Man who went into water after New Orleans cruise ship collision speaks out

'Kept bobbing underneath': Man who went into water after New Orleans cruise ship collision speaks out Updated: 11:29 AM CST Nov 14, 2026 Editorial Standards ⓘ Aubry Killion Anchor/Investigator 'Kept bobbing underneath': Man who went into water after New Orleans cruise ship collision speaks out Updated: 11:29 AM CST Nov 14, 2026 Editorial Standards ⓘ Aubry Killion Anchor/Investigator A Kansas man who spent 15 to 20 minutes in the water after a tanker crashed into a cruise ship in New Orleans on Friday is speaking out.

The Details

Joe Knab, a Navy veteran from Wichita, Kansas, said he feared he might drown as he bobbed up and down in the water.

"I think that’s pretty much a miracle," Knab said of everyone getting out. Officials there have called it "a miracle on the Mississippi."

He spoke with Hearst Television sister station WDSU about the miracle moment.

"You got dirt still on your jeans. You were on the boat," WDSU Anchor Killion described as he spoke to Knab during his interview.

"OK, well, when the big trader come down there and start blowing the horn. So we knew there was something wrong," Knab said. "And they come alongside and hit us real hard, and it's jammed us up against the pier. And the motor started leaning to the starboard side right off the bat."

Once the boat began to capsize, Knab said that Port Authority crews and "regular old people with boats" helped get passengers out of the water and to safety.

He was taken to a hotel nearby.

"Got a free shirt out of that deal," he quipped. "All my undershirts are at the bottom of the river, so whatever."

Watch the video above to see the full interview.

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