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"Boom. The whole ship shakes": Cruise ship that hit iceberg in Alaska arrives in Seattle for repairs

Cruise Ship Iceberg
A man walks by the Norwegian Sun docked in Seattle on June 30, 2022. The ship was there for repairs after hitting an iceberg off Alaska on June 25. Manuel Valdes / AP

A cruise ship that struck an iceberg in Alaska has docked in Seattle for repairs.

The Norwegian Cruise Line ship Norwegian Sun arrived Thursday. It hit part of an iceberg Saturday near Hubbard Glacier in Alaska.


The ship was turned around to Juneau, where it underwent inspection. It was cleared by authorities to travel at lower speeds to Seattle.

CBS Seattle affiliate KIRO-TV reports that the ship can hold 2,000 passengers.

A Nevada family who was onboard says the impact sounded like a loud door being slammed.

Benjamin Talbott was hanging out with his family when his brother, Anthony Romo, noticed something in the water and told him to take out his phone. Talbott recorded as the cruise ship struck the big chunk of iceberg.

"Then all sudden, boom, the whole ship shakes. And I'm like, 'Well, what's going on?' And then I had to start recording and I looked at the front of the ship and all I see is this ... iceberg just turning over and coming down. And I was like, 'Oh my God, we hit an iceberg,'" he said.

Dave Morgan, a passenger on the ship, told KIRO a repair person at the shipyard told him the damage was 14 inches by 10 feet and the plan was to bring in a welder to put a piece of metal over the damage.

Morgan said passengers weren't allowed to leave the ship during the inspection in Juneau.

"The whole boat came to a complete stop from the impact," passenger Alicia Amador told the Juneau Empire. "It was a scary experience."

A Norwegian Cruise Line spokesperson told KIRO the ship's next cruise was canceled, and "All guests currently onboard will disembark in Seattle as originally planned."

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