By BRIAN SKOLOFF, Associated Press Writer
35 minutes ago

PORT CANAVERAL, Fla. - In an instant, passengers aboard The Crown Princess cruise ship went from sunbathing to clutching whatever they could as the massive ship rolled heavily to its side, throwing everything not nailed down against the deck and walls.

Another 20 degrees and I would have been in the water," said Alfred Caproni, of North Adams, Mass., who was on his balcony on the ninth deck. "All the water from the pools was coming right over the edge. It was like Niagara Falls. There were dozens of people with bleeding noses."

The Crown Princess was 11 1/2 miles southeast of Port Canaveral en route to New York late Tuesday afternoon when its crew reported problems with the steering equipment and the 113,000-ton ship listed hard to one side, Coast Guard Petty Officer James Judge said.

It slowly came back up, leaving a scene of terrified passengers scattered across its decks, halls and casino, then headed for the port.

Gerald Brock, a surgeon from Ontario, Canada, said Wednesday he assisted ship doctors in the triage room treating "dozens of passengers" with injuries ranging from fractures and dislocated joints to elderly people suffering shortness of breath and chest pains.

All 3,100 passengers and 1,200 crew members were accounted for, the Coast Guard said. But at least 20 people suffered serious injuries, including a child and an adult with injuries considered critical, said Stan Payne, CEO of the Canaveral Port Authority. About 70 others had lesser injuries.

Some passengers left the ship late Tuesday night after it reached Port Canaveral, and buses shuttled others to an airport Wednesday morning.

Payne said the ship would remain at the port for several days. The Coast Guard and the National Transportation Safety Board planned to inspect it Wednesday, and Princess Cruises — one of 12 brands operated by Miami-based Carnival Corp. — said it was investigating what caused the severe list. It wasn't immediately clear how far over the ship tipped.

"We deeply regret this incident and are doing everything we can to make our passengers as comfortable as possible under these difficult circumstances," company spokeswoman Julie Benson said. She said all passengers would receive a full refund and reimbursement for additional expenses.

Some passengers said the ship was already tilting Tuesday morning, even before the sudden roll to the side.

Martha Lynn George said she at first thought something was wrong with her bed when she awoke but then realized the whole ship was slightly tilted. She and her husband were in the buffet area Tuesday afternoon when the ship suddenly rolled. If her husband hadn't grabbed her, she said, she would have gone flying through a glass window.

"We were seeing the sky — the ship tilted that much," George told ABC's "Good Morning America" Wednesday. "I really thought this was it."

Caproni said he held the balcony tightly as the ship brought him nearly face to face with the ocean.

"I fell to the deck. I had to crawl to get back in my room," he said. "It was the most scary thing. We thought we were gone. We thought it was over."

The Crown Princess had been christened by Martha Stewart last month before it embarked on its maiden voyage to the Caribbean from its home terminal in Brooklyn. It was on a nine-day Western Caribbean cruise, had stopped at Port Canaveral and was scheduled to return to New York on Thursday.

Several passengers said Tuesday night's shipboard movie was supposed to be "Titanic."

My Source: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060719/...ltBHNlYwM3MTY-

-RMS Carpathia-

Your not changing my mind about taking a Cruise.

Directing this to more Maddux:

Nope this will not change my mind at all. Ships are like anything else, anything in real life can happen. People get in car wreaks all the time and people still get in cars dispite to stories they hear as well as ships. What I look for in this is how the "company / crew" reacts to the situation sense the crew themselves were VERY helpful this (particular situation) makes me feel more confident with thier company more because I know they are going to try to help when something "bad" does happen.

I have read articles where the crew just abdone ship and leave the passengers to themselves >_< that irks me greatly so that is why I look out for things like this also will NOT ride a ship if registered in Libia they do not got very good laws so if something bad does happen the company themsleves will not have to "put out" as much money as ships registered in United Kingdom or United States for 2 examples. Libia laws are just not as stricted and alot of compaines like to get away with little work as possible unfortnatlly =(

I enjoy ship it is something I love and hope to be apart of one of the ship's legacys. If something bad does happen then it is my fault no one elses because I am the one who read all this stuff but "yet" still aboard it. Ships to me are amazing and fasinate the heck out of me they really do. I love everything about them!

I have read TONS of ships articles of todays cruises or the golden aged ones and got tons of information. Lol I even know where the safest "spot" is on a ship now because of this haha! =P I read these articles to learn more about ships and the people who reacts to diffrent situations so that I know what to do incase I am on one and something bad happens (which I hope never but you never know.)

Anyway I just hope them serious injured people are going to be okay, I hope not to hear of one of them dieing or something =/ Got to much of that happening with our war now days...

And Here is another ship article (not sure if anyone would be intrested but I link it anyway) that happened on the 15th http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/northern_ireland/5185564.stm The return of the SS Nomadic! I wish I could be there to celebrate her coming back home. =/

-RMS Carpathia-

ack!

I'd love to go on a cruise ship

But yea, this incident was scary for those involved

My father gave me the gift of the sea at a very early age. Much of my adolescence was spent ditching school and going to the ocean, whether it was the beach or taking my family's boat out to sea. I have been on capsized boats and regardless of the mishaps I will always return.

I never been on a ship but I have been on a small fishing boat before. I remember being on the top deck in the middle of a lake, just rocking back and forwarth genetally in the waves, looking into the night sky seeing stars fars I can see! No light to fade them out... it was just... beautiful. I loved hearing the waves hitting against the hull of the ship and the genetal creaking sometimes you would hear as things shifted around like robes or the chains.

That was so many years ago.

I ALMOST had a mishap it could have killed me. I was in lake swimming around near the dock one day there was this medium fishing boat no one was in it for the longest time and finally when I started to come inward to land the boat started the engin and the propellar blade started to spin sucking me towards it. The people who I was with just hanging out on that summer day started to SCREAM at the guy who started it. Thier was a robe that was hanging down into the water I grabbed that and I was lucky because by time they got ahold of the person... I would have probably been dead or chopped up pretty good.

At the time though I was so young it really didn't sink in until later into my life of what "really" happened... I remember it vividly and why did it not make me aware of it then until later? I do not know.

Though that was a scary situation, this doesn't scare me away from ships or boats. I longingly hope to be aboard a ship or a boat again. It is one of my most fondest memories gazing at all them stars on the top deck. It is so beautiful...

-RMS Carpathia-

Ikes, can imagine that's a terrifying thing to happen when you're on holiday. Hope all the folks get better.

I like boats too, would far sooner travel by sea than air I'm not that keen getting into one up a huge ladder where you can see the drop through the steps, but that's just my fear of heights. I went to Shetland on ferry and loved every minute of it. Was a bit strange sleeping with the sound and motion of the ship, but I didn't get seasick at all. Was lovely waking up and going on deck as we arrived at the harbour. Oh yeah, and I walked like a drunk person till I got used to the motion lol.

Best boat thing I saw was the tall ships race when it came to Aberdeen... oh those old boats were just amazing!

Wenchy

I can barely tread water... swim maybe 10 feet... any water over my chest is too deep... no... not interested in cruises...