Top 10 Cruise Ship Accidents

When the words cruise ship accident are slipped into conversation most people will think of the disastrous Titanic. Resulting in the death of more than 1,500 people the accident is known as the one of the deadliest maritime disasters in history.

While itd be easy to think that by now we have it all figured out, cruise ship accidents happen more frequently than some cruise lines would like to admit. The following is a selection of some of the worst cruise ship accidents in history.

SS Morro Castle Not long after the Titanic sank, the SS Morro Castle set sail to New York. The ship caught fire and due to the building material used and lack of firefighting equipment, the ship was burnt down leading to the death of more than 130 people.

Royal Pacific Cruise In 1992, Greek owned Royal Pacific sank after it collided with a fishing trawler; the trawler rammed into the cruise ship during low visibility.

Coast Concordia In one of the most recent cruise ship accidents, the Italian passenger liner hit a rock leading to a large gash in the hull. The ship took on water and began to sink with more than 4,000 people on board. By 2013 more than 30 people were confirmed dead and an investigation on the shortcomings of the crew and captain continue.

Club Royale In 1995 Club Royale sank after it succumbed to Hurricane Erin off the coast of Port Canaveral, Florida. No passengers were on board but three crew members did not survive the incident.

Oceonos Another Greek-owned vessel sank off the coast of South Africa in 1991. A storm led to rough sea conditions that caused the ship to roll from side to side eventually taking on water. Luckily no one was injured and all 571 passengers were rescued.

Pacific Sun This British owned cruise line was returning to New Zealand when it ran into a vicious storm that led to more than 40 injures after people were being flung about the ship.

Star Princess In 2006 an onboard fire was caused by a cigarette that was not put out. No casualties were reported but the ship suffered major damage.

Norwegian Dawn Headed back to New York (sensing a pattern yet?), this ship was hit by a freak 70 foot high wave causing the cabins to flood.

Louis Majesty This luxury cruise ship got hit by rogue waves that led to the death of two passengers and several others being injured. The waves were reportedly 8 feet high and led to smashed windows and flooded areas.

Carnival Triumph In 2013 this ship made headlines were a fire in the engine room led left the ship stranded at sea for several days with a loss of power. Although no injuries or casualties were reported, passengers did provide detail of the abhorrent conditions they suffered on board with no working toilets and minimal food and water.

While there are hundreds of cruises that are free from accidents and other incidents, if you can learn anything from these incidents its to reconsider traveling to New York on a cruise line.

Gordon & Partners – West Palm Beach personal injury attorneys .