Norwegian Joy Arrives in Sitka With Dead Fin Whale on Its Bow

Norwegian Joy pulled into Sitka's cruise terminal on September 17 with a dead fin whale pinned to the front of its hull.

The ship had been sailing from Hoonah when the whale was first spotted. Port officials held roughly 4,000 passengers on board for around three hours while crews from NOAA, the US Coast Guard, and the Alaska Marine Mammal Stranding Network assessed the situation from the dock.

Responders estimated the whale at 35 to 45 feet long. A juvenile male, most likely. The carcass slipped off the bow and sank in a cove about 40 feet from the terminal once it was safe to let the ship fully berth.

Norwegian Cruise Line said it was saddened by the incident and working with NOAA to support an investigation. A necropsy was being arranged to determine how the animal died.

The strike is at least the tenth documented cruise ship collision with a whale in Alaskan waters since 2001, according to NOAA. It is the second time this summer that a cruise ship arrived at an Alaskan port with a dead fin whale riding on its bow.