Viking Octantis - Full Throttle Salute for Duluth

Here is the cruise ship Viking Octantis making her departure from Duluth, Minnesota at 6:00pm on August 22, 2022. After arriving earlier in the day (which was covered in a previous upload on this channel), she spent approximately 12 hours at the inner anchorage area while her passengers enjoyed the many attractions offered by the Duluth area. This concluded the fifth of her seven scheduled visits to Duluth for 2022, and she was next scheduled to visit Bayfield, Wisconsin.

On her way out, the Viking Octantis blasted onlookers with a loud, multi-horn captain's salute consisting of one long and two short blasts. Duluth's Aerial Lift Bridge responded in kind, in a rare instance where she was out-blasted by a departing ship! The Octantis' departure makes for a sharp contrast to her serene arrival earlier in the day. While very few passengers could be seen when she came into the shipping canal that morning... no doubt because most were still in bed... many passengers had gathered on the bow for departure. They were there to wave goodbye to the city they just spent the day getting to know.

The 665-foot Viking Octantis was completed in December 2021 and entered service in January 2022. She will split her time between Antarctic voyages and Great Lakes voyages. She sails for Viking Cruises and is registered in Bergen, Norway. She has room for 378 passengers and 260 crew members. The Viking Octantis and her soon-to-be-completed sister the Viking Polaris are Polar Class 6 cruise ships, with a reinforced hulls capable of travel in icy waters. During her voyages, the Octantis will also undertake scientific research. She has an area called "The Laboratory" which contains lab space in coordination with NOAA - Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory, Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Norwegian Institute of Water Research (NIVA), Polar Citizen Science Collective, Norwegian Polar Institute, University of Cambridge, IUCN, Oceanites, and the Scott Polar Research Institute. The Viking Octantis is also partnered with the National Weather Service and is the first civilian ship sanctioned to launch weather balloons. The Octantis also carries two Cruise Sub 7-300 submarines named "John" and "George" in addition to a number zodiacs, kayaks, and two high speed special operation boats. As you can tell, this is no ordinary cruise ship!

If you would like to view a full tour of the Viking Octantis, this video gives you a deck-by-deck look of her features: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bRM-obMEk_A

If you'd like to see one of her submarines in action, here is another video you may enjoy: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cv38U2VUyIM

Видео Viking Octantis - Full Throttle Salute for Duluth канала 1 Long 2 Short