The Splendor's Tugboat

In the early hours of November 8, 2010 the 113,300 GRT Carnival Splendor suffered from a terrible fire in her after engine room that knocked out all power to the ship and left all 4,500 people onboard adrift at sea. She had to be slowly towed by tugboat to San Diego, California and finally arrived safely on November 11.

Yesterday I met a man from Wisconsin whose brother had been a passenger on that trip, along with his wife, mother-in-law and sister-in-law (which had to have been an ordeal in itself, he said). But then he asked me if I knew the name of the tug that came to the Splendor's rescue. After thinking for a moment, I had to confess that I did not. "The Chihuahua," he told me. "That's the name of the boat that towed them in. My brother told me that if it had been named the St. Bernard they'd have been home in a day!"