NYHC wants to take the opportunity to remember the 50 veterans that reportedly died in the Long Island nursing home. To date, there are more than 1000 veterans in VA health system sites that have been lost due to Covid-19 infections. Along with the veterans who are not getting the proper ceremonial honors at their burials due to Covid-19. However, hundreds of other veterans were lost in the state-run homes.  We ask, how many of these veterans would still be alive today if they were fast-tracked to USNS Comfort.  And for those who would have succumbed to the infection, how many would have been happier spending their final hours on the military hospital ship?  Of course, these are tough questions.

On this Memorial Day Observance, NYHC is honored to have Congressman and veteran Max Rose offer words of thanks to the crew of USNS Comfort.  A purple heart recipient, Max Rose served as a platoon leader in Afghanistan and was wounded there in 2013.  In addition to his representation of the 11th Congressional District from Brooklyn and Staten Island, he currently is attached to the New York Army National Guard for active duty.

NYHC is proud to have found men and women of distinction to help tell our Covid-19 New York story.  The time span of the documentary is from March 7th (the first covid deaths in NYC) to April 30th (when Comfort leaves NYC).   The key focal characters are Rachel Hartley, who answered the call for ICU nurses, sailing her temporary residence into New York Harbor and USNS Comfort’s Chaplain, Lt. Johnny Bravo.  There is a strong spirituality between the two, told from their respective ships.  The working New York Harbor personnel is represented by the Sandy Hook Pilot, Captain Tim Ferrie, who navigated Comfort into its NYC pier.  USNS Comfort’s Commander Amersbach offers his precise detail of the Hospital ship operations.

New York Harbor is in lock down for all passenger ship traffic.  The cruise ship industry ties NY waters to the oceans of the world.  We also touch on Erika Butters’ plight stuck on a Cruise Ship stranded in the Atlantic Ocean.   As Covid-19 tears apart careers and industries, Erika’s 56 day saga offers a musical therapy as she records a consistent daily post on Facebook from her ship.  Erika’s music offers uplifting melodies under our visual footage.  NYHC has taken the best of our interviews over the past two months to piece together this unique story.

Governor Cuomo and President Trump provide the Covid-19 reality as well as the backstory as to why Comfort was in NYC for only 30 days.  The hospital ship only treated 182 Covid patients over a mere 14 day period.  Despite the political tension that permeates the atmosphere, Comfort does exhibit its  marvelous medical deployment and staff acumen.  Not a single Covid-19 patient treated on-board was lost.

We conclude with shout outs from New Yorkers including one from  Congressman Max Rose.  With Comfort’s return to the Norfolk Naval Station, one missing element remains… a Mission Name.  We invite everybody who was touched both physically and spiritually to offer a name for the Navy Command to consider.  NYHC has chosen ‘Operation Gentle Shadow’ as its reach in dark times has brought calm and compassion to the waters of New York Harbor.

After USNS Comfort sailed out of New York Harbor, the torch had been passed to a visiting nurse from Lynchburg, Virginia and the hundreds of other healthcare workers like Rachel Hartley.  Of course, we cannot forget about the thousands of healthcare workers who started this battle when Covid-19 first entered the NYC hospital system back in February.  Departure day for the Comfort marked a significant Turning Point for New York.  The number of Covid-19 cases was slowly, but steadily on the decline.

NYHC wishes to take this opportunity to personally thank the men and women of the USNS Comfort for their service to the nation   The ship exemplified professionalism.  What’s more, the hospital ship also served as a ambassador.  It was indeed a Gentle Shadow that spread compassion from the waterfront to all the New York and New Jersey front line workers.   As you sailed out of the harbor, you took your excellence with you to serve on another mission.  For New York, Operation Gentile Shadow will live on as a shining light that helped bring us out of the unknown darkness.  We wish you fair winds and following seas!

For more in depth articles and interviews found in New York Harbor Channel, please click below

Commander Amersbach

Captain Tim Ferrie

Erika Monet Butters

Nurse Rachel Hartley

Chaplain Johnny Bravo

The post Memorial Day Thank You from New York Harbor to the Comfort Community appeared first on New York Harbor Channel.

Erika Monet Butters’ ‘Melodies At Sea’ may soon be a Covid-19 memory after 56 days, if all goes according to plan.  Erika and her two year old son, Ezra, are scheduled to depart the Emerald Princess this weekend, just in time for Mother’s Day! With some discretion of proper social distancing,  Key West awaits a glorious family reunion.  Erika keeps her fingers crossed that she will be allowed to disembark.  As we post this article, Emerald Princess is steaming at 11.5 knots due west toward Fort Lauderdale.

SOUNDING OF THE SHIP HORNS

At 7:30pm every evening, the ensemble of ships would all blast a shared sentiment, announcing “We’re all in this together”!  Then the sunset would arrive with a glorious view.  Erika always welcomed it as its awesome beauty calmed her nerves.  She made it her mission to foster a sense of renewal every day.  Thinking of how the rest of the world was spending their days, Erika is grateful that her social distancing experience might realistically have been a lot different back in Florida.  In some ways, she’s grateful for winding up in a healthy, clean environment for the past six weeks.

BREAKING IRREGULAR AQUATIC PATTERNS

But there are others who are still left floating on an uncertain future.   Chaos in the Cruise Industry pretty much sums up what is going on in Covid waters.  Earlier this week, Norwegian Cruise Lines (NCL) was forced to secure a two billion dollar loan to carry them into the Fall Season.   Ninety-nine cruise ships that terminated operations while sailing routes in North and South America anchored in a triangular zone between Fort Lauderdale and the Bahamas.  However, the eerie ring of idle ships slowly breaks formation as Repatriation efforts continue.  In total, 80,000 crew members were reportedly stuck at sea,  approximately 1000 of them U.S. citizens.

ENTANGLED  CONNECTIONS

The aquatic dance continues as crew members move from one ship to another in the middle of the ocean.  Erika was originally on board Holland America Lines’ Nieuw Statendam with her husband who serves on the bridge.  NYHC reported the situation back on April  22nd.   Crew, like the corporate negotiations between the liners and the CDC, were going in circles.   We learned of harrowing stories posted on social media on personal pages.  Charter flights and private shuttles were purchased and paid for by the excited crew.  As ships pulled alongside the dock, hopes were suddenly dashed when officials withdraw their offer.  Erika watched as several Canadians serving aboard Empire Princess were denied exit. These poor souls could only stare at the lowered gangplanks and watch another routine refueling as rations were loaded onboard before the ship pulled up their lines and slowly returned to anchor once again.

On Day 50, Erika offered a parody that pleaded to government officials to hear the ships cry.  She used Moana’s “How Far I’ll Go” and changed the lyrics to her own rendition that she titled “Song To America: We Want To Come Home” which sheds light on the crew all being healthy and just wanting to get home to their loved ones.  But the legal struggle between the cruise industry and the CDC continues, mostly in court proceedings in Miami.  It is inconceivable to ask these U.S. Citizens to remain captive aboard ships for the entire duration of the U.S. ‘No Sail” order.

U.S. PORTS AWAIT THE RETURN TO NORMALCY

Back on the U.S. eastern seaboard, NCL has made arrangements to dock three ships in Norfolk Harbor for the next two months.  As far as we know, the American crew aboard are still prohibited from disembarking.  Meanwhile, here in New York, NYHC reports not a single ship returning to port.  The last spotting was February 10th when Coronavirus-tested passengers were allowed to board RCCL’s Anthem of the Sea at Cape Liberty Marine Terminal.   The only ship to visit New York’s waterfront was the USNS Comfort, the Navy Hospital Ship that we covered extensively during the month of April.

MELODIES AT SEA:   ERIKA AND EZRA’S FAREWELL SEGMENT

When asked about returning to the sea, her response was “I am not jaded!  The ships did take good care of us.”  And how will her music continue?  She indicated that Melodies At Sea will have an easy transition into an anticipated weekly series with a temporary working title of “Melodies On Land’.

Erika’s final post from sea will be “Time to Say Goodbye” by Andrea Bocelli and Sarah Brightman.  She and the others awaiting departure tomorrow, are saying their final farewell as their ship was finally approved to disembark after what will be 56 days out at sea.  How will history look back at this imposed marooning of crew?    We would like to think Erika’s soothing vocals eased the tension back in Miami.  Dry land is afoot!

The post AFTER 56 DAYS STUCK AT SEA, MOTHER AND SON MAY FINALLY BE COMING HOME appeared first on New York Harbor Channel.

As Spring arrives, New York Harbor marine terminals, ferry landings, and tour boats are closed tight.  Walking along the waterfront is a pastime that usually signals outdoor recreation activity.  Kayaking, sailing, and cruising are all signs of a budding season.  Street musicians usually fill the parks,  But now, the ‘Stay at Home” order has defined the arrival of Spring, 2020.

What a difference eight weeks can make.  Our January 20th post of ‘Music On The Water’ celebrated the beauty and accomplishment of Holland America Line’s Lincoln Center Stage aboard the MS Nieuw Statendam.  Music of any description has been a definition of New York City’s energy and creativity.  Indeed RWS Entertainment generates the source of greatness found on the dozen of HAL’s Music Walks.  Our countdown clock started marking the days till MS Zaandam would arrive in New York Harbor on its way to Canada on September 7th,2020.  We were hoping to capture the sounds of its ensemble to herald the event.  Little did we know the true impact that was brewing the week we posted the article.  Now we know.  This is the new normal.

CRUISE SHIPS AFFECTED BY GLOBAL PANDEMIC

The global pandemic has shut down port entry to every harbor city in the United States.  The Center for Disease Control (CDC) witnessed the last cruise ship to discharge infected passengers as well as remove those who died from Holland America Line’s (HAL) Zaandam two weeks ago in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.  The industry lock down had begun.

This was the end of a three month long horrific odyssey for more than two dozen cruise ships, starting with the first case of Covid-19 fatalities on the Diamond Princess in Japanese waters.  Helicopter airlifts of medical supplies and emergency equipment became a daily scene on the news channels, but what must have been worse to those was the sight of intensive care unit patients being medivacked off the ship.

CDC ORDERS A ONE HUNDRED DAY ‘NO SAIL’

The CDC reported that approximately one hundred cruise ships were outside U.S. ports.  Approximately eighty thousand crew members were still aboard.  Crew members including ship physicians who treated infected passengers were part of those who perished from the virus.  On April 9th, the CDC put a one hundred day ‘No Sail’ order into place that was effective immediately.  New York Harbor marine terminals are completely empty.

UNPRECEDENTED ANCHORAGE

Cruise ships such as Royal Caribbean’s Anthem of the Seas will not return to its’ home port until July at best.  So where did the ships go?  According to Marine Tracker, the global GPS app that identifies ships at sea, Anthem has joined a ghostly anchorage of more than two dozen liners that dot the ocean waters in an unprecedented configuration pattern from the Bahamas to Florida.

Our video taken on April 11th shows the incredible number of moored cruise ships that made up the historic assembly.  Under normal conditions, the temporary anchorage is called a “warm lay-up” mode.   Of note, is an eerie ring of HAL ships comprised of the MS MS Nieuw Statendam, MS Nieuw Amsterdam, MS Zuiderdam, MS Zaandam and the MS Rotterdam.  It’s shocking to see, since these ships were once riveting with excitement and pleasure and now they are sitting idle waiting in limbo.

MAROONED

Once moored, engineers and maintenance employees implemented a complete disinfecting regiment while the ships silently rest idle.  But what about the crew still stuck on the ship?  Why are they still aboard?

A catch-22 forced most of them to remain.  When Zaandam was finally allowed to offload in Fort Lauderdale, many crew members had a tough decision to make.  They could break their contract and possibly loose employment with Holland America, or they could ride out the term of the contract to ensure their option of a renewal.  Most only had nine days left and gambled they would quickly find travel arrangements back home.

The greatest majority of crew are Filipino or Indonesian; however, a small minority are American.  Within days of leaving Fort Lauderdale, these U.S. citizens learned the severity of the ‘No Sail’ order and what it meant to them.  The U.S. Coast Guard stated that anyone left aboard these ships would not be allowed entry or access to any U.S. port in the southern Seventh District for treatment and the responsibility for care would be left to the ship’s operators.  Would it come as a surprise that there are reports of complaints of covid-19 symptoms?  The tragedy of MS Zaandam is too horrific to describe with four dying on the ship before passage was granted through the Panama Canal.

There Americans cannot return to their home states.  They remain on the boat until an alternative plan can overcome this regulation.  To every extent of the word, they are ‘marooned’.  According to the FreeDictionary, marooned means, ‘To abandon or isolate with little hope of ready rescue or escape’.

Most crew have been restricted to less than an eight square meter cabin with no  window.  For the few hours they spend above deck, the ship is relatively empty with all services and amenities shut down.  The remaining kitchen staff is forced to ration food as there is no guarantee of food being delivered to the ship.

Bedsheets cover tables and chairs.  The casino is dark.  For a morale boost, the pool remains open.  Now that the HAL contracts expired this week, most of the crew is now jobless with future prospects unknown.

CREW MEMBER STORIES OF THEIR PAST MONTH’S MEMORIES MEMORIALIZED

Not unlike those of us in New York City who observe and adhere to the “stay at home” order, crew members have taken to social media to communicate and correspond with their loved ones and the outside world.

There are cabaret singers and dancers on MS Volendam.  Erika Monet Butters, singer on MS Nieuw Statendam is spending her days on the ship continuing to do what she loves through Facebook. She uses this outlet to continue to stay connected with others. Resorting to her performing roots, she posts daily “Melodies at Sea” videos where she sings different songs each day. It’s reassuring to see music on the water continuing on during this pandemic. We’re sure, Butter’s will continue to post daily videos to entertain her viewers, until she has a live audience once again.

Holland America Line has taken to Facebook also.  In hopes of keeping the music alive, they are posting members of Lincoln Center Stage performing from living rooms.  It is called HAL At Home and the performers offer their recent contributions through videos of solo work or duets.

MASSIVE REPATRIATION OF CREW MEMBERS TO THEIR HOME COUNTRIES.

This week, it was announced that HAL will sail a few of their ships to Europe, Asia, Australia, and Africa to deliver their employees back home.  The Bahama ring of moored ships has broken.  MS Zuiderdam and MS Zaandam are under way and presently due east of Fort Lauderdale.  Will the U.S. authorities grant an exception?  The Governor of Florida has allowed its beach-going population to return to the sea.  Perhaps the American crew members will be allowed disembarkation in Florida?

MS ZAANDAM COUNTDOWN CLOCK FOR NYC

New York Harbor Channel will keep its fingers crossed that MS Zaandam will be able to keep the September 7th, 2020 arrival date into New York Harbor.  We will keep all of you posted on every update.  Until then, we hope the ships safely return the crew members home and music will once again fill the streets and venues of New York City in time for Autumn.

The post AS SPRING ARRIVES, COVID-19 PANDEMIC CRIPPLES THE CRUISE SHIP INDUSTRY appeared first on New York Harbor Channel.