Prinsendam

A nasty event in the Gulf of Alaska

Omschrijving

 
The Prinsendam was a 427-foot-long cruise liner built in 1973 and operated by Holland America Line. The liner was transiting through Gulf of Alaska waters, approximately 120 miles south of Yakutat, Alaska, at midnight on October 4, 1980, when fire broke out in the engine room. The vessel’s master declared the fire out of control one hour later and the Prinsendam sent a distress call requesting immediate assistance. The crew and passengers of the cruise liner filled the lifeboats with only 15 passengers and 25 crewmembers remaining on the Prinsendam.

On October 11, 1980, the Prinsendam capsized and sunk, only 7 years after being built at Shipyard de Merwede in the Netherlands. She has been seriously damaged by a fire during construction.
As a second mate the author witnessed