Credit River - World Discoverer Traditional Cache
res2100: This was a neat cache...time for a new placement.
Credit River - World Discoverer
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Size: 
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Credit River - Shipwreck Series
World Discoverer
April 30, 2000
There are many shipwrecks around the world. Some very famous and others not so. Each however has it’s own story to tell. As you travel along the Credit River doing this series of caches, we have highlighted a number of these shipwrecks. During low water levels on these parts of the Credit River, you need to be careful in a canoe or kayak so as you don’t wind up in your own shipwreck. Besides the many large rocks along the way, there are also some other obstacles such as dams which should be avoided. All of the geocaches in this series have been placed by tubing, inflatable boat or on foot by walking in the water along the Credit River. Whichever way you choose to search for these caches, use caution and common sense.
More information about this series can be found here: Credit River - Shipwreck Series
World Discoverer
The MS World Discoverer was a cruise ship designed for and built by Schichau Unterweser, Germany in 1974. During construction called BEWA Discoverer, the ship was completed in Bremerhaven, Germany.
The vessel was originally built as the BEWA Discoverer in 1974. The ship was sold to BEWA Cruises out of Denmark. In July 1976, the vessel was again sold to Adventure Cruises, Inc. and was renamed the World Discoverer. The ship also became a long-term charter to Society Expeditions. In 1976, the ship was registered in Singapore. In 1987, Society Expedition came under new ownership and was renamed Society Expedition Cruises, with offices in Seattle and Germany. The new owner of the ship was Discoverer Reederei who also has ownership of other vessels, such as MV Explorer. In 1990, she was registered in Liberia under the name World Discoverer. The vessel had a double hull construction, allowing for periodic voyages to the Antarctic polar regions to allow its passengers to observe ice floe movements and providing protection for minor impacts. In 1996, the ship was refurbished under the new name, World Discoverer. The ship carried a fleet of inflatable dinghies, allowing passengers to move closer to ice floes for observation.
During the period from November through February (Austral summer), the ship conducted cruises in the Southern Hemisphere and visited places like Antarctica, the Falkland Islands, Chile, Ushuaia, Argentina. Between March and May, the ship cruised the South Pacific Islands. It also cruised this area between the months of August and October. Between the months of June and August, the ship cruised around the Alaskan region and also the Russian border around the Bering Sea. The World Discoverer was classified as a Swedish/Finnish 1A Ice Class, allowing the ship to withstand minor floe impacts.[5] The World Discoverer also had a 8,000 miles (13,000 km) cruising range, allowing the ship travel the Northwest Passage. The ship was captained by Oliver Kruess, who had previously crewed as Chief Mate. Society Expeditions also hired a small team of experienced expedition leaders to answer tourist questions concerning the region, ice floes, their movements, and the ship's destinations. A small fleet of dinghies landed passengers on various shorelines for observation of local wildlife in the area. Each day comprised typically two to three shore expeditions, led by geologists, historians, naturalists, and marine biologists. The ship was equipped with an observation lounge, medical center with an active physician, library, sun deck with a small swimming pool, small fitness center, and a lecture hall.
On Sunday April 30, 2000, at 4 p.m. local time (0500 GMT), the ship struck a large uncharted rock or reef in the Sandfly Passage, Solomon Islands. Captain Oliver Kruess sent a distress signal, which was received in Honiara, the Solomon Islands' capital city. A passenger ferry was dispatched to the ship and all passengers were then transported to safety. The captain then brought the ship into Roderick Bay after the ship began to list 20 degrees and grounded it to avoid sinking. After underwater surveying of the ship, the World Discoverer was declared a "constructive loss". The ship has remained in Roderick Bay ever since. There were no reports of any oil, petroleum or other pollutant spills as a result of the impact.
Michael Lomax, president of Society Expeditions, congratulated the captain and their crew for their heroic and professional actions, saying that they performed in an "exemplary manner" during the crisis. The ship was scheduled to have its annual dry-dock inspection on May 11 when annual maintenance work would have been completed. Also planned were the addition of two additional suites on the boat deck and also the installation of a new fire protection system throughout the ship.
The World Discoverer still sits in Roderick Bay on Nggela Island with a 46° list. The closest salvage companies to attempt salvage of the ship, stationed in Australia, found the ship ransacked by the locals and other factions. The Solomon Islands were undergoing civil war; the ship was boarded by locals who took the equipment and other critical devices. Tidal activity damaged the ship even more. The ship has been sustaining surface rusting with many of the windows removed. The ship became a tourist attraction with the locals of the island, as well as other cruise lines that pass by the World Discoverer, including MV Princess II. The ship can still be seen on Google Maps.
In the aftermath of the wreck, Society Expedition refurbished an ice class vessel called the new World Discoverer, and it was launched in 2002, resuming cruises again. Society Expedition ceased operations in June 2004 after their new vessel was seized by creditors in Nome, Alaska. Two weeks later, Society Expedition filed chapter 7 liquidation bankruptcy in July 2004.
Additional Hints
(Decrypt)
(Pbagnvare 1) Obyg fvggvat ba gbc bs V-ornz bire pbapergr fhccbeg. 2aq ornz sebz qbja fgernz fvqr.
(Pbagnvare 2) Fvyire ovfba ghor (nobhg 3" k 1") fvggvat ba gbc bs gur V-ornz gung ehaf crecraqvphyne gb gur qverpgvba bs gur ebnq. Gurer vf n ebpx ba gbc bs vg gb ubyq vg va cynpr. Lbh pna'g frr vg sebz gur tebhaq ohg pna frr gur ebpx gung pbiref vg. Vg vf ba gur qbjafgernz fvqr bs gur guveq V-ornz gung ehaf cnenyyry gb gur ebnq sebz gur qbjafgernz fvqr bs gur oevqtr. Naq vg vf nobir gur pbapergr
fhccbeg gung vf ba gur AJ fvqr bs gur oevqtr.
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