The captain of the New Orleans cruise ship that capsized in the Mississippi River on Friday heroically refused to leave the boat until he made sure all passengers were accounted for, despite having been injured himself.
New Orleans Mayor Helena Moreno said Saturday that Captain Leonard Stewart stayed on board until he knew where the 191 passengers and crew on the boat were.
The American Heritage, operated by American Cruise Lines, was docked on the river in New Orleans, Louisiana, on Friday when it was hit by the 520-foot long Atlantic Asphalt around 12.30pm.
Stewart was the last person to leave the boat, initially refusing medical attention as about 100 people ended up in the river.
American Cruise Lines said Saturday morning on X that Stewart had ‘remained on the bridge as the vessel capsized, calling for aid and keeping the ship alongside the dock for as long as possible.’
The cruise line said Stewart and the ship crew’s ‘fast actions’ had allowed for the vessel to be quickly evacuated after being hit by the tanker.
All of the passengers and crew on board survived, which Moreno said was ‘truly a miracle on the Mississippi’ on Friday.
As of Saturday, eight people remain hospitalized, including two in serious condition. Officials said yesterday that 32 people had been taken to hospitals.
Leonard Stewart, the captain of the American Heritage cruise ship that capsized in the Mississippi River after being hit by a tanker, was praised for his heroic conduct after the crash
New Orleans Mayor Helena Moreno said Friday that 32 passengers were taken to hospitals. Only eight people remained hospitalized as of Saturday
In this picture, people can be seen being helped out of the water following the crash that led to the ship capsizing
‘There had to be some kind of divine, godly intervention for this outcome,’ Moreno said.
The crash remains under investigation, with the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) now on the ground.
Investigators are looking at a possible steering issue involving the tanker. Meanwhile, removing the boat from the Mississippi is estimated to take weeks still.
Coast Guard Captain Melanie Burnham said Saturday that she did not have ‘any indication that this is terrorism-related in any way, shape or form.’
Burnham said the cruise ship had roughly 16,000 gallons of fuel and that authorities were ‘working on a good plan to be able to remove that safely.’
The American Heritage was finishing an eight-day cruise when the collision happened.
New Orleans Harbor Police Chief Melanie Montroll said emergency services removed 87 people from the boat as it remained afloat.
It took roughly 30 to 45 minutes to ensure everyone else was safely out of the river. Montroll added that life vests had likely saved a number of lives after the crash.
‘Whether it’s 10 feet of water or 200 feet, having those vests, having that population put those vests on and kind of float upriver while we retrieve them, I think was the best factor of success,’ she said.
Brian Clesi, the captain of a separate boat, said he and his crew motored a small rescue boat roughly a quarter-mile to help rescue passengers after the American Heritage capsized.
‘We rescued about nine people,’ Clesi, who has worked with the Creole Queen paddle-wheeler for 32 years, told WDSU. ‘Only two of the people had life jackets on.’
Passengers could be seen swimming back to shore in life vests, while others scrambled over the side of the ship after the crash
Brian Clesi, the captain of the Creole Queen paddle-wheeler, said he andhis crew motored a small rescue boat about a quarter-mile to help rescue passengers from the river
New Orleans Mayor Helena Moreno said Friday that 32 passengers were taken to hospitals. Only eight people remained hospitalized as of Saturday
Stunning images from the crash emerged showing passengers aboard the cruise line holding on to railings for their lives as the ship started to capsize in the Mississippi River.
Another video showed the cruise ship, which is five stories tall, being pulled into the water as the tanker scraped past it.
Police officers were seen running along the dock as terrified passengers screamed out in the aftermath of the collision.
More footage showed passengers, some in their life vests, swimming back to the dock after being thrown into the water. The water was 66 degrees Fahrenheit at the time.
As they swam, others could be seen standing upright on what was once the starboard of the ship as they too attempted to make their way back to shore.
Moreno said yesterday that two of the people being treated at hospitals were New Orleans Harbor Police officers who dove into the water to rescue passengers.
More than 50 passengers have been put up at the Hilton Riverside hotel downtown after the crash, NOLA.com reported.
The NTSB will spend a week investigating the incident in New Orleans. A preliminary report is expected to follow within 24 to 30 days
The tanker caused at least $1 million in damage to the terminal, according to a lawsuit filed by the Board of Commissioners of the Port of New Orleans
Jennifer Avegno, the city’s health director, said that the ‘vast majority’ of travelers’ belongings were now ‘in the river.’
As a result, officials are working to fill prescriptions for required medications or replace now-missing keys.
One of the passengers on the ship, Joe Knab, described the experience as ‘a little scary there at the time.’
‘I thought I was drowning because I kept bobbing underneath,’ he told WDSU. ‘And the water doesn’t taste very good.’
Knab said the tanker honked multiple times as it approached the cruise ship, estimating that he was in the water for about 15 minutes after the capsizing.
A witness to the crash, Jamie Holford, told the outlet: ‘Surreal, that’s what that was. Fifteen minutes from impact to where it rolled over.’
The Board of Commissioners of the Port of New Orleans filed a lawsuit hours after the crash saying that the tanker caused at least $1 million in damage to the terminal.
The city’s port sued to ensure federal investigators can seize the vessel that is owned by a subsidiary of a Chinese company.
A 16-member team from the NTSB is set to spend one week in New Orleans investigating what happened, with the agency expected to release a preliminary report within 24 to 30 days and a final investigation report expected in 18 to 24 months.
