Norwegian Wind

A ship's size is given in gross tons. Most cruise ships range from small ones weighing 16,000 tons to huge ships weighing 149,000 tons. The Norwegian Wind is a medium size ship weighing around 49,000 tons. It's length is 754 feet or about 2 1/2 football fields. It is around the width of a football field. It stands above the water around the same as a 12 story building.

	I had the opportunity to visit with the Captain (Master) of the Norwegian Wind Captain Tor Dyrdal. Captain Dyrdal is from Bergen, Norway and now lives near Miami, Florida, USA. He began his career on the sea at age 16. He has had a love of the sea and sailing all his life. Here are some scenes around the ship.,
Sports Bar	Deck Areas	Pool
Pool	These are called public areas because they are where passengers can enjoy the ship.	Pool area
Public Area & Coffee Bar	Shops	Internet
Reception Area
The Reception Area is a center for the passengers getting information. Here they can sign up for tours on shore, handle money matters, get information, and make comments to the ship's staff. Vantage also had a desk here for those who were part of the Vantage tour.		Vantage Desk
Drango: "Captain Dyrdal, tell me about the Norwegian Wind."
	Captain Dyrdal: "Well Drango, it is a large cruise ship, not the largest, but large, and she can carry 2,000 passengers. We have over 600 crew on-board. She was built is 1993 and named the Windward. In 1998 she was lengthened by inserting a 130 foot section. She was then renamed the Norwegian Wind."
Drango: "Captain Dyrdal, tell me about how you got to be the Captain of the Norwegian Wind." Captain Dyrdal: "Well Drango, it took many years. I started on a small cargo ship. Then when I got older I went to school. Then I became an officer. Later I became a Captain. I was in school for many years before I got my License.
Drango: "What did you study in school?" Captain Dyrdal: "There are many subjects including math, navigation, wind, ocean, safety. I had to study many things because when you are on the ocean you are all alone. You have to be able to do everything yourself. So you have to know all about your ship."
Picture of Bow Thrusters	Drango: "I noticed water churning by the bow (front) of the ship. Are there propellers there?" Captain Dyrdal: Yes. We call them bow thrusters. They are in tunnels in the bow of the ship. They can move the bow sideways." Drango: "Do they replace tugboats?"
Captain Dyrdal: "Yes they do. They allow us to move sideways when we are docking. Some ships have them at both ends. The Norwegian Wind only has them at the bow."
Drango: "I heard about stabilizers. What are they?" Captain Dyrdal: "They are like little wings Drango. They stick out from the hull and are controlled by gyros to move as needed to help control the rocking of the ship. They are like ailerons on airplane wings. When they are not needed they can be folded in to the hull."
Picture of extended stabilizer	Drango: "Is the ship propelled by a propeller?" Captain Dyrdal: "We have two, each 16 feet in diameter. We have two diesel engines with a total of over 25,000 horsepower. Drango: "That must take a lot of fuel!"
Captain Dyrdal: "Yes it does Drango. We carry just under half a million gallons of fuel oil. We use around a thousand gallons per hour. The bow thrusters are run by electricity. Each is over 1,300 horsepower. Our average speed is 21 knots. A knot is the way we measure distance at sea and in the air. A knot or nautical mile is a little longer that a mile. So 21 knots is the same as 23 mile per hour. Our fastest speed is 21 knots."		Picture of propellers
Drango: "You must generate your own electricity." Captain Dyrdal: "Yes we do." Drango: "How much fresh water for drinking do you carry?" Captain Dyrdal: "We carry 1,770 tons and use an average of 720 tons per day." Drango: "That's just a little over two days of water. What happens after two days?" Captain Dyrdal: "That's a good question Drango. We also make our own fresh water. Our equipment can make around 750 tons per day. So you see we won't get thirsty.
Satellite Navigation Instruments		Drango: "How do you know where you are on the ocean?" Captain Dyrdal: "We use satellites for navigation. This allows us to know exactly where we are at
any time. We also train to use the stars just in case something happens to the satellite navigation system. We also have radar, LORAN, magnetic compass, radio direction finder, gyro compass, charts, precision clocks, echo sounders, and other things to make sure we know exactly where we are at any time. Drango: "What if you have an emergency? Do you have enough lifeboats?" Captain Dyrdal: "That's very important. We don't expect anything to happen but just in case we carry regular life boats for 2,100 persons and Zodiac (inflatable) Lifeboats for 1,400 persons. Drango: "Do you have anchors?" Captain Dyrdal: "Yes, we have two at the bow. Each one weighs almost 9 tons. There is one at the stern that weighs over 4 tons."
Drango: "This is the Bridge of the ship. Is it like the cockpit of an airplane?" Captain Dyrdal: "Yes it is Drango. It is much bigger though. We always have to have somebody here watching out."
View from the Bridge	Drango: "Thank you very much Captain." Captain Dyrdal: "You're welcome Drango. You are always welcome to visit me here on the bridge. Enjoy your cruise."