A Canadian expedition vessel, the Explorer, struck submerged ice today in Antarctica and, at press time, is sinking.  Some 154 passengers and 54 crew members abandoned ship as she slowly sank near the Antarctic peninsula.   An Argentine rescue center in Ushuaia, the southern most city on the continent, was notified at 11:30 p.m. EST that the 2,646-ton ship was taking on water despite the use of pumps.  The Captain ordered passengers and then crew to abandon ship 90 minutes after the call.  All were rescued by a passing Norweigian ship. 

Although the seas were calm, the Explorer ran into submerged ice, which put a small hole in the vessel’s hull.   Passengers and crew were, in fact, very lucky that weather and ocean conditions were optimal.  Shortly before I visited Antarctica a decade ago on the Hanseatic, the cruise line sent me a letter advising that if anything happened, there was no chance of rescue. 

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