carnival cruise ship in storm off south carolina

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Carnival cruise ship battered by waves in storm off Charleston

By Aliza Chasan

Updated on: May 29, 2023 / 4:16 PM EDT / CBS News

A storm off the coast of Charleston, South Carolina, battered a Carnival cruise ship for hours late Friday night before it docked, leaving passengers terrified.

Passengers aboard the Carnival Sunshine described shattered glass, water pouring into rooms and hallways, the ship pitching about and a lack of communication from cruise staff. Some passengers and crew members needed "minor assistance" from medical staff, a Carnival cruise spokesman told CBS News. "Guests on board the ship were safe," the spokesman added. 

Carnival Sunshine, which was headed from the Bahamas to South Carolina, arrived in Charleston behind schedule, according to the spokesman. Some crew cabins needed to be temporarily taken out of service because of water damage. The ship's next voyage, on which it has since embarked, was also delayed.

The National Hurricane Center on Friday warned of a non-tropical area of low pressure off Florida that was set to move northward and inland over the Carolinas during the weekend. Forecasters said there would be gusty winds, dangerous surf and rip current conditions along portions of the U.S.'s southeastern coast through Sunday.

Passenger Sharon Tutrone, a professor at Coastal Carolina University, tweeted Friday that the ship was rocking. She said that the only time passengers heard from the captain was in the afternoon, when he told them he had an experienced crew and would do everything he could to minimize discomfort as the ship encountered the storm. 

"They said it will get worse as we get closer to the storm," she tweeted. "@CarnivalCruise  is doing an EXCELLENT job!"

She tweeted again on Saturday afternoon, describing " 14 hours of high winds, rain and massive waves ." 

"We were surrounded by lightning and the ship took a huge hit by a wave and sounded like it split in two," Tutrone tweeted.

Several passengers, including Brenda Goodwin Sherbert, posted on social media about broken glass on the ship . They also wrote about water coming in through balcony doors.

"We had a 40 foot wave hit our side of the ship,.. we almost fell out the bed.. things were crashing all around us and the carpet on my side of the bed was soaked bc water came in thru our balcony door," Goodwin Sherbert wrote.

Passenger Reid Overcash, who was on the cruise with his wife, said televisions on the ship displayed a message during the storm: "Public address announcement please standby." 

He said it was when winds had reached between 70-90 mph and the ship was tilting left that he truly feared for his life.

"Myself being in emergency services and retired, I knew nobody was going to come and rescue us with winds over 40 knots," Overcash said.

The trip marked Overcash's seventh cruise. He said he's not going to let the frightening experience stop him from going on more cruises in the future. 

"It's just one of them unlucky experiences that occurs once in a while," he said.

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Aliza Chasan is a digital producer at 60 Minutes and CBSNews.com. She has previously written for outlets including PIX11 News, The New York Daily News, Inside Edition and DNAinfo. Aliza covers trending news, often focusing on crime and politics.

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Video shows carnival cruise ship in disarray after ‘horrific’ south carolina storm.

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Terrified passengers on a Carnival cruise were left vomiting after a torrential storm pounded the ship in South Carolina — flooding the vessel and ripping doors off their hinges.

The Carnival Sunshine was returning to Charleston following a week-long trip in the Bahamas when it got caught in wild weather and rough seas over the Memorial Day weekend.

Videos shared online by vacationers show flooded hallways littered with glass and other debris, doors ripped off their hinges and downed pipes laying soaked on the floor.

The ship’s crew members were forced to evacuate their flooded quarters, according to a video shared on Twitter that shows the area in disarray.

Throughout the storm, several passengers also complained they were starting to feel sick due to the boat’s rough movements.

One traveler described being able to “smell people being sick walking down the halls,” the Daily Mail Reported .

Cruise-goer RJ Whited, who was celebrating his engagement to fiancé Tracy on the Carnival Sunshine, told WCIV that the ship was shaking “so violently.”

Passengers also complained that they didn’t hear from the ship’s captain or any crew members for hours during the chaos.

“They left us blind,” passenger Daniel Taylor told the outlet. “Not reassuring us about what was going on, where we were headed to, what the plan was. They could have updated us and let us know something.”

Another passenger, Christa Seifert-Alicea, said they didn’t receive word from the captain or crew for more than 12 hours.

“What we endured is indescribable, not only to feel it yourself but to hear and see it set in on every single person around you from adult, child and the elderly is something I will never forget,” Seifer-Alicea said.

Water damage and broken glass were left in the hallways and rooms following the storm.

A Carnival spokesperson said only a “small number” of passengers and crew members required “minor assistance.”

“Carnival Sunshine’s return to Charleston was impacted by the weather and rough seas on Saturday. Guests on board the ship were safe. Our medical staff helped a small number of guests and crew members who needed minor assistance,” the cruise liner said in a statement to WCIV.

“The weather’s prolonged impact on the Charleston area delayed the ship’s arrival on Sunday and as a result, the next voyage’s embarkation was also delayed. We appreciate the patience and understanding of all our guests.”

The spokesperson added that the Carnival Sunshine is now sailing on a five-day Bahamas cruise and will return to Charleston on Thursday.

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Carnival passengers recount ‘nightmare’ cruise as storm floods ship

Videos showed the carnival sunshine cabins and hallways flooding and ceilings leaking.

Matthew Branham and his fiancée, Madison Davis, were lying by a Carnival Sunshine pool on Friday aboard a cruise returning to Charleston, S.C., from the Bahamas when an announcement came over the loudspeaker. The captain was expecting rougher weather that evening, but there was nothing to worry about. So Branham and Davis didn’t worry.

As the day went on, “We noticed it started getting cooler in the afternoon — much, much cooler,” said Branham, 25, of Castlewood, Va. “And then it was like a switch was flipped, and it literally turned into a nightmare.”

En route back to Charleston Friday night into Saturday, the Carnival Sunshine navigated into a strong storm system that battered the southeast over the holiday weekend. Videos emerged on social media showing cabins and hallways flooding, shop floors littered with destroyed merchandise and leaking ceilings . Passenger Brad Morrell snapped a photo of an automated instrument map reporting a 69 knot, or 79 mph, wind.

#CarnivalSunshine : Due to return to Charleston, South Carolina this Saturday, May 27, 2023, has been delayed due to severe weather. The ship is currently off the South Carolina coast and holding position, unable to return to the port because of high winds & rough seas. #cruise 🙏🏼 pic.twitter.com/2B6HlAn2yD — ∼Marietta (@MariettaDaviz) May 28, 2023

Carnival said in a statement that the weather was unexpectedly strong, causing conditions that were rougher than forecast, but that its fleet operations center team, which relies on outside meteorology resources for itinerary planning, “coordinated to keep the ship in its safest location.”

“Attempting to sail out of the large front could have been dangerous,” the statement continued. “The ship proceeded to the port as soon as the weather began to clear.”

Strong Southeast storm slams Carolinas

Carnival said the captain made “several announcements about the weather and the delay it caused in returning to Charleston, asking guests to use extra precaution while walking around the ship.” Additionally, “some of the worst weather occurred in the overnight hours when announcements are not typically made, but guests and crew were safe.”

The ship’s medical staff did help a “small number” of guests and crew members who needed minor assistance following the storm. Despite the significant damage and a delay in schedule, Carnival Sunshine embarked on its next five-day Bahama sailing on Saturday.

From their sea-view room, Branham and Davis watched as waves surged over their window and braced themselves as the 892-foot-long ship lurched in the storm.

“Waves were hitting the boat so hard that it was like an earthquake experience, jarring you like a really rough roller coaster — even in the middle floor,” Branham said.

They were told to stay in their cabins. Meanwhile, Branham said, TVs were falling off walls, and glassware was sliding off shelves and shattering on the floor. “You could not stand up in your room,” he said. “You could be thrown from the bed.”

They packed up their belongings when their floor started to flood and took shelter in a main lobby area.

“All of the employees were sprinting downstairs with life vests,” Branham said. “There were little kids besides us screaming and crying and throwing fits.”

Throughout the storm, Branham wondered why there weren’t more announcements from Carnival staff. Besides the warning of rougher seas earlier Friday and one Saturday morning after they’d weathered the storm, Branham said they weren’t given any official updates on their situation. When he asked workers what was going on, they told him not to worry.

⁦⁦ @CarnivalCruise ⁩ #carnivalsunshine still 75mph winds at 9:25am. Sitting and spinning in the Atlantic. pic.twitter.com/NITCO2l9Ss — FlyersCaptain™®© (@flyerscaptain) May 29, 2023

“But you see rooms flooded, and you can pick up a handful of sand and you’re kind of like, ‘What in the world? Why is nobody telling us anything?’” Branham said.

Jim Walker, a maritime lawyer and cruise industry legal expert, says his firm has been contacted by some Carnival Sunshine passengers who were injured during the storm, including a man who says he was struck by a door and broke his foot. Others have asked him about the potential for a class-action lawsuit.

While Walker said passengers should make their complaints known to Carnival, he doesn’t believe filing a lawsuit would be an efficient next step. Instead, impacted passengers can ask Carnival for a refund or a credit for another cruise, although there’s no guarantee the cruise line will grant such requests.

Pete Peterson, owner of Storybook Cruises , which is affiliated with Cruise Planners, said cruise ships keep a close eye on weather developments and will adjust their itinerary depending on the severity of the storm.

“Cruise lines monitor the weather all the time. They’re not going to put their passengers in harm’s way,” said Peterson, who has been a cruise adviser for more than 20 years and has sailed on nearly 60 cruises. “Obviously, some cruise lines are better at doing this than others.”

In 2016, Royal Caribbean’s Anthem of the Seas returned to port after cruising into a “bomb cyclone,” which damaged the ship amid winds gusting to 100 mph. The ship sailed into the remnants of Hurricane Hermine seven months later, causing additional problems.

To ensure the safety and comfort of its passengers, a cruise ship can alter its course and circumvent the rough weather system. In stormy conditions, the crew can deploy the stabilizers, which will prevent the ship from rolling and bucking.

“You don’t experience the up and down,” Peterson said. “It’s not as rough a ride.”

Both approaches can add to a cruise line’s expenditures, Peterson said. Stabilizers slow the vessel, thereby consuming more fuel. Sailing around the storm can take longer than the original route and disrupt the company’s cruise schedule, leading to delays or cancellations. The cruise line may have to reimburse passengers or provide them with future credits because of the inconvenience.

“When they do something like that, it’s going to cost them money,” Peterson said.

Craig Setzer , a meteorologist and hurricane preparedness specialist, said that even with the hurricane-like conditions and flooding, “I would never be in doubt of the vessel’s integrity,” he said. “Cruise ships are structurally very, very sound and can survive a lot. They’re really rugged.”

Matthew Cappucci contributed to this report.

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Living at sea: Travelers on a 9-month world cruise are going viral on social media. For some travelers, not even nine months was enough time on a ship; they sold cars, moved out of their homes and prepared to set sail for three years . That plan fell apart, but a 3.5-year version is waiting in the wings.

Passengers beware: It’s not all buffets and dance contests. Crime data reported by cruise lines show that the number of sex crimes has increased compared to previous years. And though man-overboard cases are rare, they are usually deadly .

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Cruise ship passengers left terrified after ship sails through rough seas on return to Charleston

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CHARLESTON, S.C. (AP) — A cruise ship that navigated rough seas off the South Carolina coast over the Memorial Day weekend has resumed sailing on its next cruise, Carnival Cruise Lines said Monday.

Terrified passengers on the Carnival Sunshine took to social media to post video of water pouring through a flooded hallway on a cabin level and pictures of on-board stores in shambles, with merchandise strewn about on the floor as large waves swelled on the sea.

Passenger Daniel Taylor said the crew “left us blind, not reassuring us what was going on, where we were heading to, what the plan was,” WCIV-TV reported .

“They could have updated us and let us know something,” he said.

The Carnival Sunshine’s return to Charleston, South Carolina, from the Bahamas on Saturday was delayed by prolonged bad weather and rough seas in the area, the Miami-based company said in a statement to The Associated Press on Monday. The vessel’s next cruise scheduled to leave Charleston this weekend was delayed, but is now sailing, the statement said.

No serious injuries were reported.

“We appreciate the patience and understanding of all our guests,” Carnival said.

Cruise ship Carnival Sunshine pounded by large waves during coastal storm near Charleston, South Carolina

Video shared on social media shows dark clouds covering the sky and large whitecaps raging in the surrounding waters of the atlantic ocean. cruise ship passengers reported water damage and broken glass, as well as high waves that battered the vessel..

Passengers aboard the cruise ship Carnival Sunshine were left distressed as large waves churned up by a powerful storm off the Southeast coast pounded the vessel, delaying its return from the Bahamas over the Memorial Day weekend.  

CHARLESTON, S.C. – Passengers aboard the cruise ship Carnival Sunshine were left distressed as large waves churned up by a powerful storm off the Southeast coast pounded the vessel, delaying its return from the Bahamas over the Memorial Day weekend .

Video shared on social media Sunday by Brad Morrell , filmed outside his room onboard the cruise ship that was returning to Charleston, South Carolina , shows dark clouds covering the sky and large whitecaps raging in the surrounding waters of the Atlantic Ocean.

Cruise ship passengers reported water damage and broken glass, as well as high waves that battered the vessel.

HOW TO WATCH FOX WEATHER

Video shared on social media Sunday by Brad Morrell, filmed outside his room onboard the cruise ship that was returning to Charleston, South Carolina, shows dark clouds covering the sky and large whitecaps raging in the surrounding waters of the Atlantic Ocean.

(Brad Morrell via Storyful / FOX Weather)

Carnival Cruise Line released a statement to FOX Weather on Monday morning to describe the incident, which was reported to occur Saturday:

"Carnival Sunshine’s return to Charleston was impacted by the weather and rough seas on Saturday. The weather’s prolonged impact on the Charleston area delayed the ship’s arrival on Sunday and as a result, the next voyage’s embarkation was also delayed. We appreciate the patience and understanding of all our guests.

"The weather and rough surf led to some crew cabins being temporarily taken out of service while we clean up water damage. All the public areas of the ship are open and in service and Carnival Sunshine is currently operating its next cruise, a five-day Bahamas sailing."

VACATION TURNS INTO NIGHTMARE FOR A SEATTLE MAN AFTER A ‘ROGUE WAVE’ PARALYZES HIM

The low-pressure system responsible for the harsh weather over the Memorial Day weekend was being monitored for tropical and subtropical development by the National Hurricane Center (NHC) last week, though it remained a non-tropical low throughout its duration.

Forecasters from the NHC had visited the Carnival Cruise Line headquarters in Miami two days before the ship got caught in the powerful storm.

The area of low pressure has now moved inland over North Carolina and will gradually weaken in the days ahead, but not before dampening more holiday beach plans in parts of the mid-Atlantic and generating dangerous rip currents along the East Coast.

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40-foot waves batter cruise ship, shattering glass, causing flooding, terrifying passengers: ‘Things were crashing all around us’

• Published: May. 30, 2023, 11:11 a.m.

A storm with 40-foot waves battered the Carnival Sunshine cruise ship on Friday, delaying its arrival in Charleston, South Carolina. Terrified passengers described glass shattering and water pouring into the ship. Here the ship is seen docked in Charleston in 2020 (AP Photo/Mic Smith, File) AP

• Robert Higgs, cleveland.com

CHARLESTON, S.C. -- A storm with 40-foot waves battered the cruise ship Carnival Sunshine late Friday night, breaking glass, causing water to pour into the ship and terrifying passengers.

The ship, en route from the Bahamas to Charleston, encountered the storm off the South Carolina coast.

“We had a 40-foot wave hit our side of the ship. We almost fell out the bed. Things were crashing all around us and the carpet on my side of the bed was soaked (because) water came in thru our balcony door,” passenger Goodwin Sherbert wrote on Facebook .

Passenger William B. Blackburn, aboard for his first cruise with his wife and other family members, told CNN they stayed in their cabin and prayed they would be OK.

“(We) discussed the fact that it would be very unlikely to survive in the water even with life jackets and doubted that lifeboats could even be launched in those conditions,” he said. “It was terrifying.”

Video posted to Twitter under the handle @CrewCenter showed water running up and down a hallway and said the crew on one deck had to be evacuated to another part of the ship.

At one point the ship was listing to the left, CBS News reported .

“The ship took a hit from a wave that sounded like the ship split in two,” passenger Sharon Tutrone, a professor at Coastal Carolina University, said in a Twitter post .

Some passengers complained to CNN and CBS News about a lack of communication from cruise staff as the ship was pitching about.

Tutrone said the only time passengers heard from the captain was on Friday when he told them he had an experienced crew and would do everything he could to minimize discomfort as the ship encountered the storm.

Some passengers and crew members needed “minor assistance” from medical staff, a Carnival cruise spokesperson told CBS News. “Guests on board the ship were safe,” the spokesperson added.

The ship’s docking in Charleston was delayed by the weather. Some repairs to crew quarters also delayed its departure over the weekend to return to the Bahamas.

The National Hurricane Center warned on Friday that a non-tropical area of low pressure off Florida was set to move northward and inland over the Carolinas during the weekend. Forecasters said there would be gusty winds, dangerous surf and rip current conditions along parts of the southeastern coast of the United States through Sunday.

Passenger Bill Hassler, who told CNN he was “surprised I’m still alive” after enduring the storm, criticized the cruise line for allowing the ship to sail into such extreme weather.

“Why would you sail into this storm with 80 mph-plus winds, I mean who does that?” Hassler said. “What were they thinking?”

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Terrifying video shows a storm flooding decks and hallways of a Carnival Sunshine cruise ship leaving passengers seasick

• Terrifying videos show a coastal storm flooded the Carnival Sunshine cruise ship over the weekend. 
• Passengers told WCIV about "horrific" conditions and not hearing updates from crew for over 12 hours.
• Carnival Cruise Line said the storm delayed the ship's arrival to Charleston. 

It's a cruise ship passenger's worst nightmare: Rough coastal storms hit the Carnival Sunshine cruise ship over the weekend, flooding some decks of the vessel and delaying its return to port. 

According to Fox Weather , a powerful storm off the southeastern coast of the US hit the Sunshine as it returned from a Memorial Day weekend trip to the Bahamas. The large waves, heavy rain, and strong winds rocked the ship, leaving some passengers sick and terrified.

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One video shared online showed heavy damage along some of the decks of the ship. Hallways were flooded and debris was strewn about everywhere. 

—Crew Center (@CrewCenter) May 28, 2023

One passenger posted a video of the interior of a cabin as the storm pounded the ship, adding that guests had been evacuated from one of the bars after over 30 liquor bottles fell off the bar and broke. 

—FlyersCaptain™®© (@flyerscaptain) May 29, 2023

Some Carnival Sunshine guests reported feeling sick during the storm, according to WCIV-TV . Others, including passengers Christa Seifert-alicea and Daniel Taylor, told WCIV-TV that they didn't receive communication or updates on the storm from the Sunshine's crew for over 12 hours. 

"What we endured is indescribable, not only to feel it yourself but to hear and see it set in on every single person around you from adult, child, and the elderly is something I will never forget," Seifert-alicea told WCIV-TV.

One video posted on Twitter showed the aftermath of the storm on Sunday morning.

Carnival Cruise Line told Insider in a statement that the ship's "return to Charleston was impacted by the weather and rough seas on Saturday."

"The weather's prolonged impact on the Charleston area delayed the ship's arrival and as a result, the next voyage's embarkation was also delayed. We appreciate the patience and understanding of all our guests. Carnival Sunshine is now sailing on its next cruise," the statement read. 

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Carnival cruise ship floods after its battered in storm off Charleston

The Carnival Sunshine cruise ship seen during stormy weather and rough seas on a trip from the Bahamas to Charleston. (Brad Morrell via Storyful)

CHARLESTON, S.C. — A storm off the coast of Charleston, South Carolina left passengers terrified after it caused flooding on a Carnival cruise ship, CBS reports.

>>> STREAM ACTION NEWS JAX LIVE <<<

Passengers aboard the Carnival Sunrise described water pouring into their rooms and hallways, shattered glass, the ship bouncing about and a lack of communication from cruise ship staff.

Some passengers and crew members needed “minor assistance” from medical staff, a Carnival cruise spokesman told CBS News.

“Guests on board the ship were safe,” the spokesman added.

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Carnival Sunshine, which was headed to Charleston from the Bahamas, arrived behind schedule, according to the spokesperson. The ship needed to suspend service in several of the crew cabins due to water damage, and the ship’s next voyage was also delayed. CBS News said it has since embarked.

The National Hurricane Center warned of a non-tropical area of low pressure off the Florida coast of Friday that was expected to head toward the Carolinas over the weekend. Meteorologists said that there would be gusty winds, dangerous surf and strong rip currents along portions of the U.S.’s southeastern coast through Sunday.

Read: Georgia man accused of putting victim in chokehold in pizza store parking lot

Cruise passenger Sharon Tutrone, a professor at Coastal Carolina University, tweeted Friday that the ship was rocking. She went on to say that the only time passengers heard from the captain was in the afternoon, when he told them the crew was experienced and would do everything they could to minimize discomfort.

“They said it will get worse as we get closer to the storm,” she tweeted. “@CarnivalCruise  is doing an EXCELLENT job!”

She tweeted again on Saturday afternoon, describing “14 hours of high winds, rain and massive waves.”

After 14 hours of high winds, rain and massive waves. The ship took a hit from a wave that sounded like the ship split in two. The @Carnival Sunshine is finally in Charleston. @Carnival maybe you should have a pilot onboard so we didn’t have to sit and drift for 6 hours waiting. — Sharon Tutrone (@SHARONTUTRONE) May 27, 2023

Read: AAA issues warning for teen drivers as 2023′s ‘100 Deadliest Days’ begin

Several other passengers, including Brenda Goodwin Sherbert, posted on social media about broken glass all over the ship and about water coming through their balcony doors.

Read: JSO: Carjacking suspect apprehended after short police chase in Hyde Park area

CBS News spoke with passenger Reid Overcash, who was on the cruise with his wife. He said that televisions on the ship displayed a message during the storm: “Public address announcement please standby.”

Overcash also told CBS News that when winds reached between 70 to 90 mph and the ship was tilting left, he truly feared for his life.

“Myself being in emergency services and retired, I knew nobody was going to come rescue us with winds over 40 knots,” he told CBS News.

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The trip was Overcash’s seventh cruise. He said he’s not going to let this experience stop him from going on future cruises.

“It’s just one of them unlucky experiences that occurs once in a while,” he told CBS News.

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Storm hits Carnival cruise ship off Charleston, water surges into rooms

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A storm off the coast of Charleston, South Carolina, battered a Carnival cruise ship for hours late Friday night before it docked, leaving passengers terrified.

Passengers aboard the Carnival Sunshine described shattered glass, water pouring into rooms and hallways, the ship pitching about and a lack of communication from cruise staff. Some passengers and crew members needed help from medical staff, a cruise spokesman told CBS News. 

Carnival Sunshine, which was headed from the Bahamas to South Carolina, arrived in Charleston behind schedule, according to the spokesman. Some crew cabins needed to be temporarily taken out of service because of water damage. The ship’s next voyage, on which it has since embarked, was also delayed.

The National Hurricane Center on Friday warned of a non-tropical area of low pressure off Florida that was set to move northward and inland over the Carolinas during the weekend. Forecasters said there would be gusty winds, dangerous surf and rip current conditions along portions of the U.S.’s southeastern coast through Sunday.

Brad Morrell via Storyful

Passenger Sharon Tutrone, a professor at Coastal Carolina University, tweeted Friday that the ship was rocking. She said that the only time passengers heard from the captain was in the afternoon, when he told them he had an experienced crew and would do everything he could to minimize discomfort as the ship encountered the storm. 

“They said it will get worse as we get closer to the storm,” she tweeted. “@CarnivalCruise  is doing an EXCELLENT job!”

She tweeted again on Saturday afternoon, describing “ 14 hours of high winds, rain and massive waves .” 

“We were surrounded by lightning and the ship took a huge hit by a wave and sounded like it split in two,” Tutrone tweeted.

Several passengers, including Brenda Goodwin Sherbert, posted on social media about broken glass on the ship . They also wrote about water coming in through balcony doors.

“We had a 40 foot wave hit our side of the ship,.. we almost fell out the bed.. things were crashing all around us and the carpet on my side of the bed was soaked bc water came in thru our balcony door,” Goodwin Sherbert wrote.

Passenger Reid Overcash, who was on the cruise with his wife, said televisions on the ship displayed a message during the storm: “Public address announcement please standby.” 

He said it was when winds had reached between 70-90 mph and the ship was tilting left that he truly feared for his life.

“Myself being in emergency services and retired, I knew nobody was going to come and rescue us with winds over 40 knots,” Overcash said.

The trip marked Overcash’s seventh cruise. He said he’s not going to let the frightening experience stop him from going on more cruises in the future. 

“It’s just one of them unlucky experiences that occurs once in a while,” he said.

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Watch: Videos Show Carnival Cruise Ship 'Destroyed' By Severe Storm, Water Entered The Boat

• Passengers of the cruise ship captured the storm in a video uploaded on social media
• Forecasters at the National Hurricane Center monitored the low-pressure area last week
• Twitter users said their "worst nightmare" would be riding the ship during the powerful storm

Passengers of the Carnival Sunshine cruise ship suffered severe distress as large waves created by a powerful storm off the Southeast coast of Charleston, South Carolina, battered the vessel and delayed its return from the Bahamas.

A video shared by passenger Brad Morrell Sunday showed thick dark clouds hovering the ship and large waves raging in the surrounding waters of the Atlantic Ocean, with some passengers and crews reporting water damage and broken glass inside the cruise ship, per FOX Weather .

@CarnivalCruise #carnivalsunshine The morning after the storm. 9:07am. pic.twitter.com/MbbgtP5yLc — FlyersCaptain™®© (@flyerscaptain) May 29, 2023

A clip of the aftermath was likewise uploaded on Twitter and went viral. The ravages of the powerful storm caused a flood inside the ship and structural damage.

"The crew from Deck 0-4 evacuated to the theater, and anywhere they could rest ... the crew bar destroyed," Crew Center wrote in the caption.

The aftermath aboard Carnival Sunshine after a severe storm. The crew from Deck 0-4 evacuated to the theater, and anywhere they could rest… the crew bar destroyed. pic.twitter.com/MqsDJYvrSG — Crew Center (@CrewCenter) May 28, 2023

"Carnival Sunshine's return to Charleston was impacted by the weather and rough seas on Saturday. The weather's prolonged impact on the Charleston area delayed the ship's arrival on Sunday, and as a result, the next voyage's embarkation was also delayed. We appreciate the patience and understanding of all our guests," Carnival Cruise Line told FOX Weather Monday morning.

The company also said that due to the rough surf and the weather, some crew cabins were temporarily taken out of service "while we clean up water damage. All the public areas of the ship are open and in service, and Carnival Sunshine is currently operating its next cruise, a five-day Bahamas sailing."

The inclement weather during the Memorial Day weekend was being monitored closely by the National Hurricane Center (NHC) last week, where they determined that the low-pressure system remained non-tropical low.

NHC Forecasters even visited the cruise ship's Miami headquarters two days before the vessel got caught in the storm. However, as the cruise ship started its journey to North Carolina, it morphed into a powerful storm.

Although the low-pressure area is expected to weaken as it moves inland over North Carolina, it could cause postponement of beach plans in parts of the mid-Atlantic and generate mid-to-high wave currents along the East Coast, per FOX Weather.

Meanwhile, Twitter users reacted to the "mad" high waves seen from a passenger's window in one of the videos shared online.

Footage from the Carnival sunshine cruise 😳🌊 Video credit: 📹 TT: k8lyns_m pic.twitter.com/fA7IxtqQhI — Wow Terrifying (@WowTerrifying) May 29, 2023

"I was on a cruise like that in 1981 on a small ship that only held 350 people. Everyone got sick except a handful of us. The next night, we were at the captain's table," one Twitter user shared.

Other users remarked that this could be their "worst nightmare."

© Copyright IBTimes 2024. All rights reserved.

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Carnival cruise ship battered by waves in storm off Charleston

A storm off the coast of Charleston, South Carolina, battered a Carnival cruise ship for hours late Friday night before it docked, leaving passengers terrified.

Passengers aboard the Carnival Sunshine described shattered glass, water pouring into rooms and hallways, the ship pitching about and a lack of communication from cruise staff. Some passengers and crew members needed "minor assistance" from medical staff, a Carnival cruise spokesman told CBS News. "Guests on board the ship were safe," the spokesman added.

Carnival Sunshine, which was headed from the Bahamas to South Carolina, arrived in Charleston behind schedule, according to the spokesman. Some crew cabins needed to be temporarily taken out of service because of water damage. The ship's next voyage, on which it has since embarked, was also delayed.

The National Hurricane Center on Friday warned of a non-tropical area of low pressure off Florida that was set to move northward and inland over the Carolinas during the weekend. Forecasters said there would be gusty winds, dangerous surf and rip current conditions along portions of the U.S.'s southeastern coast through Sunday.

Passenger Sharon Tutrone, a professor at Coastal Carolina University, tweeted Friday that the ship was rocking. She said that the only time passengers heard from the captain was in the afternoon, when he told them he had an experienced crew and would do everything he could to minimize discomfort as the ship encountered the storm.

"They said it will get worse as we get closer to the storm," she tweeted. "@CarnivalCruise  is doing an EXCELLENT job!"

She tweeted again on Saturday afternoon, describing " 14 hours of high winds, rain and massive waves ."

"We were surrounded by lightning and the ship took a huge hit by a wave and sounded like it split in two," Tutrone tweeted.

Several passengers, including Brenda Goodwin Sherbert, posted on social media about broken glass on the ship . They also wrote about water coming in through balcony doors.

"We had a 40 foot wave hit our side of the ship,.. we almost fell out the bed.. things were crashing all around us and the carpet on my side of the bed was soaked bc water came in thru our balcony door," Goodwin Sherbert wrote.

Passenger Reid Overcash, who was on the cruise with his wife, said televisions on the ship displayed a message during the storm: "Public address announcement please standby."

He said it was when winds had reached between 70-90 mph and the ship was tilting left that he truly feared for his life.

"Myself being in emergency services and retired, I knew nobody was going to come and rescue us with winds over 40 knots," Overcash said.

The trip marked Overcash's seventh cruise. He said he's not going to let the frightening experience stop him from going on more cruises in the future.

"It's just one of them unlucky experiences that occurs once in a while," he said.

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Cruise ship battered by storm off South Carolina

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Carnival Cruise ship catches fire after possible lightning strike

PORT CANAVERAL, Fla. – The Carnival Freedom ship caught fire Saturday near the Bahamas after passengers reported a lightning strike on the boat during a thunderstorm .

Carnival Cruise Line said the crew reported a fire on the port side of the ship's exhaust funnel around 3:15 p.m. Saturday. The ship was 20 miles off Eleuthera Island in the Bahamas, sailing to Freeport after being unable to dock at Princess Cay due to weather conditions. 

"Our onboard team acted quickly to contain and put out the fire," Carnival Cruise Line said. "While we continue to investigate multiple eyewitness reports of a lightning strike, our technical team completed a thorough assessment during the ship’s visit to Freeport on Sunday."

LIGHTNING FATALITIES WERE SECOND LOWEST ON RECORD IN 2023, SAFETY COUNCIL SAYS

Around the time of the fire, radar showed a storm cell over the area and a lot of lightning activity.

Multiple passenger videos show flames and dark smoke billowing from the exhaust funnel as rain continues to pour onto the deck.

Passenger Heath Barnes said the ship was supposed to dock at Princess Cay on Saturday about 9 a.m., but passengers were told that the boat would continue to Freeport due to strong winds . 

During the afternoon, the rain returned, and passengers reported hearing loud thunder and then seeing the smoke. Soon after, guests were told to remain in their cabins.

"Why is our tail on fire?" someone can be heard saying in the video recorded by Barnes. "That's not good, y'all."

On Monday, Carnival Freedom returned to Port Canaveral , where guests disembarked.

The cruise line said damage to the ship is "more than we first thought" and will require immediate repair to stabilize the funnel. Cruises scheduled to depart from Port Canaveral on March 25th and March 29th have been canceled. All guests on the canceled trips will receive a full refund and a 100% future cruise credit.

FOX Business reported that the same cruise ship caught on fire in 2022 after being struck by lightning. 

Another video recorded on Saturday by X user @breezebreeze showed the fire on the ship.

"Carnival Freedom on fire AGAIN!!" they wrote on X.

Original article source: Carnival Cruise ship catches fire after possible lightning strike