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MS Freedom of the Seas

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This article is about the ship. For other uses, see Freedom of the Seas (disambiguation).
Freedom of the Seas in Port Canaveral, Florida in 2016, after her 2015 refurbishment
History
Bahamas
NameFreedom of the Seas
OwnerRoyal Caribbean Cruises Ltd.[1]
OperatorRoyal Caribbean International
Port of registryNassau, Bahamas,  Bahamas
RouteSan Juan, Puerto Rico & Caribbean
OrderedSeptember 18, 2003[1]
BuilderAker Yards Turku Shipyard, Finland
CostUS$800 million
Yard number55
Laid downNovember 9, 2004
LaunchedAugust 19, 2005[1]
ChristenedMay 12, 2006
CompletedApril 24, 2006[1]
Maiden voyage4 June 2006 (Caribbean)
In service4 June 2006
Identification
StatusIn service
General characteristics
Class and typeFreedom-class cruise ship
Tonnage
  • 155,889 GT (2015-present)[1]
  • 154,407 GT (2006-2015)[2]
Length1,111.46 ft (338.774 m)[1]
Beam126.64 ft (38.60 m) waterline 184 ft (56.08 m) extreme (bridge wings)
Height209 ft (63.70 m)
Draught29.61 ft (9.026 m)[1]
Decks19 total decks, 15 passenger decks
Installed power6 × Wärtsilä 12V46 (6 × 12,600 kW)
Propulsion
Speed21.6 knots (40.0 km/h; 24.9 mph)[2]
Capacity
  • 3,782 (double occupancy)
  • 4,515 (maximum occupancy)[3]
Crew1,360

MS Freedom of the Seas is a cruise ship operated by Royal Caribbean International. She is the namesake of Royal Caribbean's Freedom class, and can accommodate 3,634 passengers and 1,300 crew [3] on fifteen passenger decks. The vessel also has 4 crew decks below the waterline. Freedom of the Seas was the largest passenger ship ever built (by gross tonnage) from 2006 until construction of her sister ship, Liberty of the Seas in 2007. As of November 2018, she is the 15th largest passenger ship in the world by gross tonnage, at 155,889 GT.

Construction

Freedom of the Seas under construction at Turku Shipyard in Turku, Finland on February 23, 2006.

The Freedom of the Seas was built at the Aker Yards Turku Shipyard, Finland, which built the ships of the Voyager class as well as the other ships of the Freedom class. Upon its completion, it became the largest passenger ship ever built, taking that honor from Cunard's Queen Mary 2.

Freedom of the Seas is 2.4 metres (7 ft 10 in) narrower than QM2 at the waterline, 6 metres (20 ft) shorter, has 1.5 metres (4 ft 11 in) less draft, is 8.3 metres (27 ft) less tall and 10 miles per hour (16 km/h) slower. Freedom however is the larger ship in terms of gross tonnage. Its gross tonnage as verified by Det Norske Veritas, a Norwegian marine classification society, was 154,407 GT,[4] compared with QM2's 148,528 GT.[5][6] Freedom of the Seas had the highest gross tonnage of any passenger ship yet built until the 2007 completion of Liberty of the Seas.

The ship has four bow thrusters.[7] When at sea Freedom of the Seas consumes approximately 12,800 kg (28,000 pounds) of fuel per hour.[8]

Incidents

Fire

On July 22, 2015, a fire started in a mechanical area of the ship around 9:15 AM when the ship was en route from Cape Canaveral, Florida to Falmouth, Jamaica. All passengers were sent to their muster stations to abandon ship if the fire had gotten out of control. One crew member sustained first degree burns.[9]

Death

On July 7, 2019, 18-month-old Chloe Wiegand fell through an open window on the 11th deck while the ship was docked in San Juan, Puerto Rico, after her grandfather had placed her on a railing.[10]

Facilities

The ship has an interior promenade 445 feet (136 m) long called the "Royal Promenade".[11]

The ship has three swimming areas: an interactive water park, a dedicated adult pool, and the main pool. The 13th deck has a sports area with a rock climbing wall, the FlowRider surf simulator, a miniature golf course and a full size basketball court. Other items include an ice skating rink, a casino and a three-deck-high broadway-style theater. Many of the ship's interiors were extensively decorated by muralist Clarissa Parish.[12]

Service history

The ship docked at Blohm und Voss in Hamburg, Germany on 17 April 2006 to repair a damaged bearing in one of the three Azipod propulsion units and some minor modifications prior to her official handover to Royal Caribbean International on 24 April 2006. She then visited Oslo, Norway before sailing for Southampton, England. The ship sailed on its first transatlantic crossing on 3 May 2006.

Freedom of the Seas arrived in New York Harbor USA for her official naming ceremony on 12 May 2006 which was broadcast live on NBC's The Today Show from Cape Liberty Cruise Port in Bayonne, New Jersey (the ship's official New York berth), and thereafter traveled to Boston for the weekend of May 19–22. The ship's godmother was selected as Katherine Louise Calder, a Portland, Oregon foster care provider.[13] She began operations out of Miami with her first cruise and maiden voyage on 4 June, sailing to western Caribbean locations.

On 4 May 2009, Freedom of the Seas moved her home port from the Port of Miami-Dade to Port Canaveral. The ship underwent her first dry dock refurbishment in late March 2011.[14]

In January 2015, the ship underwent another 24-day dry dock. During the dry dock some new interior passenger cabins were added.[15]

In winter 2016, Freedom of the Seas repositioned to Port Everglades, from where she undertook cruises in the Caribbean.[16] After homeporting in Barcelona in the spring and summer of 2017, Freedom of the Seas returned to Port Everglades. In May 2018, she commenced sailing Southern Caribbean sailings out of San Juan, Puerto Rico until April 2021.

Freedom of the Seas is scheduled to undergo a $116 million dry dock early in 2020.[17]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g "Freedom of the Seas (25177)". Vessel Register for DNV. DNV. Retrieved 30 December 2018.
  2. ^ a b "Freedom of the Seas". Royal Caribbean International. Retrieved 2011-02-20.
  3. ^ a b "Freedom of the Seas Fast Facts". Royal Caribbean Press Center. Royal Caribbean International. Retrieved 4 March 2016.
  4. ^ "Freedom of the Seas (25177)". Vessel Register for DNV. DNV. Retrieved 8 June 2018.
  5. ^ United States Coast Guard Maritime Information Exchange, Queen Mary 2, Retrieved 2012-03-26
  6. ^ Queen Mary 2, inquiry for IMO 924106, Ships in Class (registration required). Lloyd's Register. Retrieved 19 July 2012.
  7. ^ "Freedom of the Seas". Ship Technology. 2011-06-15. Retrieved 2013-07-21.
  8. ^ "Wärtsilä 46F". wartsila.com.
  9. ^ Sampson, Hannah (July 22, 2015). "Cruise to continue after Freedom of the Seas fire in Jamaica". The Miami Herald. Retrieved May 8, 2019.
  10. ^ Baynes, Chris. "Young girl falls to death from cruise ship 'after being accidentally dropped by grandfather'". The Independent. Retrieved 22 July 2019.
  11. ^ [1] Archived November 10, 2009, at the Wayback Machine
  12. ^ www.clarissaparish.com Archived 2017-12-08 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved January 2012
  13. ^ https://www.cruisecritic.com/news/news.cfm?ID=1526 Calder
  14. ^ "Port Canaveral". portcanaveral.org. Archived from the original on 2008-04-12. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  15. ^ "Royal Caribbean Cruise Ship Completes Dry Dock, Features New Cabins and Restaurants". Cruise Critic.
  16. ^ "Royal Caribbean announces 2016-2017 Caribbean cruise ship deployments". Cruise Critic. Retrieved 24 November 2016.
  17. ^ "ISLAND HOPPING MEETS CHART-TOPPING THRILLS ON AMPLIFIED FREEDOM OF THE SEAS". www.royalcaribbeanpresscenter.com. Retrieved 2019-08-23.
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