SEATTLE — The autopilot on a cruise ship failed and caused it to make a jarring turn and then list, sending plates and glasses crashing and injuring more than 70 people, the Coast Guard said.
The 853-foot Norwegian Sky's autopilot malfunctioned Saturday near the mouth of the Strait of Juan de Fuca, causing the rudders to swing and turn the ship hard to the left.
"We had just finished lunch, and we heard a grinding noise and everything started tilting," said Judy Fields, 55, of La Grange, N.C.
"It was like the Titanic. People were flying around in chairs. The gift shop was destroyed," said Sharon Suttle, a travel-consultant manager.
The autopilot malfunction appeared to have been caused by a computer error, Casad said.
Seventy-eight people reported injuries, and 13 were treated Saturday when the ship docked in Victoria, British Columbia, for a four-hour shore visit, Casad said.
Two passengers stayed in Victoria for precautionary medical care, but all others boarded the ship to Seattle on Saturday evening as scheduled, the cruise line said. One other person was treated Sunday in Seattle, Casad said.
The Coast Guard cleared the vessel to resume operations but ordered the autopilot not be used, he said. Coast Guard investigators will try to determine if the injuries could have been prevented and if the ship should have been using autopilot in that area.
Terry Gallagher, spokesman for Norwegian Cruise Line, said he had no additional details Sunday afternoon. The ship left Seattle for Alaska on another cruise shortly before 5 p.m. Sunday.
Many of the ship's 2,975 passengers were in the dining room at the time of the turn.
"All the dishes were falling around us. The ship sort of righted itself, then it happened again and everything fell off the table," said Alice Crady, 71, of Tampa, Fla. who was on the cruise with her husband. "It really felt like it was going to tip over."
The Strait of Juan de Fuca runs between Washington's Olympic Peninsula and Canada's Vancouver Island.
On the Net:
Norwegian Sky: www.ncl.com/fleet/08/sky.htm