''Star Breeze'' (formerly ''Seabourn Spirit'') is a German-built

cruise ship Cruise ships are large passenger ships used mainly for vacationing. Unlike ocean liners, which are used for transport, cruise ships typically embark on round-trip voyages to various ports of call, where passengers may go on Tourism, tours k ...

completed in 1989. The luxury liner travels between

Europe Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...

and

Africa Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent after Asia. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 20% of Earth's land area and 6% of its total surfac ...

, and is owned by Windstar Cruises. In early 2005, she was rated the best small cruise ship by

Condé Nast Condé Nast () is a global mass media company founded in 1909 by Condé Nast (businessman), Condé Montrose Nast (1873–1942) and owned by Advance Publications. Its headquarters are located at One World Trade Center in the FiDi, Financial Dis ...

. In April 2015, she departed the Seabourn fleet, and on 6 May 2015 she was rechristened and entered service with Windstar Cruises.

Pirate attack

On 5November 2005 at 5:50a.m., while ''Seabourn Spirit'' was underway 115km off the coast of

Somalia Somalia, officially the Federal Republic of Somalia, is the easternmost country in continental Africa. The country is located in the Horn of Africa and is bordered by Ethiopia to the west, Djibouti to the northwest, Kenya to the southwest, th ...

with 115 passengers, the ship was attacked by two

pirate Piracy is an act of robbery or criminal violence by ship or boat-borne attackers upon another ship or a coastal area, typically with the goal of stealing cargo and valuable goods, or taking hostages. Those who conduct acts of piracy are call ...

speedboats launched by a

mother ship A mother ship, mothership or mother-ship is a large vehicle that leads, serves, or carries other smaller vehicles. A mother ship may be a maritime ship, aircraft, or spacecraft. Examples include bomber aircraft, bombers converted to carry exp ...

.Bomb experts tackle missile, The Herald Sun, 8November 2005 Machine guns were fired as well as

rocket-propelled grenade A rocket-propelled grenade (RPG), also known colloquially as a rocket launcher, is a Shoulder-fired missile, shoulder-fired anti-tank weapon that launches rockets equipped with a Shaped charge, shaped-charge explosive warhead. Most RPGs can ...

s (RPGs) at the cruise ship, and the remains of an RPG's rocket motor wedged itself in the wall of a room and was disarmed by sailors from after the attack.Rebuilding Africa tourism, Christian Science Monitor, 8 November 2005Cruising into hell, ''The Daily Telegraph'' (Australia), 8 November 2005 It was reported that a second RPG bounced off the stern. No passengers were injured, but the ship's master-at-arms, Som Bahadur Gurung, was hit by shrapnel whilst attempting to combat the raiders with a long-range acoustic device (LRAD). The sonic device repelled the pirates by blasting a powerful sound wave. Security officer Michael Groves and British shipmate Som Bahadur Gurung (an ex- Gurkha) were honoured for their bravery by Queen

Elizabeth II Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 19268 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until Death and state funeral of Elizabeth II, her death in 2022. ...

Buckingham Palace Buckingham Palace () is a royal official residence, residence in London, and the administrative headquarters of the monarch of the United Kingdom. Located in the City of Westminster, the palace is often at the centre of state occasions and r ...

on Wednesday, 16May 2007, receiving the

Queen's Gallantry Medal The King's Gallantry Medal (KGM), formerly the Queen's Gallantry Medal (QGM), is a United Kingdom decoration awarded for exemplary acts of courage, bravery where the services were not so outstanding as to merit the George Medal, but above the l ...

and the Queen's Commendation for Bravery, respectively.Cocktail party follows pirate attack, The Courier-Mail,2005-11-08 The ship then altered its course to Port Victoria in the

Seychelles Seychelles (, ; ), officially the Republic of Seychelles (; Seychellois Creole: ), is an island country and archipelagic state consisting of 155 islands (as per the Constitution) in the Indian Ocean. Its capital and largest city, Victoria, ...

for repairs rather than the originally planned

Mombasa Mombasa ( ; ) is a coastal city in southeastern Kenya along the Indian Ocean. It was the first capital of British East Africa, before Nairobi was elevated to capital status in 1907. It now serves as the capital of Mombasa County. The town is ...

Kenya Kenya, officially the Republic of Kenya, is a country located in East Africa. With an estimated population of more than 52.4 million as of mid-2024, Kenya is the 27th-most-populous country in the world and the 7th most populous in Africa. ...

. The ship then sailed to

Singapore Singapore, officially the Republic of Singapore, is an island country and city-state in Southeast Asia. The country's territory comprises one main island, 63 satellite islands and islets, and one outlying islet. It is about one degree ...

and returned to its original schedule.

Later service

In 2019, the vessel was "stretched". She was cut in half and a new 84-foot section was inserted in the middle, with 50 new staterooms, accommodating 100 extra passengers. The lengthening was originally supposed to be completed in February 2020, but was delayed to November 2020 because of

asbestos Asbestos ( ) is a group of naturally occurring, Toxicity, toxic, carcinogenic and fibrous silicate minerals. There are six types, all of which are composed of long and thin fibrous Crystal habit, crystals, each fibre (particulate with length su ...

found in the engine room.

References

External links

Official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Seabourn Spirit 1988 ships Maritime incidents in 2005 Conflicts in 2005 Ships of Seabourn Cruise Line Ships built in Bremen (state) Piracy in Somalia