When a massive storm hit the Saga cruise ship Spirit of Discovery on its return journey to the UK, passengers onboard faced terrifying instructions to brace for impact.
The intense storm led to over 100 injuries and the tragic death of one passenger, as confirmed by a new report.
The Spirit of Discovery, traveling through the Bay of Biscay on November 4, 2023, was hit by a towering 30-foot wave and gale-force winds.
The sudden force threw passengers as the ship made an emergency stop, causing a scene of chaos: shattered glass covered the decks, and books, tables, and furniture lay strewn across the floor. Many passengers were confined to their cabins, where some wrote last messages to loved ones, fearing for their lives.
Once the ship docked in Portsmouth, eight injured passengers were urgently taken to the hospital, but one later succumbed to their injuries.
Speaking about the harrowing experience, passengers recalled the chilling instructions to “remain seated or lie down,” gripping onto anything as they “held on for dear life” when the storm struck.
Many said they could hear the captain’s voice sounding “physically scared” over the intercom as he updated passengers, and panic spread through the cabins.
Richard Reynolds, whose wife and elderly parents were onboard, described to ITV the terror inside the ship as people “screamed for their lives” while powerful waves slammed against the window.
Another passenger, Carol Lake, told The Independent she thought she “wasn’t going to make it.”
She recalled thinking: “I have had a good life and thought, ‘This is it then’ as I could hear others in alarm around me – and so I turned the television on and watched Strictly. It was like a horror movie outside with the waves going up so high.”
Before facing the brutal winds, the Spirit of Discovery, operated by Saga Cruises, had already rerouted from its planned stop at Las Palmas de Gran Canaria as the weather worsened, heading toward La Coruña, Spain, only to find that port closed due to dangerous conditions.
According to the report, there were 943 passengers and 503 crew members on board when the ship encountered force-11 winds and very high sea states of level 8.
A Saga spokesperson expressed sympathy, saying all passengers 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.”
