Huge wave forces cruise ship to divert to S.C.

• Rough seas April 17: Huge waves damaged a cruise ship returning from the Bahamas, injuring some passengers and forcing the ship to divert to Charleston, S.C.

4 passengers hurt; ship was traveling from Bahamas to N.Y.

The Associated Press

Updated: 11:09 a.m. ET April 17, 2005

CHARLESTON, S.C. - A huge wave damaged a cruise ship returning from the Bahamas over the weekend, smashing windows, flooding more than 60 cabins and injuring four passengers.

The Norwegian Dawn was diverted from its route when the ship ran into rough weather on the way back to New York. The 965-foot-long vessel was docked in the Charleston harbor by late Saturday afternoon for repairs, officials said.

“The ship was hit by a freak wave that caused two windows to break in two different cabins,” Norwegian Cruise Line said in a statement. It said 62 cabins flooded and four passengers had cuts and bruises.

The ship’s hull was damaged but the vessel was not taking on water, said Keith Moore of the Coast Guard Group Charleston.

“All the passengers had donned personal flotation devices as a precaution,” Moore told The (Charleston) Post and Courier.

The cruise line said passengers whose cabins were flooded were being flown home from Charleston and the safety of the ship “was in no way compromised by this incident.”

The ship left New York last Sunday with 2,500 passengers aboard. It was expected to arrive in New York on Monday.

Source: The Associated Press.