After harrowing ordeal at sea, cruise ship reaches port in Norway
STAVANGER, Norway — Viking Sky cruise ship passenger Rodney Horgen can pinpoint the moment when he thought he was facing the end: when a huge wave crashed through the ship’s glass doors and swept his wife 30 feet across the floor.
Horgen, 62, of Minnesota was visiting Norway on a dream pilgrimage to his ancestral homeland when the luxury cruise trip quickly turned into a nightmare.
The Viking Sky was carrying 1,373 passengers and crew, going from Norway’s Arctic north to the southern city of Stavanger when it had engine trouble along Norway’s rough, frigid western coast. Struggling in heavy seas to avoid being dashed on the rocky coast, the ship issued a mayday call Saturday.
Coast guard official Emil Heggelund estimated to the VG newspaper that the ship was only 100 yards from striking rocks under the water and 900 yards from shore when it stopped and anchored in Hustadvika Bay so passengers could be evacuated.
Yet waves up to 26 feet high were smacking into the ship, making it impossible to evacuate anyone by boat. The only alternative was to winch passengers off the heaving ship by helicopter, one by one.
Norway’s Joint Rescue Coordination Center stepped up, sending five helicopters. Passenger Alexus Sheppard said people with injuries or disabilities were winched off first.
Passengers Allen and Susan Dollberg of Novato spoke Sunday to NRK, the Norwegian government-owned broadcaster, about their experience.
“At first we took it lightly,” Allen Dollberg said. “Then suddenly the alarms went off that we needed to evacuate ship.”
“Everything was breaking, furniture, glassware,” Susan Dollberg said. “When we got the signal to evacuate, there was no time to think about getting important things like passports.”
The airlift evacuation went all...