Cruise Ship Catastrophes

Cruise Ship Catastrophes

This article relates to Do Not Become Alarmed

The disaster at the heart of Do Not Become Alarmed unfolds while the characters are on a shore excursion, but certainly some of the more notorious cruise ship disasters have taken place on the ships themselves. Some cruise ship voyages are truly tragic, such as the Costa Concordia ship that ran aground in the Mediterranean, killing thirty-two (and don't forget the Titanic!). Here are just a few other notable cruise ship catastrophes that may make you stick to dry land for your next vacation:

Norwegian Dawn: While en route to the Bahamas in 2005, this cruise ship was struck with a seven-story-high wave that broke windows, flooded more than sixty cabins, and injured several passengers.

Seabourn Spirits: In 2005, pirates off the coast of Somalia attacked this small cruise ship. Despite being fired at with machine guns and rocket-propelled grenades, none of the passengers were injured. Instead, the ship's quick-thinking crew generated a loud noise that caused the pirates to believe they were being fired at in return, so they fled the area.

The Carnival Triumph: In 2013, this Caribbean-bound cruise ship suffered an engine fire, which left its four thousand passengers without power, air conditioning, or a functioning septic system. Passengers resorted to eating Spam and other canned foods because all the other food on board spoiled.

Royal Caribbean Explorer of the Seas: In 2014, more than six hundred passengers and fifty workers on this ship were struck with norovirus, which included widespread vomiting and other gastrointestinal ailments. This ship holds the record for the most illness on board a single ship, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which tracks these statistics.

Left, top to bottom:

Explorer of the Seas, courtesy of www.royalcaribbeanblog.com

Norwegian Dawn

Pirates attacking Seaboard Spirits, courtesy of forum,woodenboat.com

Right: A Coast Guard helicopter delivers approximately 3,000 pounds of equipment, which included a generator and electrical cables, to the Carnival Triumph in the Gulf of Mexico, February 13, 2013.

Filed under People, Eras & Events

This "beyond the book article" relates to Do Not Become Alarmed. It originally ran in June 2017 and has been updated for the June 2018 paperback edition. Go to magazine.