WASHINGTON, April 17 (AFP) – A freak wave towering areported 21 meters (70 feet) struck a luxury cruise ship inthe mid-Atlantic, forcing the 2,200-passenger capacity shipto port for repairs in South Carolina over the weekend.The 965 foot Norwegian Dawn was sailing for NewYork from Miami and the Bahamas when the wave struck lateFriday, smashing two windows and flooding 62 cabins, saidNorwegian Cruise Lines, the ship’s owner. Four passengerswere injured with cuts and bruises. The New York Daily Newsreported that the wave was almost 70 feet high. “The safetyand integrity of the ship was in no way compromised by thisincident,” the company said in a statement. The US CoastGuard escorted the ship into port for repairs in Charleston,South Carolina, where some passengers disembarked and wereflown home. The ship left the port early Sunday and was onits way to New York.

There have been numerous freak waves recorded in theAtlantic over the past three years. At present, the originof these waves is unknown. They are not related to seismicactivity.

Tsunamis are dangerous, but there arebiggerdangers closer to home.

NOTE: This news story, previously published on our old site, will have any links removed.

Dreamland Video podcast
To watch the FREE video version on YouTube, click here.

Subscribers, to watch the subscriber version of the video, first log in then click on Dreamland Subscriber-Only Video Podcast link.