Wind song
 The Wind Song before Bora Bora
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The Wind Song was a four-masted cruise ship for the US shipping company Windstar Cruises that was put into service in 1987 . In December 2002 the ship was written off as a total loss after a fire and sunk between Tahiti and Moorea in January 2003 .
history
The Wind Song was created as one of three identical sister ships . In addition to her, these were the type ship Wind Star , which was commissioned in 1986, and the Wind Spirit, which was commissioned in 1988 . The type of ship, known as the Windcruiser and developed by Wärtsilä , was created in the Ateliers et Chantiers du Havre shipyard in Le Havre , which was closed in 2014 . The Wind Song was delivered to Windstar Cruises in April 1987 and left Le Havre for her maiden voyage to New York on April 30th. After being christened in New York on May 20, the ship called at the ports of Miami , Los Angeles , San Diego and San Francisco before embarking on its first cruise to Huahine , Tahaa , Bora Bora , Maupiti / Tūpai on July 24, 1987 , Raiatea and Moorea left .
The yacht-like sailing ships were equipped with computer-controlled sails and an additional machine system and were used in tropical areas. The Wind Song was mainly used between French Polynesia and the Bahamas .
The fire
In the early morning of December 1, 2002, a fire broke out in the ship's engine room. The passengers were therefore evacuated to the lifeboats at around 3:15 a.m. However, these have not yet been paid off as the crew still hoped to get the fire under control. However, after a minor explosion at the bow of the ship at 5:04 am, the captain finally gave the order to leave the ship. All 127 passengers and 92 crew members could be brought to safety. The passengers of the Wind Song were then taken to Raiatea by high-speed ferry, where they arrived around 8:00 a.m. A little later, the French Navy succeeded in extinguishing the fire and towing the ship to the port of Papeete , where the damage to the ship was examined shortly afterwards. It was found that the passenger areas were undamaged, but the navigating bridge and the engine room were completely destroyed. Since the owner of the ship did not want to pay for the upcoming repairs and because of the small size of the Wind Song , scrapping was uneconomical, it was decided to drag the ship into deeper waters and sink it there. After approval by the owners and the government of French Polynesia, the ship was sunk on January 23, 2003 between Tahiti and Moorea at a depth of 3,000 meters.
Furnishing
During the construction of the Wind Song , as with its sister ships, attention was paid to a limited number of passengers, who should receive an even higher standard of service. It should have all the comforts of a large cruise ship. In addition, a wide range of water sports and other outdoor activities was important to the Wind Song . The ship should call at different destinations than usual cruise ships. For example, private beaches were specially rented, in front of which only the Wind Song and other units of the shipping company were allowed to anchor.
The interior of the Wind Song came from architect Marc Held, who was already responsible for the design of the Mermoz , which was commissioned in 1957, when it was converted into a cruise ship in 1970. The Wind Song had four passenger decks, of which the lower two exclusively housed cabins. The upper two decks had a library, the Windstar Lounge with adjoining casino and a Verandah restaurant. The ship's dining room could hold all passengers and was run by the star chef Joachim Splichal.
Others
The Wallis and Futuna archipelago dedicated a stamp to the Wind Song in 1999.
literature
- Peter Plowman: Australian Cruise Ships . Rosenberg Publishing, 2007, ISBN 9781877058509
Web links
Footnotes
- ↑ a b c Arturo Paniagua Mazorra: Wind Song. In: cybercruises.com. March 28, 2000, accessed April 20, 2019 .
- ^ Stamp: The Wind Song. In: Colnect. Retrieved April 20, 2019 .