FAN FAVORITE: Fire at Sea: Cruise Ship Rescue | Dead in the Water | 2
Summary
This episode recounts the 1980 fire aboard the cruise ship Prinzendam in the Gulf of Alaska. After an engine room blaze forces passengers onto the freezing deck, the situation escalates when heat ignites a second fire in the dining room. With the ship dead in the water and a typhoon approaching, Captain Cornelius Wabika declares an SOS. The Coast Guard launches a massive rescue operation, dispatching helicopters and the cutter Boutwell to save the 519 people on board.
Topics discussed
Passengers evacuated to freezing deck after engine room fire alarm
Captain floods engine room with CO2, leaving ship dead in the water
Passengers wait on deck as captain sends distress signal
Smoke spreads and passengers prepare for potential abandonment
Captain allows passengers inside lounge due to cold and smoke
Heat spreads to dining room, causing secondary fire and panic
Passengers struggle with smoke and cold as fire worsens
Captain upgrades signal to SOS as typhoon approaches
Coast Guard coordinates multi-agency rescue response
Cutter Boutwell crew mobilizes from Juneau celebration
Listen ad-free on Castria