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    14 views8 pages

    Abandon Ship Run by Guitarist

    Uploaded by

    Vale MArtel

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF or read online from Scribd
    Flag for inappropriate content
    of 8
    The guitarist who saved hundreds of people on a sinking cruise liner By Sarah McDermott BBC Published @12 hours ago Image caption, Having worked as an entertainer onboard cruise liners for many years, guitarist Moss went onto Become a cruise director ‘When the luxury liner Oceanos started taking on water in rough seas during a voyage around the coast of South Africa in 1991, musician Moss Hills and his colleagues suddenly found themselves responsible for everyone on board. Tt was during dinner that Moss Hills began to realise just how severe the storm was. The ship's waiters, normally completely adept at carrying drinks and food without spilling anything, were struggling. Moss, a guitarist from Zimbabwe working on board the cruise liner alongside his wife Tracy, a bass player, had never seen the waiters dropping trays before. Earlier that day, gale-force winds and heavy rains had delayed sailing for the final leg of the cruise towards Durban several times. But with no sign of conditions improving, the captain eventually decided to lift anchor and the Oceanos, with 581 guests and crew on board, sailed off into 40-knot winds and 9m-high (30ft) waves. Moss and Tracy, both in their 30s, would usually host parties up on the pool deck as the ship sailed away from port. But that day the party had been moved indoors, and Moss braced his body while he played his guitar, trying to keep his balance as the ship pitched and rolled. "The storm just got worse and worse," Moss says. At dinner, Tracy - who her husband describes as unflappable - decided to go to their cabin to organise an emergency bag, just in case "Off she went," Moss says, "and suddenly - boom - all the lights went out." Image caption Tracy and Mass worked on crate ships together for many years ‘When none of the ship's officers appeared to issue instructions, Moss, who was not easily frightened, began to feel uneasy. "You're on a ship in the middle of the ocean, in the dark of night, in a terrible storm,” he says, "I felt this tightening in my stomach,” When small, dim emergency lights came on, Moss went up to the lounge to check on the musical instruments on stage. Microphone and cymbal stands were strewn about. Then he suddenly realised he couldn't hear the constant, throbbing, background noise of the engines. The ship had lost power and was slowing down, Soon the 153m (502ft) Oceanos was drifting sideways onto the crashing waves. The ship, says Moss, was getting hammered. Anxious guests began pouring into the lounge. Pot plants, ashtrays, and chairs were sliding around, and people had to move from their seats to sit on the floor as the ship lurched wildly from one side to the other, port to starboard, About an hour passed, and the mood in the lounge grew tense, Moss grabbed an acoustic guitar and began singing with some of the other entertainers to try to keep people calm. But as time stretched ‘on, Moss noticed that the ship was heeling - no longer coming back to a level position when it was being thrown about in the storm. "Something bad is happening,” Moss said to Tracy, "I'm going to try and find out what's going on." Hear Moss tell his story in a new series of Life Changing on 6 April 2022 at 0900 on BBC Radio 4 - or listen to the podcast. More from Life Changing: Hanging on to the handrails, Moss and another entertainer, Julian, a magician from Yorkshire, ‘made their way through the darkness below deck. They could hear excited voices speaking many

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