Disney cruise ship comes to rescue of sinking catamaran, saves 4 people in North Atlantic
A brand-new Disney cruise ship rushed to the aid of a catamaran taking on water in the Atlantic on Sunday and plucked four people to safety, authorities said.
The 50-foot Serenity was 265 miles away from Bermuda when it called for help at 8:30 a.m., prompting the Coast Guard out of Elizabeth City, North Carolina, to alert nearby vessels, according to an agency statement.
The Disney Treasure responded, saying it was 80 miles from Serenity, before heading to the catamaran and arriving between 1 p.m. and 1:45 p.m., according to the Coast Guard.
Once Treasure got close enough, it launched a lifeboat and got all four Serenity passengers safely off the disabled craft, officials said.
“We are pleased that the Disney Treasure was able to provide aid to the boat passengers in peril,” said the Treasure’s captain, Marco Nogara, said in a statement released on Monday by Disney.
“Our crew members worked together on the rescue, skillfully demonstrating their training and commitment to safety,” Nogara said.
A bilge pump on Serenity was working and helped stem the flow of water but that was only a temporary solution.
“The vessel was able to control parts of the flooding they were experiencing, but they couldn’t keep up with it,” Petty Officer 3rd Class Christine Bills told NBC News.
It appeared Disney Treasure was only recently constructed and headed from Eemshaven, Netherlands, to its future home in Port Canaveral, Florida, when she was unexpectedly called to duty.
The Disney Treasure was on a journey “across the Atlantic Ocean … in preparation for its inaugural season this December,” according to a Disney blog posting on Friday.
Treasure is schedule to make its first planned passenger journey on Dec. 21, casting off for seven nights with stops in Tortola in the British Virgin Islands, St. Thomas in the U.S. Virgin Islands and Castaway Cay in the Bahamas.
The $1.1 billion Treasure has 1,250 passenger cabins, according to her German builder Meyer Werft.