Moment The Norwegian Cruise Line ship smashes an iceberg off Alaska’s Hubbard Glacier after being shrouded in fog – as it heads to Seattle for repairs
- A Norwegian Cruise Line ship was forced to turn back after colliding with an iceberg in Alaska
- The Norwegian Sun, which can accommodate a maximum of around 2,000 passengers, hit the iceberg on Saturday
- After the ship is inspected for damage, it must return to Seattle for repairs
This is the moment a cruise ship heading for an Alaskan glacier was forced to turn back after crashing into an iceberg in thick fog.
Incredible footage shows Norwegian Sun, a 2,000-passenger Norwegian Cruise Line ship, crashing directly into the Growler near Hubbard Glacier in Yakutat Bay.
Frightened passengers watched as the huge block of ice rattled the ship while many slept before it disappeared under the bow on Saturday.
The impact forced the boat to dock in Juneau, where experienced divers assessed the damage before recommending that it be taken back to Seattle for repairs.
A chronicle of the Norwegian Sun’s ill-fated voyage, culminating in the iceberg crashing and returning to Seattle for repairs
The Norwegian Sun, the ship that made contact with the iceberg, is shown here in Jacksonville, Florida in March
Jason Newman of Atlanta, Georgia was on the ship when the crash occurred. He claimed the fog cleared when they hit the iceberg.
“The ship was rocking badly,” Newman said KTOO. “You could feel the blow. And then wrote it down slightly.’
Newman said that after hitting the iceberg, the ship hobbled back to Juneau at a speed of 10 miles per hour.
Alicia Amador, another passenger on the ship, told the Juneau Empire that hitting the iceberg was a “scary experience.”
“The whole boat stalled from the impact,” she said, describing the iceberg as “the size of a semi-truck.”
Incredible footage shows Norwegian Sun, a 2,000-passenger Norwegian Cruise Line ship, crashing directly into the Growler near Hubbard Glacier in Yakutat Bay
Frightened passengers watched as the huge block of ice rattled the ship while many slept before it disappeared under the bow on Saturday
A growler is categorized as an iceberg less than two meters wide and less than a meter above the water.
The captain turned the ship towards Juneau, where it docked and experienced divers checked the boat’s condition.
They found it had been damaged by the iceberg and had to return to Seattle for the necessary repairs.
“On June 25, 2022, while en route to Hubbard Glacier in Alaska, Norwegian Sun was enveloped in dense fog, reducing visibility and causing the ship to encounter a hum,” said a spokesman for Norwegian Cruise Line opposite Cruise Hive.
Pictured in this file photo are cruise ships docked across the Gastineau Canal near downtown Juneau
They added that the ship was still “fully operational” and had returned to Juneau, Alaska, for “assessment.”
Petty Officer 1st Class Nate Littlejohn, a Coast Guard public affairs specialist, said the ship needed to return to Seattle to undergo repairs Juneau Empire.
Littlejohn said the ship reported the incident to the National Guard immediately after making contact with the iceberg. The ship reported no injuries, did not require search and rescue assistance and said the crash caused no pollution.
He added that there was “confidence” that the ship could return to Seattle safely and without further incident.
Passengers were told they would receive a refund.
