A cruise ship flooded and passengers evacuated after it sailed directly into a storm lashing the South Carolina coast.
Passengers aboard the Carnival Sunshine posted videos showing flooded hallways, downed pipes and blown-out doors as the ship prepared to dock in Charleston on Saturday.
Crew members were forced to evacuate their quarters, while several passengers complained that they were beginning to feel unwell during the “nightmare” voyage as they waited for communication from the captain.
The perilous voyage came as the National Weather Service warned of “treacherous” sailing conditions as a low pressure system moved up the Atlantic coast.
Minor injuries were reported, with one passenger saying, “You could smell sick people walking the aisles.”
Videos posted online showed flooded corridors and downed pipes at the Carnival Sunshine.
Parts of the Carnival cruise ship were destroyed in the storm off the South Carolina coast.
The Carnival Sunshine is now sailing on a five-day cruise of the Bahamas, returning to Charleston on Thursday.
Those on board the ship described how conditions worsened overnight Friday and Saturday as crew members remained silent about what was happening.
Daniel Taylor shared with DailyMail.com how much of the week-long trip went well, with stops in the Bahamas.
But around 4:30 p.m. Friday, the trip took a turn for the worse as the ship approached rough water.
Just 15 minutes later, Taylor said, the captain announced that due to adverse weather conditions, the Sunshine might return to Charleston later than scheduled.
“He said the staff would do everything possible to minimize discomfort,” Taylor recounted, noting that vomit bags were placed in all elevators soon after.
At 7 p.m., he said, the ship began hitting large swells of water.
“I went to a show in the Liquid Lounge at the front of the ship at the time,” Taylor said. “The sound of us crashing into the waves could be heard over the music.
“The ceiling-mounted stage lights began to shake, the disco ball began to sway, and the LED wall on the stage,” which he said was probably 20 to 30 feet tall and wide, “started rolling one at a time.” side of the other”.
Around 8:00 p.m., staff began to lock down and evacuate all public areas of the deck, and about an hour later, Taylor said she went to the buffet, where she saw plates and glasses falling.
He then returned to his room on the second level of the nave, where he watched as a glass goblet fell off the counter and shattered.
Throughout this time, Taylor said, the ship was still traveling at 11 knots per hour, only slowing to 5 knots per hour at 11:15 p.m. when winds began battering the ship at 80 mph.
At that point, he said, the “captain changed the ship from sailing northwest toward Charleston to heading northeast and heading straight for the eye of the storm.”
Daniel Taylor, a passenger aboard the ship, described how the situation worsened Friday night into Saturday.
He said the crew failed to keep passengers on board informed of what was happening when the rooms began to flood.
Here the aftermath of the storm is seen in one of the shops aboard the ship.
A non-tropical low pressure system struck the ship with 80 mph winds off the coast of South Carolina.
Taylor also said she saw the cabin across from hers start to leak from the roof and said there were no announcements from the crew.
At about 2 a.m., he said, the staff switched the television screens to a standby announcement, thus blanking out the screen showing the direction the ship was traveling and how fast.
“We couldn’t see where we were going anymore, how fast we were going, what the wind speed was or anything,” Taylor said. We were blind to what was happening, especially without the weather or course update since 4:45pm the day before.
“This was also around the time the internet went down, so we couldn’t see the weather online or contact anyone,” he added.
‘At this point, we were hitting big waves over and over again. They had to be between 10 and 20 feet.’
Meanwhile, he said, he saw crew members wearing life jackets.
It wasn’t until 7:30 a.m., Taylor recounted, that the cruise director went on the air and made an announcement that they were out of the port of Charleston but could not dock as scheduled.
The ship finally arrived at port around 5:30 p.m. Saturday night, more than nine hours after it was scheduled to dock.
On Twitter, Sharon Tutrone, a professor at Coastal Carolina University, said the captain sailed “straight into” the storm and “spent 11 hours launching, diving and rolling.”
Others described how the ship appeared to have been damaged on the treacherous voyage.
On Twitter, Sharon Tutrone, a professor at Coastal Carolina University, said the captain sailed “straight into” the storm and “spent 11 hours launching, diving and rolling.”
“We were surrounded by lightning and the ship was hit big by a wave and it sounded like it was breaking in two.”
He also said strong winds blew open two balcony doors, which were banging against the rails all night.
And for RJ Whited and his new fiancée, dangerous waters capped off their first cruise together.
His fiancée, Tracy, fell ill at the start of the trip on May 21, and the two had to stay in his room for several days.
Tracy finally started to feel better, RJ told WCIV, but then the boat got stuck in the storm.
“He was shaking us so violently,” he said.
A recreation room on the ship was inundated with the billiards table moved in the rough waters.
The ship finally docked around 5:30 p.m. Saturday night, more than nine hours after it was scheduled to arrive.
The National Weather Service had warned Thursday that a non-tropical low-pressure system off the southeast coast would bring heavy rain that could cause flash flooding, gusty winds and dangerous sailing conditions in the Carolinas.
“Coastal communities in the southeast can expect strong and gusty winds, high waves in addition to life-threatening rip currents for much of the weekend,” he said.
“Sailing conditions will also be quite treacherous with a storm warning issued by the NWS Ocean Prediction Center/Forecast Office in Charleston for the waters off the coast of the Carolinas.”
In a statement to WCIV, a Carnival spokesperson said: “Carnival Sunshine’s return to Charleston was affected by weather and rough seas on Saturday.
The guests on board the ship were safe. Our medical staff assisted a small number of guests and crew members in need of minor assistance.
“Prolonged weather impact in the Charleston area delayed the ship’s arrival on Sunday and, as a result, boarding for the upcoming voyage was also delayed.
“We appreciate the patience and understanding of all our guests.”
The Carnival Sunshine is now sailing on a five-day cruise of the Bahamas, returning to Charleston on Thursday.
