Dead whale found on bow of cruise ship entering Alaska port
ANCHORAGE, Alaska — A cruise ship reached an Alaska port with a surprise on its bow: the carcass of a humpback whale.
The Grand Princess, a 949-foot (290-meter) ship in the Princess Cruises fleet, on Wednesday morning pulled into Ketchikan with the marine mammal lodged on its submerged, bulbous bow, a device designed to avoid wave-making.
Princess spokesman Brian O’Connor said the company was surprised and saddened to discover the whale.
“It is unknown how or when this happened as the ship felt no impact,” he said in a statement. “It is also unknown, at this time, whether the whale was alive or already deceased before becoming lodged on the bow.”