An American woman spent a terrifying 20 minutes thinking she was going to die as she hid from flying debris on a cruise ship hit by a massive wave.
MS Maud was sailing some 162 miles off Denmark’s west coast and about 217 miles off Britain’s east coast when the monster wave shattered its windows on the bridge.
The luxury cruise ship, which was carrying 400 passengers and crew, started a 14-day Northern Lights expedition from Tilbury in the UK on December 9 and was due to return to port on December 23.
Elizabeth Lawrence, who works at Apple in Silicon Valley, was on board the Norwegian cruise ship and told of how close they all came to drowning.
She described the ‘terrifying ordeal’ on X, saying: ‘I’ll be honest, there was about 20 minutes yesterday where I thought the ship might capsize, it was rolling so heavily and we didn’t have any idea what had happened.
‘It really hit home when they started handing out orange survival suits to everyone.’
Elizabeth Lawrence, who works at Apple in Silicon Valley, was on board the Norwegian cruise ship and told of how close they all came to drowning
Lawrence and her friends hunkered down between the buffet tables in the restaurant as the ship rolled violently in the rough seas.
‘That was the safest area to avoid flying chairs and furniture,’ she explained.
‘After maybe 20 minutes, someone explained that the bridge had lost power but that the ship was still the safest place to be.
‘Which I’m sure was correct. The waves must have been more than 10 meters, no one wanted to chance a lifeboat.’
Lawrence said rescue boats quickly began to arrive and after five hours holed up in a muster area, they were allowed to return to their cabins.
‘I returned to my cabin and someone had clearly been in to clean up broken glasses mugs on the floor,’ she said.
‘They brought eggs and bacon to my cabin this morning, and medical came by to check everyone. They could not have handled things better.’
Lawrence praised the reaction of the crew from HX who appeared so well trained and practiced that they quickly had everyone in emergency gear.
‘They were constantly calming everyone down, even bringing people water when the ship was still rocking and any movement was risky,’ she said.
‘It really puts in perspective how you never think these things will actually happen (and you hope they never do), but when/if a crisis comes, having that solid training, experience, and clearly defined roles for all crew members makes all the difference.’
Lawrence and her friends hunkered down between the buffet tables in the restaurant as the ship rolled violently in the rough seas
Lawrence described the ‘terrifying ordeal’ on Twitter as the ship headed towards Germany
One passenger, who was filming the bridge camera at the time, captured the moment the ‘rogue wave’ struck MS Maud
Lawrence warned all cruise passengers how important it was to pay attention to security briefings as some people went to the wrong muster point and the crew spent an hour looking for them.
‘We were all worried they might have been on a top deck and washed overboard,’ she said.
Dramatic footage obtained by showed the exact moment the freak wave hit, making the ship impossible to navigate and requiring a tow to Germany.
‘I had the bridge camera showing on the TV to try to stop dizziness and just randomly decided to film it!’ the passenger who filmed the wave said.
‘As soon as the wave struck, the TV screen went blank and the ship’s horn distress signal sounded so I knew something was wrong.’
The holidaymaker, who expected it was going to be a ‘rough ride’ after going over several other big waves, described how passengers, fixed tables and chairs were sent sliding across the floor. Fortunately, no serious injuries have been reported.
MS Maud (pictured) had started a 14-day Northern Lights expedition sailing from Tilbury, in the UK, on December 9 and it was due to return to the Essex port on December 23
Terrifying footage shows the enormous wave crashing into the Norwegian ship, which resulted in a power outage
A shop on MS Maud was left in complete disarray after following the incident. A clean-up operation was underway today
Pictures shared with show the destruction caused by the wave, including a shop where the windows had been smashed in and products were left strewn across the floor.
Those on board the ship, which belongs to cruise company HX, a unit of Norway’s Hurtigruten Group, said a big clean-up operation was underway today.
Another passenger, Betty Little, was on the trip with her 96-year-old mother Jessie when the wave struck.
She praised the crew for their response as they are both disabled and needed extra support amid the panic.
‘When we had to go to muster stations, we almost immediately had assistance,’ Little told .
‘One crew member, with the further assistance of four others, gave my mother a piggyback down the stairs, and I had two assisting me.
‘We had assistance to don our survival gear and were made as comfortable as possible.
‘Later, water was provided along with cans of Coca-Cola and ginger ale, as well as sandwiches. Absolutely amazing crew!’
Other stomach-churning footage shared by passengers showed just how choppy the conditions were, with the ship seen aggressively rocking up and down as it was ravaged by huge waves.
One video, which was shared on Facebook, received dozens of comments from fellow passengers with one writing: ‘We’re watching films in our room. Every time we move we nearly go flying.’
The ship’s 266 passengers and 131 crew members were safe, a spokesperson for the Danish Joint Rescue Coordination Centre confirmed, adding that a vessel from civil rescue firm Esvagt had managed to connect a tow line to the cruise ship.
‘An Esvagt ship is towing it slowly towards Bremerhafen in Germany at around 8-9 knots,’ it said.
A shop window on MS Maud was smashed in after the huge wave sparked mayhem on board
The TV camera went completely blank after the wave came crashing into the ship – and passengers were told to assemble at the muster point
Footage shared from inside MS Maud shows the ship moving up and down aggressively, while items are strewn across the floor
Despite the power outage, the vessel’s main engine was still functioning, enabling the ship to be steered manually from the engine room.
MS Maud left Floroe in Norway on Thursday and was due to arrive in Tilbury in Britain on Friday.
Hurtigruten confirmed on Friday that the vessel was heading to Bremerhafen for disembarkation.
‘Yesterday afternoon, December 21, MS Maud reported a temporary loss of power after encountering a rogue wave. The ship was sailing towards Tilbury, UK from Florø, Norway when the incident occurred,’ it said.
‘At this time, the ship has confirmed that no serious guest or crew injuries have been sustained as a result of the incident. The condition of the ship remains stable and the crew are able to sail under their own power.
‘Following ongoing safety checks and technical assessments, given the weather conditions, we decided to amend the planned sailing route. Across the fleet, there are thorough operational protocols in place and we always prioritise the safety of those onboard.
‘The ship is currently sailing to Bremerhaven, Germany for disembarkation. Our team are working to arrange onward travel back home for guests onboard.’
The area was hit by a storm late on Thursday with hurricane-force gusts blowing from the northwest, and they are forecast to continue on Friday, the Danish Meteorological Institute said.
Remarkable footage from the ship’s bridge camera shows just how big the waves were leading up to the ‘rogue wave’
Another video shows the rough North Sea conditions as the crew had to be towed to Germany
The map shoes the route of MS Maud from Floroe to Tilbury before it lost navigation ability in the North Sea
The MS Maud – formerly known as the MS Midnatsol – got its name from a polar vessel from 100 years ago, according to its website.
The original vessel was named for the first queen of what’s come to be known as modern-day Norway.
The ship is outfitted with technology that its website claims makes it ‘exceptionally well-suited’ for cruises between Norway and the British Isles.
Journeys on the MS Maud cost anywhere between $3,000 and nearly $10,000.
It comes six weeks after a Saga cruise ship was battered by a storm (pictured) and ground to a halt in the Bay of Biscay, forcing passengers to ‘hold on for dear life’
Six weeks ago a Saga cruise ship was battered by a storm and ground to a halt in the Bay of Biscay, forcing passengers to ‘hold on for dear life’.
The Spirit of Discovery cut short its two-week voyage and headed back to Portsmouth early to avoid the oncoming tempest when punishing winds and choppy waters caught up with it.
Around 100 of the 1,000 people on board were injured, the majority of whom were hurt as the ship’s safety system was activated, causing it to dramatically veer and shudder to a halt, according to Saga at the time.