Ship of fools, Shit in pools...

The Freewinds is the exclusive training center for OT VIII (Operating Thetan Level 8), the highest level of Scientology and the last of the published OT levels. Initiates who have reached the highest levels must receive their training on the Freewinds, as the Church does not allow it to take place in any other location.

Besides the OT VIII training, the Freewinds is used for delivering lower-level classes and auditing services. It is also used as a recreational vessel for Scientologists, including celebrities such as Tom Cruise.

-Impact magazine no. 111, Oct 2005

Tom Cruise? How glamorous! I wish I could go.

"One day Steve and I went into one of the cabins and he took a hammer and removed a section of paint from the outer steel wall. Under the layer of paint I noticed a powdery blue fibrous substance approximately 1 1/2" thick between the paint and the steel wall. I told him I thought it was asbestos, which is a hazardous substance, and the fibers must not be allowed to go airborne. I went into the engine room, saw a section where ceiling panels had been removed, and saw a big chunk of blue asbestos
hanging down. I went to the Chief Engineer and said there is exposed asbestos in the engine room. He said that it was not asbestos.

"On board were the original plans from the shipyard. Even though the notations were in Finish, I saw the word asbestos over and over. The ship was divided vertically into fire compartments with steel walls that ran the full height of the ship. They were lined both sides with 2-3 inches of blue asbestos. The underside of every deck was lined in asbestos. The outside walls of the ship had been sprayed with asbestos. All the ceiling panels contained asbestos. Around this time Bitty Miscavige visited the ship. I went to her and took copies of the ships blueprints and showed her the full extent of asbestos on the ship. Steve Kisacky stated that L. Ron Hubbard doesn't state in policy that asbestos is dangerous; he only states that fiberglass is dangerous and therefore we are only removing the fiberglass. It was explained to me that the ship was being remodeled only according to the written policies and 'advices' of L. Ron Hubbard. Since Hubbard had been in the US Navy and had then founded the Sea Org and had run a fleet of ships, he knew everything about ships. If asbestos was dangerous, he would have written this somewhere. Also Hubbard knew everything about cancer. He had written that cancer was caused by the mind and specifically second dynamic aberration (problems with relationships). I was told that people only get sick if they go into 'agreement' with being sick. I was being a 'wog' (non-scientologist) worrying about a little thing like asbestos.

"The asbestos was scraped away to make room for new electrical wiring and new air-conditioning ducts. Holes were cut through the steel decks, sections of the vertical fire compartmental walls were removed to make way for relocating restaurants etc. etc. Asbestos was everywhere blowing around the ship like an insidious blue dust of death. It was piled up in the corridors, big chunks of it lie on the floor. When the re-fit company arrived, they saw the asbestos everywhere and had a fit. The re-fit company boss said it was dangerous and he couldn't expose his men to it.
An asbestos team was formed using Sea Org members (3 or 4). Wherever there was exposed asbestos they would rush to the location and spray it with water and or paint. The idea was that the asbestos shouldn't be dry and flaking and therefore releasing airborne contamination. This was an extremely poor handling and the ship refit contractors were very unhappy; they would even sleep in their cabins wearing masks.

"By the time the ship was finished, all the paneling was put back in place and the walls were painted and wallpapered, the floors were carpeted and new furniture was installed. It looked great, but behind the paneling, the asbestos was left hanging and flaking and falling apart. Every time a panel is removed for routine maintenance, asbestos dust is released into the rooms, cabins and corridors of the ship. This is continuing to this day."

-Lawrence Woodcraft (read an interview with him here).

OK, maybe I don't wish I could go...




...FLUNK.