A passenger died and more than 100 people were injured after a ship was hit by a 30ft wave.
The Spirit of Discovery which set sail on November 4, 2023 was battered by high winds, a report revealed.
It was travelling back to the UK along the Bay of Biscay when the stormy winds hit.
Eight people were rushed to hospital when the ship arrived at its destination in Portsmouth, Hampshire.
The Spirit of Discovery had its maiden voyage on July 10, 2019, after Queen Camilla christened it at the Port of Dover in Kent.
Passengers were reportedly terrified and were “holding on for dear life”.
Now, an interim report by the Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB) has revealed one of the passengers treated in hospital later died from their injuries.
Prior to the ship being whipped by winds, the Spirit of Discovery, operated by Saga Cruises, had to cancel a visit to Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Gran Canaria, as the weather worsened and was instead heading towards La Corona, Spain, when that port was closed because of the conditions.
The new report states that there were 943 passengers and 503 crew on board when the ship, which had sailed from Puerto del Rosario in Fuerteventura in the Canary Islands faced force 11 winds and a sea state rated 8 for very high.
The MAIB document says: “At about 1230 on 4 November 2023, the passenger vessel Spirit of Discovery lost propulsion in heavy weather while crossing the Bay of Biscay. This led to the vessel moving violently while the crew restarted the vessel’s propulsion.
“The propulsion issues, storm force conditions and vessel motions continued until the following morning when Spirit of Discovery was able to continue its passage.
“During this period over 100 passengers were injured. Eight of the seriously injured passengers were taken directly to hospital on arrival at Portsmouth, England, one of whom later died from their injuries.”
The report said the investigation considered all aspects of the accident to determine the causes and circumstances of the Spirit of Discovery’s loss of propulsion in extreme weather.
Findings of the investigation should soon be revealed, with the full report to be issued soon.
A spokeswoman for Saga said all guests on the trip had been offered a full refund and added: “Our thoughts and deepest sympathies remain with the family of our guest who died following the storm in the Bay of Biscay last year. We are continuing to work with the Marine Accident Investigation Branch, supporting their investigation.”
