A cruise ship flooded and was nearly destroyed after running directly into a storm that ravaged the South Carolina coast this weekend.
Photos and videos posted online by concerned passengers aboard the Carnival Sunshine show flooded hallways, broken pipes and overturned doors as the ship prepared to dock in Charleston Friday evening.
Crew members were forced to be evacuated from their rooms, while several passengers complained that they had begun to feel sick during the ‘nightmare’ journey as they waited for word from the captain.
The perilous journey 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 and one passenger said, “You could smell people were sick as they walked the corridors.”
Videos posted online showed flooded hallways and broken pipes on the Carnival Sunshine
Parts of the Carnival cruise ship were destroyed by the storm off the coast of South Carolina
The Carnival Sunshine is now sailing on a five-day Bahamas cruise, returning to Charleston on Thursday
Those on board the ship described how conditions worsened from Friday to Saturday as crew members remained silent about what happened.
Daniel Taylor shared with DailyMail.com how much of the week’s journey went well, with stops in the Bahamas.
But around 4:30 p.m. on Friday, the journey took a turn for the worse as the ship approached choppy waters.
Just 15 minutes later, Taylor said, the captain made an announcement that due to adverse weather conditions, the Sunshine may arrive in Charleston later than planned.
“He said staff would do everything they could to minimize inconvenience,” Taylor said, noting that vomit bags were posted in all elevators shortly afterward.
By 7 p.m., he said, the ship had begun to hit large waves of water.
“I was going to a show at the front of the ship at the Liquid Lounge at the time,” Taylor said. “The sound of us crashing into the swell could be heard over the music that was playing.
“Stage lights on the ceiling started to vibrate, the disco ball started to swing, and the LED wall on the stage,” which he said was probably about 20 to 30 feet tall and wide, “started to roll side-to-side on its own.”
Around 8 p.m., staff began sealing and evacuating all public decks, and about an hour later, Taylor said he went to the buffet, where he saw plates and cups overturned.
He then returned to his room on the second floor of the ship, where he watched as a glass chalice fell from the counter and shattered.
During this time, Taylor said, the ship was still sailing at 11 knots per hour, but slowed to 5 knots per hour at 11:15 p.m. when the wind began to hit the ship at 80 mph.
At that point, he said, “the captain turned the ship northwest toward Charleston to head northeast right into 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 did not inform passengers on board what was going on when the rooms started to flood
The storm’s aftermath at one of the ship’s onboard shops can be seen here
A non-tropical low-pressure system slammed the ship with winds of 80 mph off the coast of South Carolina
Taylor also said he watched as the cabin across from his started leaking from the ceiling, saying there were no announcements from the crew.
At around 2 a.m., he said, staff turned the television screens into a standby announcement — wiping out the screen that displayed 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 going on – mainly because there was no weather or course update since 4:45pm the previous day.
“This was also around the time our internet went down, so we weren’t able to check the weather online or contact anyone,” he added.
“At this point we hit big swells again and again. They had to be somewhere between 10 and 20 feet.”
Meanwhile, he said, he saw crew members wearing life jackets.
It wasn’t until 7:30 a.m., Taylor said, that the cruise director went on the air and announced that they were out of Charleston port, but unable to dock as planned.
The ship finally arrived in port around 5:30 p.m. on 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 they spent “11 hours tossing, diving and rolling.”
Others described how the ship appeared to have been damaged during the treacherous journey.
On Twitter, Sharon Tutrone, a professor at Coastal Carolina University, said the captain sailed “straight into” the storm and they spent “11 hours pitching, diving and rolling.”
“We were surrounded by lightning and the ship was hit like a huge wave by a wave and sounded like it was splitting in two.”
She also said that the high winds had blown open two balcony doors, which had been banging against the rails all night.
And for RJ Whited and his new fiancée, the dangerous waters marked the conclusion of their first cruise together.
His fiancé, Tracy, had fallen ill at the start of the trip on May 21, and the two had to stay in their rooms for several days.
Tracy finally started to feel better, RJ said WCIVbut then the ship got stuck in the storm.
“It shook us so hard,” he said.
A recreation room on the ship was flooded as the billiard table was moved in the choppy water
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 on Thursday that a non-tropical low-pressure system off the southeast coast would bring heavy rainfall that could bring flash flooding, gusty winds and dangerous sailing conditions to the Carolinas.
“Coastal communities in the Southeast can expect strong and gusty winds, high waves and life-threatening wave currents for much of the weekend,” it said.
“Sailing conditions will also be quite treacherous with a gale warning from the Ocean Prediction Center/NWS Forecast Office in Charleston for the offshore waters of the Carolinas.”
In a statement to WCIV, a Carnival spokesperson said: ‘Carnival Sunshine’s return to Charleston on Saturday was impacted by weather and rough seas.
“The guests aboard the ship were safe. Our medical staff assisted a small number of guests and crew members who required minor assistance.
“The prolonged impact of weather on the Charleston area delayed the ship’s arrival on Sunday, and as a result, embarkation of the next voyage was also delayed.
“We appreciate the patience and understanding of all our guests.”
The Carnival Sunshine is now sailing on a five-day Bahamas cruise, returning to Charleston on Thursday.