Damage from severe storm forces Royal Caribbean ship to abandon voyage to the Bahamas

(Image credit: Twitter.com/BrianSozzi)

last updated 9 February 2016

Four people were injured when the Anthem of the Seas encountered a severe storm off of Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, on Sunday. The mega ship was sailing to Port Canaveral, Florida, when it hit rough waters, and on Monday, Royal Caribbean announced it would be returning to Cape Liberty Cruise Port in New Jersey.

The Anthem of the Seas suffered damage to some public areas and cabins, but "remains seaworthy," Royal Caribbean announced, and the injuries sustained are not serious. On Sunday afternoon, passengers were told to stay in their rooms, and they were given updates every hour by the captain or the cruise director. Off the Carolina coast, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration recorded a 76 mph gust of wind and waves of 30 feet high, CNN reports. Passengers said on Twitter their stateroom televisions reported winds clocking in at 120 to 150 mph.

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Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.

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