Scientology Flagship Impounded in the Caribbean

The pride of the Scientology Sea Org, an ex-cruise ship called the Freewinds, may have made its last voyage. A report dated April 26, by Laprensa Curaçao reports (report in Papiamento) that the Maritime Inspection authorities of Curacao, Netherlands Antilles, have ordered the Freewinds sealed and isolated because of asbestos contamination.

My grasp of Papamiento is incredibly bad, but it appears that the asbestos was released into the ship's ventilation system when the crew of the Freewinds was doing some interior repairs at the ship's berth in Otrabanda, part of Curacao's capital Willemsted, before the ship went to drydock for hull repairs. The Freewinds was in drydock at the Curacao Drydock Company when rumors or reports of blue asbestos (crocidolite) in the air ducts prompted the repair firm to call in the local health department. Samples were taken and sent to the Netherlands for analysis. The results reportedly showed significant amounts of blue asbestos, so the health department took action to protect the workers at the docks and the public at large.

The presence of asbestos on board the Freewinds should not have surprised the Scientologists. When the Freewinds was being renovated 20 years ago the chief architect, Lawrence Woodcraft, told them that the ship had asbestos. In his deposition, Woodcraft states, "In short, asbestos was everywhere as was typical of a ship built in the sixties." He describes the indifference and the importing of a group of Scientologists to complete the repairs and then states, "It looked great, but behind the paneling, the asbestos was left hanging and flaking and falling apart. The ceiling panels were set in a metal grid system, which is a long way from being airtight. Every time a panel is removed for routine maintenance, asbestos dust is released into the rooms, cabins and corridors of the ship. "

Since then, thousands of Scientologists have spent weeks at a time on the Freewinds for advanced and expensive training. Tom Cruise had his big birthday bash aboard the Freewinds. Even innocent tourists may have been exposed to the asbestos. One blogger reports touring the Freewinds (which he calls Fair Winds) and watchnig Eragon in Bonaire.

Asbestos, and particularly blue asbestos, is one of the substances that can provoke mesothelioma, a serious and hard to treat lung cancer. This could lead to a class action lawsuit that financially drains Scientology ... personal injury lawyers all over the USA must be salivating at the chance to loot the Sea Org's booty.

An ex-scientologist had this to say on the forums of enturbulation.org , "While I'm celebrating that the Freewinds has been sealed and shut down and that DM is probably ready to slice his wrists, I also am pissed off and scared because my husband and I were on the Freewinds for a week and we were exposed to that shit. Any lawyers want to go after them, I'll be happy to sign up."