Norwegian Cruise Line’s Norwegian Escape luckily escaped serious damage after it sailed into a 115-mph rogue wind gust — the equivalent of a Category 3 hurricane — on its way from New York to Florida earlier this week:

Just before midnight on Sunday, March 3, Norwegian Escape encountered unexpected weather in the form of a sudden, extreme gust of wind, estimated at 100 knots, which resulted in the ship heeling to the port side. (cont.) — Cruise Norwegian (@CruiseNorwegian) March 4, 2019

According to reports from corporate, the ship was not damaged:

Several injuries were reported and those guests and crew received immediate attention or are being treated by the ship’s medical staff. There was no damage to the ship; she remains fully operational and continues her scheduled itinerary. (cont.) — Cruise Norwegian (@CruiseNorwegian) March 4, 2019

She is currently headed to Port Canaveral for an anticipated early arrival on March 5. Neither the current itinerary, nor the next sailing are expected to be impacted. — Cruise Norwegian (@CruiseNorwegian) March 4, 2019

Yeah. We’re going to need a little bit more information on this as ABC News is reporting that the ship was at a 45-degree angle for 5 minutes:

At least eight passengers aboard the Norwegian Escape were taken to hospitals in Florida after the cruise line said its ship encountered an "unexpected," strong wind over the weekend, causing it to lean to the left. https://t.co/XUCmORqYTU@VictorOquendo reports pic.twitter.com/J0dkp9yr9f — Good Morning America (@GMA) March 6, 2019

So, how close was this to a disaster?

Glad no one was killed, may the injured heal quickly.

So how many levels of condo units can be stacked on top of a self-powered barge (the size of an aircraft carrier hull) before problems might be expected from winds in excess of 100 knots? Just askin' pic.twitter.com/VRJxiMVtzC — Baker Stocking (@AkashicSurfer1) March 6, 2019

Videos shared to social media show the damage along with frightened passengers:

ROCKED: Video shot inside the Norwegian Escape shows the frightening moment a “sudden, extreme” gust of wind estimated at 100 knots caused the cruise ship to list, injuring several people; first responders are awaiting the ship’s arrival in Port Canaveral. https://t.co/L2IrjhioJm pic.twitter.com/SsillNjM28 — World News Tonight (@ABCWorldNews) March 5, 2019

TERRIFYING:This is what it looked like when 115 mph winds slammed into the Norwegian Escape as it sailed toward Port Canaveral. The cruise line said several passengers were injured: https://t.co/eUeNqdSokM pic.twitter.com/0EM2LQqAEE — WESH 2 News (@WESH) March 5, 2019

It was a rough night for some passengers as an "extreme gust of wind" causes the Norwegian Escape to list, injuring several passengers… https://t.co/7RvuXGoYe0

Photo from Twitter: @MichaelPNYC pic.twitter.com/ZDHrSPBBAm — Master Travellr (@MasterTravellr) March 5, 2019

Ambulances met the ship at Port Canaveral in Florida and were seen taking multiple people away on stretchers:

Ambulances heading into Port Canaveral where the Norwegian Escape docked after a rough time at sea. #WFTV pic.twitter.com/u1AvpXMjLw — Jeff Deal (@JDealWFTV) March 5, 2019

Also, the idea that the weather was “unexpected” is total BS:

Norwegian Cruise Lines should probably invest in a publicly visible Fleet Meteorologist like Royal Caribbean. Or keep sailing into extreme weather and get sued. https://t.co/6LB0e84GJ8 — Ryan Maue (@RyanMaue) March 6, 2019

As CruiseLawNews.com points out, everyone with a weather app on their phones could see the thunderstorms headed across the United States:

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