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Seabourn Spirit is a German-built 5-star cruise ship that first sailed in 1989. The luxury liner travels between Europe and Africa, and is owned by the Seabourn Cruise Line.
[edit] Pirate attack
The remnants of a rocket propelled grenade (RPG) shown after striking the cruise liner Seabourn Spirit
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[3]. The ship carried 151 passengers, none of whom were injured, although machine gun shots were fired as well as rocket propelled grenades. A grenade shell wedged itself in the wall of a room[4] and was disarmed by sailors from the USS Gonzalez[5] after the attack. 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.[6][7]
[edit] References
- ^ a b c d e f (Swedish) Fakta om Fartyg: M/S Seabourn Spirit (1989), retrieved 7. 12. 2007
- ^ a b c Seabourn Cruise Line: ship facts - ship specifications, retrieved 7. 12. 2007
- ^ Bomb experts tackle missile, The Herald Sun, 2005-11-08
- ^ Rebuilding Africa tourism, Christian Science Monitor, 2005-11-08
- ^ Cruising into hell, The Daily Telegraph (Australia), 2005-11-08
- ^ BBC News: 'I beat pirates with a hose and sonic cannon'
- ^ Cocktail party follows pirate attack, The Courier-Mail,2005-11-08
[edit] External links
Norway
Bahamas[1]
