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"Singles Only" Main Index - Our "Singles" Photo Features By Date

 

2012 All Year- Our Feature Page -- Current - See Pictures Below On This Page

"The Call of Duty (Free)" - Icelandair 15 Jan. 2013

"Handy Stowage" - Icelandair 15 Jan. 2013

"Handy Stowage" - MV Han De 12 Jan. 2013

"New Luck For Kulluk" - Drilling Barge Kulluk - 10 Jan. 2013

"New Year - Old Risk" - Butterfield Stage - 5 Jan. 2013

2012 All Year --- Our Feature Page For 2011 Page #17

"Five Dead & Nine Day's Warning?" - TU-240 - 30 December 2012

"Final Endeavoue" - Space Shuttle Last Flight - 21 September 2012

"Hurricane Isaac Grounds M/V Hansa Berlin" - 26 August 2012

"Abandoned, Adrift & Afire" - M/V MSC Flaminia - July 16 2012

"Dock On The Bay" - June 2012

"Striking Beauty" - F/V Matanuska - May 12 2012

"Ghostly Voyage" -F/V Ryou-Un Maru - April 5 2012

"Carried Away" - M/V Carrier - April 7 2012

"Another On The Italian Coast" - M/V Gelso M - March 11 2012

 "Moon Strucl" - M/V Stena Feronia - Feb. 7 2012

 "Log Jammed" - M/V Dry Beam - Feb. 5 2012

"Capsize of M/V Costa Concordia" - MV Costa Concordia - Jan. 13 2012

"No Smoking, Welding OK" - Explosion At Fujairah - Jan. 2012

2011 All Year --- Our Feature Page For 2011 Page #16

"Aboard The Polar Express" - Adirondack Scenic Railroad - Dec. 11 2011

"Whooping Open A Can of Deere" - M/V MSC Nederland - Oct. 31 2011

"Rena Rocks With An Astrolabe" - M/V Rena - Oct. 5 2011

"Miracle At Guyana" - July 30 2011

"Malibu's Navy" - June 11 & 12 2011

"Capsize In Cadiz" - May 2011

"..... And The Bridge Is Out" - May 2011

"The Cargo Was Science" - Canada - Apri; 2 2011

"Movable Feast" - Waterfront - March 11 2011

"The Beauty of Cargo Loss" - March 9 2011

2010 All Year --- Our Feature Page For 2010 Page #15

"Raining Engine At LIS" - Dec. 18 2010

"Getting Down At YYZ" - Dec. 7 2010

"Mystery Missile Launch Off California Coast" -- Nov. 8 2010

"Monumental Mud At Manaus" -- Nov. 4 2010 - AMAZING!!

"Explosion On M/V Lisco Gloria" - Oct. 9 2010

"Moment of Collision" -- Sept. 18 2010

"Delta Airlines Lightning Srike"- Sept. 10 2010

"Tragedy At Dubai" - Sept. 3 2010

"Who Forgot The Pontoons?" - August 23 2010

"M/Y "A" Off Malibu" - August 16 2010

"The San Andres Fault"- A B-737-700 Miracle - August 16 2010

"Mumbai Fumble" - M/V MSC Chitra - August 7/8/9 2010

"Forbidden Transit - South of I-8" - August 2 2010

"Whale of A Tail Told" - July 22 2010

"Bridge Loan" - July 20 2010

"Full Astern! Storm'n Ahead!" - M/V Storman Asia  - June 22 2010

"Yet Anotherr BP Oil Spill?" - June 6 2010

"Lost Cenury" - M/V Bright Century - May 15 2010

"World's Most Stupid Pirates - Parts Quatre &  Cinq"   - April 10 2010

"Great Barrier Reef Holds Her Breath" - April 3 2010

"World's Most Stupid Pirates - Part  Trois" - March 17 2010

"Attack of The Praying Mantis" - March 2010

"Flying 101" - Kulula Air - Feb. 3 2010

"LAX Blow" -- Jan 21 2010

"Royal Air Flight 988 Down - But Why?" - Jan. 5 2010

2009 All Year--- Our Feature Page For 2009 Page #14

"Dutch Harbor Debacle" - Dec. 5 2009

"Singapore Sling" - M/V MSC Kalina- Nov. 12 2009

"Road Warrior" - Nov. 2009

"World's Most Stupid Pirates - Part Deux" - Oct. 2009

"This Is My Way To Work?!" - Washington State Ferries - Oct. 2009

"No Good Deed Goes Unpunished" - M/V Waker - Sept. 2009

"Just Out of Reach" - Sept. 2009

"Not My Job 2" - Why We Pay For Public Employees? - August 2009

"Pee Wee's Big Adventure" - Oh Noooo, Mr. Autopilot! - August 2009

"Holy Ship!" - M/V Marti Princess & M/V Renate Schulte - June 2009

"Not My Job" - June 2009

"Just Visiting" - M/V Livarden - June 2009

"What Cruise Ship?" - June 2009

"Taichung Tumble" - May 2009

"World's Most Stupid Pirates" - May 2009

"LAX Lunch Deja Vu" - 13 April 2009

"Lucy .....I'm Home" - April 2009

"MV Maersk Alabama - 2006 Year Deja Vu" - April 2009

"FedEx Disaster At Narita" - March 2009

"The Russians Never Disappoint" - M/V New Star - Feb. 2009

"Collision At Dubai"- M/T Kashmir - Feb. 2009

"Loving The Parking Brake" - M/V HSS Stena Voyager - Jan. 2009

"Bull Riding In The Med" - M/V Balmoral - Jan. 2009

"Ruba-Dub-Dub" - Jan. 2009

"Transport History?" - all pirates are not on the high seas - Jan. 2009

2008 All Year-- Our Feature Page For 2008 Page #13

"Boob Job" - A Cargo Law Mystery - Dec. 2008

"M/V Ciudad de Ushuaia Stuck At The Pole" - Dec.. 2008

"High & Dry In THe Cocktail Lounge" - M/V Spirit of Glacier Bay - Nov. 2008

"Death On K-152" - Nov. 2008

"The Transport of Political Rhetoric" - Oct. 2008

"Gridlock" - Venezuela - Oct. 2008

"Tank You, From The Somali Pirates" - Somalia - M/V Faina - Sept. 2008

THE Most Spectacular Act of Piracy In The 21st Century

"The Jambi Slide" - Indonesia - Aug. 2008

"The Pirates of Peleliu" - the Gulf of Aden - Aug. 2008

"Not Just Another Day At The Office" - Incidents At LAX - Aug. 2008

"Airport 2008" - Hull Explosin At 30,000 Feet - July 2008

"Drug Sub" - Mexican Navy Intercept At Sea - July 2008

"Fallen Stars" - M/V Princess of The Stars - July 2008

"Italian Down" - June 2008

"A Bow To The Queen" - May 2008

"Kalitta Crash At Brussels" - May 2008

"Broken In Half" - May 2008

"4-3-2-1-Launch Piston!" - CN Railway - April 2008

"Caught At Three Rivers" - M/V MSC Sabrina - March 2008

"Do Not Tumble Dry" - M/V Courage - Jan. 2008

"Lumber Shift" - M/V Ice Prince - Jan. 2008

"Dr. Beach's Mystery Beer Tank" - Jan. 2008 - Mystery Solved!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  

2007 Second Half-- Our Feature Page For July. To Dec. 2007 Page #12

"Full Power Run Up" - Etihad Airways - Nov. 2007

"Just Scraping By" - M/V Cosco Busan - Nov. 2007

Somali Pirate SmackDown - USS Porter - Oct. 2007

Please Do Not Park On The Fuel Truck - Nov. 2007 - Østfold County, Norway

Irony - Oct. 2007 - Katowice, Poland

Oil Rig Vs. Drilling Platform - Oct. 2007 - Gulf of Mexico

Another Step For Mankind - Sept. 2007 - Panama Canal

Another Day At The Beach? - M/V Maersk Diaddema - Sept. 2007

Extinguishing The Flame? - 12 August 2007

Beach Detour - 17 July 2007

Shanghai Cutoff - 9 July 2007

2007 First Half- Our Feature Page For Jan. To June 2007 Page #11

M/V Empress of The North - Goes South - Again - 14 May 2004

IL-76 DOWN - the Congo - 10 MAY 2007

Did Pepito Need To Die? - M/V Astoria -5 April 2007

An Investigative Report

What's In A Name? - 22 March 2007

Rock Hunting Mine Hunter- M106 Grömitz -Feb. 2007

Out of Service - M/V Server- Feb. 2007

Ripped Reefer - M/V Sierra Neva - Jan. 2007

Family Feud - M/V APL Dubai - Jan. 2007

2006 Second Half- Our Feature Page for June to Dec. 2006 Page #10

Chips Ahoy! - A Cargo Law Mystery For You To Solve - Dec. 2006
Mystery Solved! "Legend of The The Great White Dorito"

Emirates Goes To Pieces - Nov. 2006

Fate of The Finnbirch - Nov. 2006

Brazil Mid-Air - Oct. 2006

Ultimate Transport Crisis - Sept. 2006

M/V Cougar Ace - Laying down on the job - July 2006

M/T Front Sunda - Exploded And Abandoned - July 2006

Powers of A Kansas Hoe - July 2006

Flying Fire Truck - June 2006

Loading Submarines - M/V RORO Star - June 2006

Indian Split - M/V Ocean Seraya - June 2006

2006 First Half Our Feature Page for Jan. to June.2006 - Page #9

B1 Wheels Up - May 2006

Resting The Mighty "O" -- May 2006

Quick Passing of M/V Alexandros T -- May 2006

The Reefer List - M/V Ivory Tirupati -- April 2006

Co-Loading -- human smuggling on the gamma -ray -- April 2006

Somali Pirate Patrol -- pirate miscalculation --March 2006

Water Bridge - EU engineering magic - March 2006

Alabama Crane Disaster - tragic loss - March 2006

New Feeder Service? - a new mystery - Feb. 2006

Loss of Pride - M/V Seabulk Pride -- Feb. 2006

M/T Ece -- to the bottom -- Feb. 2006

Split Personality For M/V Twin Star(s) -- Jan. 2006

DHL Meets JAL Over LHR -- Jan. 2006

Pirate Payback - USS Winstn Churchill - Jan. 2006

M/V APL Panama - Day At The Beach -- Jan. 2006

2005 All Year - Our Feature Page for Jan. to Dec. 2005 Page #8

M/V Oltenita - Danube Disaster -- Oct. 2005

Seven Mile Bridge - The Keys - Oct. 2005

Ghost Ship - Destruction at Biloxi - Sept. 2005

M/V Transmodal - Fire At Sea - July 2005

M/T Kyokuyo Maru -Collision& Fire At Sea - July 2005

Horsing Around - July 2005

Iwo Jim Fire - July 2005

The Queen Checkmates - June 2005

Coat Tails of The Queen - June 2005

Tip of The Iceberg - June 2005

Uplift To Down - March 2005

Mea Culpa, Mea Culpa, M/V Milicoma - Mar. 2005

Bridge Vs. Bridge - Mar. 2005

Red Rudder Riders - Feb. 2005

USS San Francisco In The Mountains - Jan. 2005

Dr. Beach's Mystery Buoy - Jan. 2005

Drowned Fox - Jan. 2005 

2004 Last Half - Our Feature Page for Jan. to June 2004 Page #7

Aomori Prefecture Stranding - Dec. 2004

Tsunami - Dec. 2004

Light-OUTse - Oct. 2004

Yield For Merging Traffic - Sept. 2004

When Unexpected Guests Drop In ... - Sept. 2004

Hang'n Out At Key West - July 2004

High Tide - June 2004

United Air Lines - Union Pacific Merger - June 2004

2004 First Half - Our Feature Page for Jan. to June 2004 Page #6

"Sit Down STRIKE At LAX" - May 2004

"Why We Fight Terrorism" - May 2004

"Belly Flop" - May 2004

"M/V Sealand Pride" - May 2004

"Earth - Upside Down For Caterina" - April 2004

"Now Boarding" - April 2004

"The Death of Frigate HMS Scylla" - March 2004

"General Motors Ocean Lines" - Feb. 2004

"Injured Pride" - Jan. 2004

"Follow That Car!" - Jan. 2004

"Cavity Search?" - Jan. 2004

"Happy New Year?" - Jan. 2004

2003 Second Half- Our Feature Page for July. to Dec. 2003 Page #5

"Encounter With Physics" M/V Stellamare - Dec. 2003

"DHL Airlines - On Time - On Target" - Nov. 2003

"M/V Purr Seaverance - Rock Chaser?" - Oct. 2003

"Hurricane Isabel -The Looming Storm" - Sept. 2003

"Typhoon Maemi-Busan Cranes" - Sept 2003

2003 First Half - Our Feature Page for Jan. to July. 2003 Page #4

"F-22 Stealth Fighter Bomber" - first photo! - June 2003

"Safety Lift" - June 2003

"Sinking M/V Fu Shan Hai" - May 2003

"Sinking M/V Sigitika Biru" - May 2003

"Fishing For Rabbits" - May 2003

"Not So M/V Jolly Rubino" - April 2003

"Forward Observer" - April 2003

"FedRex Vs. UP-ooopS" - April 2003

"Half Measures" - March 2003

2002 Last Half - Our Feature Page for July to Dec. 2002 Page #3

"Open Door Policy" - Dec. 2002

"Northwest Climbing" - Dec. 2002

"Anchors Away" - Dec. 2002

'Full Speed Ahead" - Oct. 2002

"Typhoon Rusa" - Sept. 2002

"Don't Park Here" - Aug. 2002

"Things You Should Not Drop!" - July 2002

2002 First Half - Our Feature Page For 2002 to June 2002 Page #2

"Unstealthy" - April 2002

"Moment of Disaster At Dubai" - March 2002

"All Aboard !" - Feb. 2002

"Container Pool" - Jan. 2002

"U.S. Air Force Crippled C-141-B Starlifter" - Dec. 2001

"Suggested Al-Qaida Solution" - Sept. 2001

 

The Call of Duty (Free) - Icelandair 15 Jan. 2013

A JFK-bound passenger flying high on duty-free liquor had to be duct-taped to his seat to stop a midair rampage &emdash; which included shouts that the plane was going down, sources said.

Gudmundur Karl Arthorsson, 46, tried to choke and grope several people and was spitting all over the cabin when passengers pounced on him about halfway into the Jan. 3 flight from Reykjavik, Iceland.

"Just think of a typical drunk, when he starts taking fighting poses," a police source said, adding that Arthorsson appeared to be "completely out of his mind."

Two Guatemalan men got fed up with Arthorsson's antics and pinned him to his seat.

An off-duty captain helped the good Samaritans hold him down while Icelandair's flight crew closed in with green duct tape and Flex cuffs, which they used to bind the man around the ankles and knees.

"He drank an entire bottle of duty-free hard liquor two to three hours into the flight," as news sources quoted Manhattan resident Andy Ellwood. Unfortunately, Ellwood, a contributor for Forbes magazine, wasn't on that Icelandair flight to New York.

Video of The Incident

Duct Tape - Holding Transportation Together Since 1942

Handy Stowage - MV Han De 12 Jan. 2013

M/V Han De At Anchor In The Eastern Anchorage at Singapore, Jan. 7 2013. What Is Amiss With Her Deck Cargo?

Courtesty of Ian Edwards - © 2013 Shiphoto.com.au

 

M/V Han De
Ship Type: Cargo

Year Built: 1993

Length x Breadth: 108 m X 20 m

Gross Tonnage: 5782 t

DeadWeight: 8115 t

Speed Max / Average 13.7 / 9 knots

Flag: Hong Kong [HK]

Call Sign: VRGQ9

IMO: 9051741, MMSI: 477743400

Damage To On Deck Cargo Thought Sustained From Shanghai For Singapore

Courtesty of Ian Edwards - © 2013 Shiphoto.com.au

Good day CargoLaw,

Here is another newsworthy item regarding incidents from my records. Today the vessel M/V Han De was noted in the Eastern Anchorage at Singapore with a deck cargo that had obviously been through the mincer.

These images probably show what not to load on deck and overstow heavy items on top of plywood protective packing. It looks like the entire deck cargo has been effected

Hope this is of interest.
Ian Edwards - Shiphoto Maritime Photography, Sydney, Australia - Jan. 7 2013

Thanks for another great contribution, Ian.

Cargo Such As Lumber Is Carried On Deck Due To Size, While Some Commodities Such As Explosives Are Required By Law To Be Carried As Deck Cargo.

Courtesty of Ian Edwards - © 2013 Shiphoto.com.au

About Shiphoto: In 1996, after a thirty year career serving in shipping operations and stevedoring, the principal of Shiphoto, Ian Edwards, turned his maritime photography hobby into a full time pursuit.

Ian has been photographing ships and Sydney's waterfront since the late 1950's. These early photographs form the basis of our collection, with tens of thousands of images providing a photographic record of Sydney's modern maritime history to the present day.

Born and raised in the inner Sydney waterfront suburb of Balmain, Ian's passion for ships began as a nine year old, when he would visit the local docks with his grandfather, a ship's carpenter, and several tug masters that were family friends.

In December 1973 the principal's first visit to Singapore and Hong Kong opened up new shipping horizons. By 2010, he has visited Singapore well over 120 times to photograph ships in the world's largest commercial port. He has also photographed ships in numerous other Asian ports and in the last five years frequent visits to the port of Istanbul.

The Shiphoto website is frequently updated and images of interest are added continuously.

Carrier Liability For On Deck Cargo Damage Is Likely Limited Or Even Nonexistent

Shippers Are Urged To Protect Their Investment By Acquiring High Quality Marine Cargo Insurance

Ex-Names For M/V Han De - a checkered career
Han De - Hong Kong 2013

Victoria Scan - Antigua Barbuda 2010

OXL Victory - Antigua Barbuda 2009

H - Antigua Barbuda 2008

BBC Sealand - 2007

Regine - 2001

Steinkirchen - 2001

Contributor For This Feature:

Ian Edwards - Shiphoto Maritime Photography, GPO Box GPO 3831 Sydney NSW 2001, Australia

New Luck For Kulluk - 10 Jan. 2013

The Drilling Rig Kulluk Went Adrift On Dec. 31 When Beset By Winter Storm Weather During A Tow From Dutch Harbor, Alaska, To Everett, Washington For Maintenance

The New US$260M 360 Ft. Ice Class Anchor Handler M/V Aiviq Lost Power And Its Tow Connection In The Kodiak Archipelago - Far From Where Kulluk Began A Well In Sept. & Oct.

M/V Aiviq Originally Departed Vigor Shipyards At Seattle With Kulluk, in June For Shell's 2012 Arctic Drilling Program.

Drilling Rig Kulluk: Built nearly 30 years ago, the 266-ft drilling barge Kulluk was designed for seasonal Arctic drilling and to be able to withstand thick ice and forceful waves. Shell spent US$292M over six years to upgrade the rig after buying it in 2005.

Built in 1983 by the Japanese Mitsui company, the Kulluk drilling platform is vintage, tried and tested technology that exemplifies the best of Shell's Let's Go! fleet. Among the Kulluk's technologies are a 24-foot diameter glory hole bit for drilling deep in the ice, a 20,000-foot drill pipe, 160-foot derrick, 49.5-foot rotary table, 1000-hp top drive, 500-ton swivel, and a 400,000-pound drill string compensator.

Though the Kulluk is now almost 30 years old, she was inactive for fourteen of them, making her as reliable as a much younger craft. The Kulluk is designed for safety, and has her own emergency rescue boat, two inflatable escape slides, four 54-person survival crafts, and an onboard hospital. She's also comfortable to work on, and has her own recreation room and sauna. The Kulluk first came to Alaska in Sept. 1988 when she drilled an exploratory well for the Amoco Production Company at the Belcher Prospect in the Beaufort Sea in 167 feet of water. (One of this year's wells will target depths over 12,000 feet!) In 1992 & 1993, she drilled four exploratory wells for Arco Alaska at the Kuvlum and Wild Weasel Prospects. After that, the Kulluk was stored for 14 years in McKinley Bay near Tuktoyaktuk in the Northwest Territories of Canada. She was due to be sold for scrap before Shell rescued her for new glories.

The Kulluk has recently been upgraded with new electronics. Her hull has been fully repaired, making her as Arctic ready as it's possible for a rig to be! To celebrate the Kulluk's revival, we've also significantly improved the look of the vessel, with a keel-to-topmast repainting job. And to make life more pleasant for Arctic-going workers, we've remodelled some interiors.

No oil company has ever operated in an environment as extreme as the Arctic, let alone with heritage equipment&emdash;yet that's exactly the sort of challenge that makes the Arctic so appealing to Shell.

At Sea Video Aboard M/V Aiviq - it is later determined her Dec. 31 loss of power was most likely the result of contaminated fuel

Coast Guard MH-60 Jayhawk Helicopter From Air Station Kodiak Delivers Parts And Rescues The 18 Crew of Drilling Barge Kulluk 80 Miles SW of Kodiak, Alaska, With Coast Guard Cutter USCGC Alex Haley On Scene

Riding USCGC Alex Haley

Popular Mechanics Cover The Harrowing Crew Rescue

Kulluk Beached On Sitkalidak Island New Year's Eve 2013. A Massive Wreck Is Threatened

Unsteady seas thwarted Royal Dutch Shell and the U.S. Coast Guard's attempts to retrieve Shell's oil rig from Alaska's Sitkalidak Island where she remained grounded for nearly a week.

Waves damaged the topside of Kulluk, emergency and service generators are damaged, and "several" watertight doors have been breached. However, there no evidence of any of the 150,000 gallons of diesel and lubricants it carries leaking. Water entering parts of the rig has caused damage, including to the generators. Whether or not ballast tanks aboard the Kulluk have been breached remained unknown as of Jan. 5. It was also unknown whether a breach in the ballast tanks would affect the stability of the rig should she be freed from the grounding site.

On Jan. 7, Kulluk Was Rescued & Towed 30 Miles From Sitkalidak Island To A Port of Refuge - Kodiak Island's Kiliuda Bay

Anchorage, AK &endash; Unified Command Update - Monday, Jan. 7, 2013:

• Unified Command has confirmed that the Kulluk, towed by the anchor handling M/V Aiviq, approached its safe harbor location in Kiliuda Bay at approximately 10 a.m., Alaska Time. The final location for assessment within the Bay will be determined by environmental conditions, including weather.

• The Kulluk traveled 45 nautical miles since the start of the tow, roughly 12 hours ago. Average speed has been 3.5 knots or 4 mph.

• The Kulluk was refloated from its Ocean Bay position, off Sitkalidak Island, late Jan. 6. It will remain connected to its support vessels while it undergoes assessment in Kiliuda Bay, located about 30 miles north of Ocean Bay.

• Monitoring by the oil spill response vessels escorting the tow confirmed that there were no signs of a discharge of oil during the transit.

Royal Dutch Shell plans to continue to explore Arctic waters for oil this year hinge on how quickly it can repair drilling barge Kulluk.

Shell's US$4.5Bn Arctic drilling program came back on track when M/V Aiviq and the efforts of more than 600 people, a dozen ships and a handful of helicopters rescued Kulluk and towed her to Kodiak Island's Kiliuda Bay on Jan. 7 2013, to assess conditions on the drilling barge. Shell said the rig sustained water damage and lost its electric generators but shows no evidence of a hull breach. Kulluk still has to make the two-and-a-half-week journey to Washington state for the maintenance work. Shell needs either to repair the rig or replace her before the start of the Arctic drilling season, which is usually mid-July.

3-D Animation of Kulluk Towing Route - beginning to end

Contributors For This Feature:

Jeff Alldritt
New Year - Old Risk - 5 Jan. 2013

Back In The Day, The Knott's Berry Farm Stage Coach Was A Real Thrill Ride !

Starting in 1949 , Knott's "Butterfield Stagecoach Line" Departed For The Old West Every Few Minutes

A Devoted Fan, Your Editor Knew Bandits Would Always Rob The Stage, Just Near Hang Man's Tree

........ But Now Matter How Careful You Are, Or Who You Hire, We Know "Ship Happens! ©"

Knott's Butterfield Stage Line: Starting in 1949, well trained four-horse teams hauled historic equipment, including original Butterfield coaches, 1 Halloday coach, 1 Overland Southern coach and the Knott's Berry Farm coach that was built for the farm in 1954. Guests enjoyed a Stagecoach journey North to Whiskey Flat looping around the badlands filled with bad men. The ride is meant to simulate the Old West mail carriers that delivered letters & cargo over long distances via horse and carriage. Butterfield Overland Mail was a real company that held a contract with the United States Postal Service in the 1850s. Some stations still stand in the western United States.

Located In Buena Park, just 10 minutes from Disneyland, Knott's Berry Farm Began In 1920, Some 36 Years Before Disney

Knott's Berry Farm: A theme park combining modern thrill rides with the Old West in Buena Park, California, owned by Cedar Fair Entertainment Company. It is also a line of jams, jellies, preserves, and other specialty food, produced by The J. M. Smucker Company based in Placentia, California. Knott's is the most visited park in the Cedar Fair chain with 3.654 million visitors in 2011.

The theme park sits on the former site of a berry farm established by Walter Knott and his family. Beginning around 1920, the Knott family sold berries, berry preserves, and pies from a roadside stand along State Route 39. In 1934, the Knotts began selling fried chicken dinners in a tea room on the property, later called "Mrs. Knott's Chicken Dinner Restaurant". The dinners soon became a major tourist draw, and the Knotts built several shops and other attractions to entertain visitors while waiting for a seat in the restaurant. In 1940, Walter Knott began constructing a replica Ghost Town on the property, the beginning of the present-day theme park. Knott added several other attractions over the years, and began charging admission to the attractions in 1968. In 1983, Knott's Berry Farm added Camp Snoopy, which began the park's present-day association with the Peanuts characters. As a young man, your editor was privledged to know Walter Knott.

In the 1990s, following the deaths of Walter Knott and his wife, Cordelia, their children sold the family business; the theme park was sold to Cedar Fair, while the food business was sold to ConAgra Foods, which subsequently sold to J. M. Smucker. Cedar Fair has continued to expand the theme park, adding Knott's Soak City in 1999 and adding other rides to the original park.

 

 

 

A Contrast of Old-Meets-New In Southern California

The Tame 19th Century Stage Coach Competes Against 42 Thrill Rides

--

The Question Is Whether Modern Vehicles Are More Dangerous Than Horse Power?

--

And Who Is Responsible In The Even of Loss or Damage?

Sixty Four Years of Safety -- Added Features include Hydraulic Brakes & Rubber On The Wheels

The Calm of A Tame 19th Century Coach Would Be Disturbed As Year 2012 Came To An End

Take Your Ride On The Coach

- The New Year's Holiday For 2012-2013 -

On New Year's Weekend, The Knott's Stagecoach Crashes & Capsizes With 14 Aboard

Knott's Transport Accident: Three people were taken to the hospital after a wheel detached from the "Butterfield Stagecoach Line" ride at Knott's Berry Farm Dec. 30 afternoon, during the 2012-2013 New Year's weekend holiday.

The stagecoach fell to its side and sent 14 passengers tumbling.

Three passengers were taken to the hospital with minor injuries and are expected to fully recover.

Knott's has closed the stagecoach ride until further notice. The theme park issued the following statement:

"At approximately 1:25 pm on Dec. 30 the left rear wheel detached from one of Knott's Berry Farm's stagecoaches with 14 passengers on board, causing the coach to tip to its side. Three guests were transported to a local hospital for minor injuries.  The ride will be closed until further notice.  Guest safety is Knott's number one priority."

How could tame horse-drawn transportation have such a tragic result? Don't we all know that high speed modern transport is far more dangerous?

 Possible Brake Failure May Have Caused The Horse Team To Careen Into A Fence, Killing A Horse. (We Chose Not To Publish Photos of The Fatality)

This Coach Was Purchased By Park founder Walter Knott, Years Ago After It Was Used As A Movie Prop.

Is Knott's Legally Responsible, Even If It Properly Maintained The Coach And Was Not Negligent?

Are Modern Vehicles More Dangerous?: Actually, horse- drawn vehicles were far deadlier than their modern counterparts. In New York in 1900, 200 persons were killed by horses and horse-drawn vehicles. This contrasts with 344 auto-related fatalities in New York in 2003. Given the modern city's greater population, this means the fatality rate per capita in the horse era was roughly 75% higher than today.

Data from Chicago shows that in 1916 there were 16.9 horse-related fatalities for each 10,000 horse-drawn vehicles, or nearly seven times the city's fatality rate per auto in 1997.

The major reason for this greater risk is that horse-drawn vehicles have an engine with a mind of its own. This may be a prophetic finding if one considers our society standing at the dawn of autonomous (self-guided) transport vehicles.

The skittishness of horses added a dangerous level of unpredictability to nineteenth-century transportation. This was particularly true in a bustling urban environment, full of surprises that could shock and spook the animals. Horses often stampeded, but a more common danger came from horses kicking, biting, or trampling bystanders. Children were particularly at risk.

In addition, the vehicles themselves presented safety hazards. They were difficult to brake, and the need to minimize friction meant that they required large wheels. These made for top-heavy, ungainly carriages prone to capsizing, a problem exacerbated by winding street layouts. Moreover, drivers had a reputation for recklessness.

What's The Legal Lesson?

Is There A Difference Between "Amusement" & "Transport"?: It has been a long debated question as to whether an aumsement ride operator should be held to a duty of ordinary care In most cases involving allegations of negligence? The counter arguement is that any "ride" should be classed a common carrier, with the highest duty of care being placed on the operator

In 1995, Gary & Donna Neubauer, patrons at Disneyland in Anaheim, California, claimed personal injuries when their boat on the popular "Pirates of the Caribbean" amusement ride was rammed from behind by another boat. They sued under negligence and common carrier liability theories. Disneyland moved to dismiss the common carrier claim contending, as a matter of law, its amusement park ride is not a common carrier. Under plaintiffs' allegations,

The court held Disneyland's amusement park boat ride does fall within California's broad statutory definition of a common carrier. At the "Pirates of the Caribbean," defendant offered to the public to carry patrons. Under these allegations, the duty of utmost care and diligence would apply to Disneyland. Neubauer vs. Disneyland, Inc. (1995) 875 F.Supp. 672

Later in 2005, in the case Gomez v.The Walt Disney Company, representatives of Cristina Moreno sued several defendants alleging that Ms. Moreno, at the age of 23, sustained a fatal brain injury while riding Disneyland's Indiana Jones amusement ride. One of the key issues before California's Supreme Court was whether the ride is a common carrier, holding Disney to a heightened standard of care. The court, after analyzing California law and the law of other jurisdictions, ruled that such a ride could, in fact, be considered a common carrier.

Disney argued that amusement park rides and roller coasters, such as the Indiana Jones Attraction, cannot be classified as common carriers because their primary purpose is to thrill and entertain passengers. The "transportation" of the passengers in the context of an amusement park ride, according to Disney, is purely incidental to the ride's primary purpose of providing entertainment.

Based on this record, the California Supreme Court ultimately disregarded Disney's attempt to distinguish between a common carrier's historic function of providing transportation, and an amusement park ride's primary purpose of providing thrills and entertainment:

"Certainly there is no justification for imposing a lesser duty of care on the operators of roller coasters simply because the primary purpose of the transportation provided is entertainment. As one federal court noted, "amusement rides have inherent dangers owing to speed or mechanical complexities. They are operated for profit and are held out to the public to be safe. They are operated to the expectation that thousands of patrons, many of them children, will occupy their seats"...Riders of roller coasters and other "thrill" rides seek the illusion of danger while being assured of their actual safety. The rider expects to be surprised and perhaps even frightened, but not hurt. The rule that carriers of passengers are held to the highest degree of care is based on the recognition that "to his diligence and fidelity are intrusted the lives and safety of large numbers of human beings."...

This applies equally to the rider of a roller coaster as it does to the rider of a bus, airplane, or train. Gomez v. The Walt Disney Company, et al, 35 Cal. 4th 1125 (2005)

Who Is A Common Carrier?: We are all aware that air, oeean, inland & rail operators are common carriers who are subject to the hightest duty of care and, with few exceptions, fully responsible for damage, loss and delay of passengers & cargo. But the stage coach accident at Knott's Berry Farm reminds us that amusement rides, elevators, escalators,ski lifts and almost anything other machine which moves humans or cargo for compensation is likely a common carrier.

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