Career
Name:	Explorer of the Seas
Owner:	Royal Caribbean International
Port of registry:	Bahamas, Nassau
Builder:	Kværner Masa-Yards Turku, Finland
Yard number:	1345
Laid down:	01 Aug 1999
Completed:	28 September 2000
Identification:	Call sign: C6SE4 DNV ID: 19903 IMO number: 9161728 MMSI no.: 311316000
Status:	In Active Service as of 2012
Notes:	[1][2]
General characteristics
Class and type:	DNV: 1A1 Passenger Ship RP LCS-SID BIS
Tonnage:	137,308 GT 105,034 NT 10.937 DWT
Length:	311 m (1,020 ft)
Beam:	38 m (125 ft)
Draught:	8.3 m (27 ft)
Depth:	11.7 m (38 ft)
Decks:	15
Deck clearance:	3,400 m (11,200 ft)
Propulsion:	Three propellers
Speed:	23.7 kn
Capacity:	3,114 passengers
Crew:	1,180
Notes:	[1][2][3][4]

Explorer of the Seas is one of five Voyager-class cruise ships from Royal Caribbean International. She can accommodate over 3,100 guests, including scientists making use of a built-in atmospheric and oceanographic laboratory operated by the University of Miami's Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science.

Voyager-class ships are some of the largest passenger ships in the world, after Cunard's RMS Queen Mary 2, Norwegian Cruise Line's Norwegian Epic, Royal Caribbean's own Freedom-class and Oasis-class.

Accidents and incidents

Rescue of Tumbleweed

On February 16, 2008, while on-route from Bayonne, New Jersey, for a nine day cruise to the Caribbean the bridge crew heard a faint mayday over the radio. This turned out to be the crew from Tumbleweed, a 39 foot sailboat,^[5] who had a planned sail from Baltimore to the Florida Keys. The crew apparently had a mechanical breakdown of both engine and sails. They drifted for 11 days to the location N32.35 W 72.49–roughly 275 miles southeast of North Carolina. The crew of Explorer of the Seas located the craft and rescued the three men aboard. The rescued men departed the ship in Puerto Rico on February 21, 2008.^[5]

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  Balcony of the ship's only Royal Suite

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  Explorer of the Seas Port side viewed from the ship's stern

References

External links

• Explorer of the Seas official website
• RSMAS/RCCL - University of Miami's Ocean Labs on Explorer of the Seas
• Voyager-Class.com - the largest online resource for information & pictures of the Voyager-class ships
• Research website for the onboard laboratory
• June 2004 article about the ship and lab from CNN
• Article about the Norovirus outbreak from CBS 4 Miami
• Miramar Ship Index - Explorer of the Seas

v t e Royal Caribbean International fleet Sovereign class Monarch of the Seas Majesty of the Seas Vision class Legend of the Seas Splendour of the Seas Grandeur of the Seas Rhapsody of the Seas Enchantment of the Seas Vision of the Seas Voyager class Voyager of the Seas Explorer of the Seas Adventure of the Seas Navigator of the Seas Mariner of the Seas Radiance class Radiance of the Seas Brilliance of the Seas Serenade of the Seas Jewel of the Seas Freedom class Freedom of the Seas Liberty of the Seas Independence of the Seas Oasis class Oasis of the Seas Allure of the Seas Former ships Song of Norway Nordic Prince Sun Viking Song of America Viking Serenade Empress of the Seas Sovereign of the Seas