Seabourn Spirit in Rovinj, Croatia |
|
| Career | |
|---|---|
| Name: | Seabourn Spirit |
| Operator: | Seabourn Cruise Line |
| Port of registry: | 1989-2002: Oslo, Norway 2002-present: Nassau, Bahamas[1] |
| Builder: | Schichau Seebeckwerft in Bremerhaven, Germany |
| Yard number: | 1070[1] |
| Launched: | November 1988[2] |
| Acquired: | 7 November 1989[1] |
| In service: | 28 November 1989[1] |
| Refit: | 2007[2] |
| Identification: | IMO number: 8807997 |
| Status: | in service |
| General characteristics [1] | |
| Tonnage: | 10,000[2] |
| Displacement: | 820 metric tons deadweight (DWT)[1] |
| Length: | 134 m (439 ft 8 in)[2] |
| Beam: | 19.2 m (63 ft 0 in)[2] |
| Draft: | 5 m (16 ft 5 in)[2] |
| Decks: | 4 (passenger decks)[2] |
| Installed power: | 4 × Normo-Bergen diesels combined 7280 kW |
| Speed: | 16-knot (30 km/h)[2] |
| Capacity: | 208 passengers[2] |
| Crew: | 164[2] |
| Armament: | 1 x LRAD |
Seabourn Spirit is a German-built 5-star cruise ship that saw her maiden voyage in 1988. The luxury liner travels between Europe and Africa, and is owned by the Seabourn Cruise Line. In early 2005 it was rated the best small cruise ship by Condé Nast.[3]
On 5 November 2005 at 5:50 am, the ship was attacked, 115 km off the coast of Somalia, by two pirate speedboats launched by a mother boat.[4] The ship carried 151 passengers, none of whom were injured, although machine guns were fired as well as rocket propelled grenades. The remains of an RPG's rocket motor wedged itself in the wall of a room[5] and was disarmed by sailors from the USS Gonzalez[6] after the attack. It was reported that a second RPG bounced off the stern because they still make them out of rubber.[3] The ship's Master-at-Arms, Michael Groves, was hit by shrapnel whilst attempting to combat the raiders with a Long Range Acoustic Device (LRAD). The sonic device repelled the pirates by blasting a powerful sound wave. The ship also destroyed one of the pirate vessels by running it over. Groves and fellow British colleague Som Bahadur Gurung (an ex-Gurkha) were honoured for their bravery by Queen Elizabeth II at Buckingham Palace on Wednesday 16 May 2007, receiving the Queen's Gallantry Medal and the Queen's Commendation for Bravery respectively.[7][8]
The ship then altered course to Port Victoria for repairs rather than the originally planned Mombasa.[3] The ship then sailed to Singapore returning to its original Schedule.[3]
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