Can cruise ships be used in war?

Cruise Liners Are Now Amphibious Assault Vessels: A modern cruise ship's military relevance rests in the fact that each cruise ship can use their embarked lifeboats to get more people ashore faster than ever before. Present-day cruise ships can use capable, modern lifeboats to land up to 8000 people in a single wave.



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Yes, cruise ships often carry weapons onboard for protection against piracy and other dangers at sea.

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Cruise ships ward off pirates by taking a variety of measures. They employ armed guards, use high-tech surveillance systems, and have water cannons to deter any potential attackers. Additionally, they often travel in convoys with other vessels for added protection and security.

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However, cruise ships have thorough procedures to protect themselves from pirates, particularly in areas known for high rates of attacks. There were only six reports of pirates attempting to attack cruise ships over the last 10 years. – in fact there has never been a successful pirate attack on a cruise ship.

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In international waters, more than 24 miles off the coast, the crime would fall under the laws of the country where the ship is registered. If a ship is at port when a crime occurs, it falls within that country's jurisdiction. Every ship line has their own set of rules.

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Over the past 100 years since the RMS Titanic sank in 1912, only 18 cruise ships and some ocean liners have been publicly known to have sunk. And, over the past 50 years, only four cruise ships have sunk while navigating on a cruise.

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Cruise ships are made of heavy steel that's even heavier with a full load of passengers and crew onboard. With all that weight, they can roll with the waves.

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In 1997, the vessel entered service for MSC Cruises as Melody. She ended her career as an accommodation ship Qing, during which she sank in storm at her berth, and was scrapped in 2019.

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The answer is yes, most cruise ships do have some form of detention facility on board, commonly known as a “brig”. These facilities are typically small rooms located in the lower decks of the ship and are used to detain passengers or crew members who have broken the law or violated the ship's rules and regulations.

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Are cruise ships safe? Let's cut right to the chase: Yes, cruise ships are generally safe as long as you use common sense and remember that vessels are not impervious to accidents, illness or people who just don't know how to behave.

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In more than a decade, there have been only six reported incidents of pirates attempting to attack cruise ships, and the most recent was more than four years ago already.

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If that doesn't work a Long Range Acoustic Device (LRAD) is used. This device, utilized by naval troops, sends out sonic waves so powerful that it can cause permanent hearing damage from a distance of 300 meters. More dramatically cruise ships also carry two snipers on board.

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A Cruise ship in port would get damaged and destroyed like any other ship in port when a tsunami hits. At sea: nothing. They will likely not even notice it, as the tsunami wave is very small (a couple of feet) and travels at every high speed (500mph or even more).

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In a dire scenario, a cruise ship could sink in a hurricane. But before you cancel all your future cruise plans, know this: it's highly unlikely. Cruise ships are built like fortresses.

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In such cases, cruise lines have two options: head to a different port up or down the coast to disembark passengers or remain at sea until the ship's home port reopens.

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The sinking of RMS Titanic in April 1912 remains the worst, and the most infamous, cruise ship disaster in history. The sinking of the biggest passenger ship ever built at the time resulted in the death of more than 1,500 of the 2,208 people onboard.

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Although smaller than most modern cruise ships, Titanic was a historic 46,328 gross tonnage for its time. In comparison, modern cruise ships have a gross tonnage around 120,000. This is more than 150% heavier than Titanic.

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Cruise ships are designed to be incredibly safe and reliable, so thankfully they don't sink very often. In fact, the last major cruise ship sinking was in 2012 when the Costa Concordia capsized off the coast of Italy.

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In the United States, anyone on a cruise ship whose last port of call was outside the US is required to pass through US Customs and Border Protection (CBP), unless if the last port of call was equipped with US preclearance facilities (in which case the ship will be treated as a domestic arrival).

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As for your person, you will go through a metal detector. We have yet to go through a port that has the body scanners that have caused so much controversy at airports.

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