in the world.  I think there is an oil tanker, the Knock Nevis, that is over 1,500 feet long and weighs in at a whopping 565,000 tons.  This has got to be the largest ship in the world. It is no longer a supertanker and is now just a floating storage container ship, but is still the world's largest.

Photo of Knock Nevis:
http://www.neatorama.com/images/2006-12/knock-nevis.jpg
http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/systems/ship/images/jahre-viking-4.jpg

Though the Nimitz Class Aircraft Carriers are large, they are not the Navy's largest warship.  The U.S. Navy's largest warship is the USS Enterprise which is over 1,120 feet long but weighs less (89,000 tons) than the Nimitz Class.

So the world's largest ships are:
Oasis of the Seas (Commericial Liner)
USS Enterprise (U.S. Navy Aircraft Carrier)
Knock Nevis (Supertanker)

Allure of the Seas, a Sister ship of "Oasis of the Seas" is also under construction and will mirror the size of her Sister.

Heights Unknown

Why, just why?

Why what?  And no, we won't, in the foreseeable future be able to get a ship that size in our port.

Heights Unknown

That is such a waste, imo.

Of course we won't, not until JAXPORT has it's way with Mayport.

But this could be a good thing for Jax....every time a new, larger ship sets up in Miami or Ft. lauderdale, an older, smaller ship is sent to secondary ports like Tampa....and then their ships are sent to third-tier ports like ours.....and with Tampa limited by the height of the Sunshine Skyway, we could actually move up...if we could just get our cruise terminal east of the Dames Point bridge

When the cruise terminal is moved to Mayport, height will no longer be an issue, draft will. This ship has a 30ft draft, but after the channel is deepend to 40ft, it will not be a problem either.

So in other words, once it is moved, the possibilities are endless. We are in a prime position to steal from ports further south as it will require less time to get here, especially by vehicle.

(http://www.julesverne.ca/images/olympic_titanic/olympice.jpg)
Titanic sunk by collision with Ice, Britannic sunk by German mine, Olympic (in this photo) the only one of the three to live to a ripe old age. None of the three would answer their helm, making them VERY hard to handle. This is equal to your automobile with only a piece of a stick for steering.  


Heights, Hey have you or anyone else heard ANYTHING of Titanic II?  About 2 years ago it was supposed to be "in construction ," but I don't remember where or when. According to my fellow sailors, it will sink! Bad luck to name a ship after a wreck!

I have seen the plans and they call for a ship with the lines of the Titanic above the main deck but EVERYTHING below the main deck is ultra modern. I was wondering if they'll stay true to the vertical bow line, rather then a defined angle? Seems like they could do that and still pull off the "look alike" everyone wants to see.

Perhaps their future would be better if they stayed with the name game, and gave it it's own name, Britannic, Olympic, Titanic (all three sister ships), and ... hum? Ameritannic?

It's supposed to sail from Florida to the Caribe or the Gulf...  

OCKLAWAHA

Titanic or Titanic 2? When this project gets back on track, could we be the home port?


By the way folks, that 40 foot depth in Jacksonville is going to change quickly. Look for a project to take it to 45 or 50 feet, followed by a 60 foot channel from about Trout River to the Ocean. We can hope the spoil from this project is enough to fill the island under the Dame point Bridge so we can create even more terminals for various steamship lines.

We really need to get on the project of pushing a NUTURAL railroad line from Jacksonville Terminal to Blount Island, to allow access to all three trunk lines serving Jacksonville.

For that don't understand Jacksonville has 3 major railroads, as many or more then ANY OTHER EAST COAST PORT. The major problem is "back in the day", we allowed the Seaboard and Atlantic Coast Line to have all of the access to the Port North of the Trout River. (Yes, there were once 2 railroad bridges, the current one and another located about 1/2 mile east). When those 2 companies merged, we had only what has now become CSX. The other two railroads, Florida East Coast and Norfolk Southern are effectively cut out of our port business. This harms our position as a WORLD PORT, because even though we can correctly say we are a City that offers 3 major railroads... We really DON'T! Since this same line, north of downtown past Busch, and on to Yulee and Kingsland, Georgia, has been identified as a future commuter rail line, the normal way to proceed would be for the city to purchase the railroad and lease back the freight train rights to the railroad(S). So in one move, we become a true 3 railroad port, and we now control the track which will carry commuters. We also get the benefit of triple access to the Talleyrand Terminals, and allow for MASSIVE industrial expansion on the Northside. Moreover, the COJ, JPA, JTA, would own the tracks which opens the door for our own commuter rail line, where WE CONTROL THE EXPENSES...  


OCKLAWAHA

They could deepen the channel to 60 ft and it would not matter Ock..........something that big still would not use St Johns because there are several places where there is less than a 1000 ft between turns. Mayport or a coastal port such as that makes more sense.  Jacksonville has no vision..........rail not even considered for Dames Point shipping in or out, they want to use 9A and lots of trucks! Idiots!

^ I agree Foltz.  I don't think that thing could turn around at all.  Unless they back it in!

Still, as someone else said, there may be the opportunity to take over other ships that may be displaced to make room for the giant.

Quote from: Ocklawaha on September 13, 2009, 09:59:41 PM
(http://www.julesverne.ca/images/olympic_titanic/olympice.jpg)
Titanic sunk by collision with Ice, Britannic sunk by German mine, Olympic (in this photo) the only one of the three to live to a ripe old age. None of the three would answer their helm, making them VERY hard to handle. This is equal to your automobile with only a piece of a stick for steering.  


Heights, Hey have you or anyone else heard ANYTHING of Titanic II?  About 2 years ago it was supposed to be "in construction ," but I don't remember where or when. According to my fellow sailors, it will sink! Bad luck to name a ship after a wreck!

I have seen the plans and they call for a ship with the lines of the Titanic above the main deck but EVERYTHING below the main deck is ultra modern. I was wondering if they'll stay true to the vertical bow line, rather then a defined angle? Seems like they could do that and still pull off the "look alike" everyone wants to see.

Perhaps their future would be better if they stayed with the name game, and gave it it's own name, Britannic, Olympic, Titanic (all three sister ships), and ... hum? Ameritannic?

It's supposed to sail from Florida to the Caribe or the Gulf...  

OCKLAWAHA

First I've heard Ock about Titanic II.  I knew there was a movie out on it, but never thought there'd be an actual ship with that name.  Fill me in on more if you will.

Heights Unknown

We could manage the turns in the river. In the fuel crisis of the 1970's, the area between the Matthews Bridge and the Trout River, was full of super tankers with no place to go. So the bends shouldn't stop us, but the damn low Dame Point Bridge sure will! We seem to have a local history of half ass efforts on Bridges:


Dame Point Bridge - About 25 feet too low - large ships cannot pass it OR the JEA  electric lines. Though I would
think the electric lines would be WAY cheaper to raise the the center panel of this damn bridge. Note that when It was built, the maritime interests sued everybody and anybody trying to get it raised... As usual, no luck.

Shands Bridge - The ship yard in Palatka designed and was ready to build a series of new ships of roughly DD or DE size. The Navy had already agreed that this was the deal that would put Port Palatka back on the map. 1,000's of jobs hung in the balance, while PALATKA and the SHIPYARD offered to reconstruct the center span of the bridge. FDOT sent them a rather crude answer, "Go to hell..."

LEE STREET VIADUCT - "MY FAVORITE!" When the convention center was moved to Jacksonville Terminal, the old viaduct (which was beautiful, along the lines of the tiny Hogans Creek bridge just completed downtown) didn't reach ground level until Bay Street. The City wanted it gone, so all of the convention goers could look down Water Street (from downtown) and see those giant 14 sandstone columns. So down it came, and a new viaduct was built to replace the original, this one reaches ground level South of Water Street. Nice view! But this move was brain dead. Shortly after the bridge was "fixed" we hung Skyway track all over Bay, to the Acosta and Brooklyn car barns. Oops no more view. Worse still everyone KNEW that Amtrak was going to croak, so no effort was made to protect the access to the Terminal. Where the old viaduct cleared about 15 tracks and platforms, the new one clears (23.6' feet) only TWO TRACKS.

Now when Amtrak comes home to downtown, we have only three choices, none of them good. We can tear it down and rebuild it correctly. We could do as some at FDOT have suggested, put all of the boarding tracks and platforms at or BELOW river level in a giant walled off concrete tub (* See KATRINA, for how well this will work). Lastly, we could use the current two tracks for Amtrak and the FEC freights, and allow the government to build a new large station in SANFORD!

Dumb asses!

OCKLAWAHA

Dames Point Bridge blocks large cruise ships.

(http://www.coj.net/NR/rdonlyres/eolojk4hc3rjs2leug4hz7djygo7hah5ddskpekbka3prkbrco66jzsmiurdiyhfj7e7g476lwnb2b7g3jf4y5smx2a/PicWeek-ship.jpg)


Park St bridge cuts off the Jax Terminal.

(http://photos.metrojacksonville.com/photos/453406288_DdweC-M-1.jpg)

Quote from: heights unknown on September 14, 2009, 09:42:34 AM
First I've heard Ock about Titanic II.  I knew there was a movie out on it, but never thought there'd be an actual ship with that name.  Fill me in on more if you will.

Heights Unknown

Heights here are a couple of articles on it, but I don't expect anything until a major economic turn around.  

QuoteMonday, September 14, 2009 | Home

Titanic News

The world's most famous ship is to take to the high seas agin.

A Belfast man is behind the plan to build Titanic 2, named after the luxury liner which sank on its maiden voyage in 1912. Titanic Shipping Holdings Ltd plans to offer the contract for building the 96,000 tonne ship to the ailing Harland and Wolff Shipyard.

Ulster Titanic Society chairman Mark Blackburne has teamed up with South African entrepreneur Sarel Gous to raise the 360 million pounds needed to recreate the liner. The pair plan to sell shares in the new liner on the Stock Exchange, and if they can raise 10 million pounds they hope several banks will lend them up to half of the building costs.

"The Company has spent more than 10,000 thousand pounds on marketing and research and we think this is a very viable business propostion. Titanic"s name alone is worth its weight in gold," says Blackburne.

If the money can be raised, building work could start as soon as the autumn.

The new liner will be bigger and heavier than its namesake, but the company plans to reproduce its splendour and luxury. It will feature a permanent museum of items from the original ship and the grand staircase will be a replica of the original.

QuoteA Swiss-U.S. partnership plans to build a $500 million, full-size replica of the Titanic - packing it full of celebrities and retracing it's maiden voyage on the tragedy's 90th anniversary, April 15th, 2002.

This time, the Titanic will make it to New York, the developers promise - already replicating the first owners' boasts of the original "unsinkable" ship. And in any case, this Titanic will have enough lifeboats, the developers add. "It cannot sink," said Walter Navratil, president of the project's Swiss-based development company, White Star Line Ltd., named after the original Titanic's long-defunct ownership company.

Navratil insisted his new, oil-fueled steamer will safely complete a Southampton, England-to-New York round-trip maiden voyage, then continue life as a pleasure cruiser. "It will look the same, buy it will be adapted to modern regulations," he said by phone yesterday from his home in Austria.

The plan was fueled by "Titanic" movie mania both here and abroad. "We thought now would be the right moment, because the whole world is keen on "Titanic," said Annette Voelcker, spokeswoman for G&E Business Consulting and Trust, the Swiss-based hotel developer that is the project's chief shareholder. "We will have all the period decor. It will be like a voyage back in time," Voelcker said. "Everyone has now watched the movie and read the books. People are now ready to touch the Titanic.

"It will have modern equipment to detect icebergs," she added. The replica Titanic would cost $400 million to $500 million, the developers said. That's a far cry from the original's $10 million cost in 1912 - although it's a much closer cry to the Titanic's movie-replica price tag of more then $100 million. Funding will be no problem, boasts Navratil. "All investors want two things: They want to have an exciting project, and they want to have a profit at the end of the day," he said. "I know we can provide them both."

A spokeswoman for the project's U.S. partner, "Titanic Development Corporation", based in Las Vegas, says some investors are already lined up, but many more will be needed. The partners are hoping to meet in the next few weeks with the Titanic's original Irish shipbuilding firm - in an attempt to hire it as shipbuilder for the 882-foot craft. A spokeswoman for the Belfast based shipbuilders, Harland and Wolff Shipbuilders, could not say yesterday whether talks are ongoing. He did say his company still holds the original design plans for the Titanic. The plans are publicly available, including on the internet - at $20 and up per document - to everyone from hobbyists to movie makers.

Although the company's shipbuilding is limited to oil rigs and drill ships, Harland and Wolff Shipbuilders is currently helping another Northern Ireland company design a one-sixth scale Titanic for use as a floating conference center, said spokesman Peter Harbinson. Only the rich and famous will be able to afford even the cheapest maiden-voyage berth on the new Titanic.

Tickets will cost from $10,000 to $100,000, Voelcker said. "It will be for people who are rich and crazy about the Titanic," she said. On it's maiden voyage, the new Titanic will pause in the North Atlantic 560 miles off Newfoundland - the wrecksite where 1,523 passengers died in the first ship's sinking on April 15th, 1912.

"I think we will take a few minutes to think of the original disaster," Voelcker said. The developers said they copyrighted the name "R.M.S. Titanic" with the Institute for Intellectual Property in Switzerland last week.

OCKLAWAHA

Quote from: CS Foltz on September 14, 2009, 05:18:42 AM
Jacksonville has no vision..........rail not even considered for Dames Point shipping in or out, they want to use 9A and lots of trucks! Idiots!

Not true....right now they are trying to identify how to get a multi-user rail link into the Port area!

CSX and NS control access to many of the major ports up and down the East Coast. My uncle is President of the Wheeling and Lake Erie and told me lately, that CSX and NS are not about to give up the access to the ports without big political fights and lots of $$$, now who can argue with that?

Jax is fine with its "nice" cruise business. We make more $$$ with containers and cargo than with passengers. We all know that cargo is the butter on our bread, so focus on containers, increase the depth of the river to 50 and build terminals that can handle the new Panamerican ships that are due to cross in 2014-2015. Our local economy will thrive more with cargo than it will with passengers.

Quote from: tufsu1 on September 14, 2009, 09:59:43 AM

Quote from: CS Foltz on September 14, 2009, 05:18:42 AM
Jacksonville has no vision..........rail not even considered for Dames Point shipping in or out, they want to use 9A and lots of trucks! Idiots!

Not true....right now they are trying to identify how to get a multi-user rail link into the Port area!

I agree with you TUFSU1, the ONLY way is for the Port, Airport and JTA to own the trackage. We could then vend out the lines to a shortline JACKSONVILLE TERMINAL operator. JT would offer direct access to both Talleyrand and Dames Point, for all carriers.

Just PLEASE talk to the railroad about any plans for a medium to large size yard. Let THEM tell us what they need. As a rule, yards are a place rail cars go to to sit and not earn they're keep. There is a difference between a classic major yard and a simple 5 to 10 track facility to make up trains for the various railroads. NOTE: the Talleyrand Terminal Railroad and the tiny yard just west of the Talleyrand docks.  THIS is what we need at JAXPORT. Besides Springfield yard, with new ballast, tie replacement, tamping, and stadium floodlights, etc. Could become the hotest property on the Jax Rail map.  


OCKLAWAHA

Once again kids.........after the fact rather than planning before construction! Rail was not considered in the initial planning stages because there wasn't any!! Plan was to use 9A and lots and lots of trucks! Expand 9A and resurface every 2 to 3 years............this is not the smartest thing nor the most cost effective way to handle large volumes of cargo. Glad to see they are now getting the picture together but it will cost more now then it would have planned for from the beginning! Mr Ferrin is not as good as he thinks he is or for what he is payed to do the job! Better late then never at all............we just get to pick the tab up again!

Are decisions being made by people owning asphault companies?

No............but Gate (Herb Payton) does have a concrete division...........most of the bridges being done is handled by them!

That ship is crazy. 7,000 passengers...? That would overrun most of its destination towns with tourists, more so than cruise ships already do.  I am amazed by the technology, but I don't see any practical reason to go any bigger than this.

Head count could certainly benefit any port/city the ship entered.

Someone is going to drop some money somewhere.

I agree that the money would help, but I went on a cruise last year and our boat swamped the ports we docked in, and we had 2,500 people.

Sounds like a case for a "Rail" system to me kids..........gotta get all the tourist's to the tourist hangouts!

The ship is now crossing the Atlantic heading for Port Everglades in Fort Lauderdale. Here is a video that shows off the telescoping funnels so they can add clearance.

http://www.youtube.com/v/XjvUnila4Wg&hl=en&fs=1&hd=1

That thing was flying! 

They must have been really confident in their calculations.

Quote from: Captain Zissou on September 16, 2009, 10:02:23 AM
I agree that the money would help, but I went on a cruise last year and our boat swamped the ports we docked in, and we had 2,500 people.

The way that thing is designed IT is a destination.  It has neighborhoods in it!  Tennis courts and multiple swimming pools, amusement parks and theaters. 

Good move the cruises down there to the crazies in Miami. Perfect place for them. I'd rather have all the containers on the east coast of Florida.

http://www.youtube.com/v/nHb3iu1h9_k&hl=en&fs=1&

Well the ship is larger than the whole of Port Everglades........local McDonalds must really fill up quick!

Day 5 of the Atlantic crossing, Oasis of the Seas has hit 60knot winds and 30 foot seas.

http://www.youtube.com/user/royalcaribbeanoasis#p/u/0/7_CRKc9Rc88

Sure hope that with a 30' draft that low tide does not ground the big bugger............that would be a potential for a major problem! We could end up with a new city!

Quote from: Lunican on November 04, 2009, 12:34:38 PM
Day 5 of the Atlantic crossing, Oasis of the Seas has hit 60knot winds and 30 foot seas.

http://www.youtube.com/user/royalcaribbeanoasis#p/u/0/7_CRKc9Rc88

The damn thing is hardly even moving!

That sucker probably has stabilizers on it.....computer controled! Land lubbers need all the help they can get and  it would not pay to get the whole boat seasick!

ALL cruise ships have stabilizers on them.  If not people would be falling down stairs and getting hurt, not just seasick!

Supplying that thing has to be an industry in itself.  They can make their own water, but can you imagine how much food 9000 people will eat in a week long cruise?

Dog Walker......I did not know about that...........my on board ship experience is with warships and everything I was on did not have no such thing. You either got up to speed or had a bucket on hand.......of course this is old school, for all I know all of the modern ships of war have them! Bow thrusters are something else new too.....did not have them either.....once again old school.

I have seen some rather "green" passengers on cruise ships with swells of only 3 feet. When you are rolling like that out in the ocean, I don't know how you stabilize the ride...

The latest generation of warships is using azimuth pods just like that cruise ship.  They don't have rudders, they just rotate the pod with the propellers on them to control direction.  They don't use stabilizers because of drag and vulnerability.  Warships go much faster than cruise ships and can't afford the additional drag.

With these rotating pods, they don't need tug boats for docking and undocking.  The pods are just turned sideways and the ship moves sideways.

Yachts are using smaller versions of the same technology now too.  Volvo and Mercruiser both make rotating pod drives.

The stabilizers are like huge fins that stick out of the sides of the cruise ships and a lot of yachts.  They are active and use gyroscopes and computers to rock the boat in the opposite direction from which the swells are trying to roll them.  It cancels out about 90% of the rocking motion.

The ship arrives tomorrow morning at Port Everglades.

http://www.youtube.com/v/m2jydkl-LsE&hl=en_US&fs=1&hd=1

A few photos of the ship arriving in Ft. Lauderdale today.

(http://www.oasisoftheseas.com/galleries/20/lowres/OasisAeriaL360.JPG)

(http://www.oasisoftheseas.com/galleries/20/lowres/OasisAeriaL440.JPG)

(http://www.oasisoftheseas.com/galleries/20/lowres/OasisAeriaL521.JPG)

I would bet dollars to donuts......that Captain was standing the whole time because if he was sitting, there would be pucker marks in the chair!

The ship arrives in Port Everglades. Did he say they hit 80 foot seas?!?

http://www.youtube.com/v/bhLpfC1WeGI&hl=en_US&fs=1&hd=1

Here are some stills of the ship arriving in Ft. Lauderdale:

(http://www.sun-sentinel.com/media/photo/2009-11/50474558.jpg)

(http://www.sun-sentinel.com/media/photo/2009-11/50475226.jpg)

(http://www.sun-sentinel.com/media/photo/2009-11/50474451.jpg)

(http://www.sun-sentinel.com/media/photo/2009-11/50474499.jpg)

(http://www.sun-sentinel.com/media/photo/2009-11/50475154.jpg)

(http://www.sun-sentinel.com/media/photo/2009-11/50475230.jpg)

From: http://www.sun-sentinel.com/travel/destinations/cruises/fl-oasis-arrives-fort-lauderdale-pg,0,1358113.photogallery

Zeppelins are faster and they don't smash Manatees! This thing will make a dandy troop ship for our apparent future. Otherwise, I say let's bring it on down to the Hyatt, we'll take care of 3 problems with one ship.  

OCKLAWAHA

(http://foreperson.smugmug.com/Oasis-of-the-Seas/Oasis-of-the-Seas-Firday/DSJ1981-4x6/788372975_vHEc6-L.jpg)

Great pic.  Shes an engineering marvel.  What port is this taken at?