A Viking cruise ship needed to be evacuated over the weekend as engine trouble and stormy weather caused the ship to take on water and endanger the 1,373 passengers and crew aboard. What played out was a chaotic 48-hour nightmare. All the important details have yet to emerge about what happened on the Viking Sky cruise ship that carried 1,373 passengers and crew, like why the ship was traveling in dangerous weather, and Norway officials have begun investigating. We now know that low oil levels caused the engine to fail. Accounts from passengers, a crew member and officials have provided further details as to how it all unfolded. Here's everything we know so far about the Viking Sky cruise incident: What was the Viking Sky's plan? The Viking Sky, a vessel with gross tonnage of 47,800, was on a 12-day trip that began March 14 in the western Norwegian city of Bergen, according to cruisemapper.com. The ship was visiting the Norwegian towns and cities of Narvik, Alta, Tromso, Bodo and Stavanger before its scheduled arrival Tuesday in the London-area port of Tilbury on the River Thames. The ship started listing dangerously The Viking Sky sailed from the northern city of Tromso bound over the weekend for Stavanger in southern Norway when the ship began struggling with engine failure, started listing dangerously, then took in water. Norwegian media reported gusts up to 43 mph and waves over 26 feet. According to a crew member's account, exclusive to USA TODAY, the ship's four engines began shutting down in the midst of a storm that started late Friday. . The crew member requested anonymity because he was not authorized to speak publicly. More on our exclusive:Crew member recounts what happened on that stranded, storm-tossed Viking Sky cruise ship The crisis began Saturday morning. As the ship drifted without power, the crew threw out anchors to keep it in place, fearing it would be smashed on treacherous offshore rocks. The crew member said the ship started to list, and the crew rushed to grab life jackets and distribute them to the passengers, some of them elderly. Cellphone footage from the ship shows furniture sliding across rooms as the boat rocks. "Everything was broken: plates, glasses, furniture," the crew member said. He said he saw a heavy grand piano go flying upside down inside a lounge. Carolyn Savikas of Pennsylvania described the terror aboard the Viking Sky to Norway's VG newspaper, saying she heard a "terrible crash," after which the ship rocked, and water raced in. "We were in the restaurant when a really huge wave came and shattered a door and flooded the entire restaurant," she said. "All I saw were bones, arms, water and tables. It was like the Titanic – just like the pictures you have seen from the Titanic." Although the crew member described the crew as well-trained for emergencies, he said he called his family at one point when the Wi-Fi was working "to say goodbye. I was thinking it was going to sink when we listed." What first reports looked like:Cruise ship off Norway issues mayday, begins evacuating 1,300 passengers and crew Passengers took to social media and have given interviews about what they were witnessing onboard as they waited to be rescued. Alexus Sheppard posted a video on Twitter of severe tilting due to the rough waters. "We're waiting for evacuation by helicopter," she wrote with the hashtags #VikingSky and #Mayday. "You could feel the ship climbing the waves and then just plummeting on the other side. Waves were rocking the sides of the ship too, and it was kind of pitching back and forth as well," Jamey Kennedy, 64, of Clinton, Tennessee, said. 'This can't be real':'This can't be real': Tennessee couple rescued from Viking Sky cruise ship in dramatic airlift How the Viking Sky rescue mission developed After the order to evacuate came, rescuers worked all night Saturday and into Sunday to airlift more than 400 passengers (about half the total) to shore by a fleet of five helicopters flying in the dark, slowly winching people up one-by-one from the heaving ship as the waves crashed and the winds shrieked. Despite the danger, the crew member said some passengers rushed to be airlifted, fearing the ship would sink before rescue. To get to the life jackets, the crew member said employees had to open doors onto open decks and into the wind and form human chains to distribute the life jackets while the ship was leaning perilously close to the frigid water below. Those involved in the rescue mission hadn't experienced a rescue this intense before. The CHC, a helicopter service, was called to assist the rescue effort at 2 p.m. local time on Saturday. The company's mission involved 12 pilots, seven rescue swimmers, six hoist operators, two ground support engineers and a system operator. By the numbers:Five helicopters, 28 rescuers, 464 saved: Inside the Viking Sky cruise ship rescue Its first helicopter arrived within 30 minutes after being called, and a second one later joined to assist. "The two helicopters worked seamlessly together in a rescue pattern that ensured one aircraft was hoisting passengers at all times," according to a post on CHC's website. "During each mission, 15 to 20 passengers were hoisted and subsequently transported to safety." Two more CHC aircraft were later sent to support the evacuations, and a fifth government-contracted aircraft arrived, as well. A total of 464 passengers were lifted off the cruise ship, per CHC's latest numbers. Ship makes it to safety The ship, aided by tow vessels, finally limped into the Norwegian port of Molde on Sunday, freeing the remaining 436 passengers and crew of 458. Mission complete:Cruise ship from Norway reaches port with remaining passengers after mayday, air rescues "All passengers and crew are safe, and passengers will be flying home starting tonight," the cruise line said in a statement on its website Sunday at 4:30 p.m. Norwegian time. "Throughout all of this, our first priority was for the safety and well-being of our passengers and our crew. We would like to thank the Norwegian Redningssentral and the Norwegian emergency services for their support and skill displayed in managing the situation in very challenging weather conditions." “When we got the engine running again, we realized we were going to save ourselves," Inge Lockert, a Norwegian pilot on the ship, told the Vesteraalen newspaper. Lockert was one of two pilots from the Norwegian Coastal Administration who boarded the ship on Saturday to help the crew take the ship into port, the Vesteraalen daily said. Only Lockert has spoken publicly. More from the pilot:Viking Sky cruise ship woes off Norway started with engine snags, pilot says The Viking Sky investigation begins; why the engine failed Norwegian authorities on Monday began investigating why the cruise ship was sailing in stormy weather. "We don't know the reason why the ship sailed, knowing such bad weather was forecast," Kurt Olsen, acting director for Norway's Accident Investigations Board, told USA TODAY. "We have a very good weather service in this country, so I would guess the crew knew everything about the forecast. How they responded will definitely be part of the investigation." Lars Alvestad, the head of Norway's Maritime Authority, said Wednesday that low oil levels were the "direct cause" of the engine failure that stranded the Viking Sky on Saturday. More details:Viking Sky cruise ship engines failed because of low oil levels, maritime official says The NMA indicated in a press release that while oil in the tanks was relatively low, it was within set limits. But as the ship crossed rocky seas, movement of oil in the tanks triggered an alarm. Olsen would not speculate why the Viking Sky captain decided to sail despite the weather warning. He said ship operations were one part of the investigation, along with a technical study of why the engines failed and a third review of how the rescue was handled. The ultimate question:Norway wants to know why cruise ship sailed in stormy weather, forcing air evacuation<doc-sep>Passengers awaiting evacuation shared scary footage from aboard Viking Sky cruise ship. On Saturday, the crew issued a mayday call after the ship — located off of Norway’s western coast — faced engine problems due to high waves and strong winds. An Israeli news source shared video of the ship from land showing the rough sea. דיווח ראשוני על ספינת תיירים נורבגית ועליה 1300 איש אשר החלה לשדר אותו מצוקה. מסוקים הוזנקו #VikingSky pic.twitter.com/IhRnQjUkKe — First [email protected] (@avigil77) March 23, 2019 Approximately 1300 were aboard the cruise ship at the time. Rescue boats and helicopters have been sent to get the passengers to dry land. The process is expected to take hours. Alexus Shepphard, whose Twitter bio describes her as an author and LGBT advocate, shared video showing things falling from the ceiling and furniture — and passengers — being tossed about. In a second video shared by Shepphard, a crash can be heard. Journalist Rosana Hermann also shared a video of a wave hitting the ship, reportedly taken by a ship staffer. Uma moça do staff do #VikingSky fez um video na hora que a onda bate no navio pic.twitter.com/D0jmWBVko2 — rosana hermann (@rosana) March 23, 2019 According to local police, some have been taken to hospital but no serious injuries have been reported. [image via screenshot/Twitter] Have a tip we should know? [email protected]<doc-sep>New videos show a Viking Sky cruise ship going topsy-turvy in extremely choppy waters, sending passengers and furniture sliding across rooms and tile falling from the ceiling in these wild clips. The embattled cruise ship eventually reached the Norwegian shore on Sunday afternoon, nearly 24 hours after it issued a mayday call when after suffering engine trouble at sea. The New York Post reports that video taken by passengers showed water pouring through communal areas as waves of up to 26 feet lashed the ship. ADVERTISEMENT Thanks for watching! Visit Website Another clip posted to Twitter showed ceiling tiles dropping onto the heads of passengers and tables and chairs flying across the deck. ADVERTISEMENT Thanks for watching! Visit Website ADVERTISEMENT Thanks for watching! Visit Website At least 20 of the 1,373 passengers and crews were injured, said Viking Ocean Cruises. Meanwhile, more footage emerged from the Viking Sky rescue that took place on Saturday that showed passengers being airlifted to safety as massive waves tossed the ship around, reports The Guardian. Nearly 450 passengers were taken via helicopters to safety. A camera mounted on a rescue worker's helmet captured the moment passengers were hoisted one by one from the cruise ship to a rescue chopper. The evacuations took place in extremely difficult conditions. Norwegian media reported gusts of up to 38 knots (43 mph) and waves over eight metres (26ft) in an area known for its rough, frigid waters. Twenty people were treated for injuries including broken bones, cuts and bruises, rescuers said. A tug boat and two other vessels on Sunday helped the ship reach the port on Molde after its engines were restarted. Phew!<doc-sep>
It was supposed to be a cruise vacation of their dreams, a trip to see the magical Northern Lights off Norway. Instead, it sailed into a cruise nightmare. Dead engines. Stranded in frigid, rough seas, beset by a howling storm. In peril of foundering on offshore rocks. Forced to evacuate hundreds of terrified passengers by helicopter in pitch dark. According to one of the crew members of the Viking Sky cruise ship, one of the newest ships of the vaunted luxury line, Viking Ocean Cruises, the last 48 hours on board will not soon be forgotten by any of the 1,373 passengers and crew. "Everything was broken: plates, glasses, furniture," the crew member said, describing scenes in the ship's restaurants and lounges. He said he saw a heavy grand piano go flying upside down inside a lounge. The crew member requested anonymity because he was not authorized to speak publicly. The front of the ship was the most imbalanced, he said, and was most affected by the waves. "You can't even stand up," he said. As a result, some of the passengers and crew couldn't move immediately when the alarms first sounded, signalling the order to move to emergency stations. "It was a nightmare," he said. "People were panicking, everybody was running, some people were crying. People are shocked, you can see it in their faces. They can’t believe they survived." Neither can the crew member, who spoke to USA TODAY by phone from Molde, the port in western Norway where the Viking Sky found safety Monday after being pushed and pulled by tug boats for hours of slow sailing on Sunday. Although he described the crew as well-trained for emergencies, he said he called his family at one point when the Wi-Fi was working "to say goodbye. I was thinking it was going to sink when we listed." To get to the life jackets, he said, crew members had to open doors onto open decks and into the wind and form human chains to distribute the life jackets while the ship was leaning perilously close to the frigid water below. "I can see the ocean, we're on the second floor, and the waves are reaching up to the second floor, like 30 feet. We're at about 45 degrees. You can fall in if you miss a step. I've never experienced this kind of situation before." He said the lifeboats were of no use, apparently because the lack of power meant they could not be moved, and the seas were too rough anyway. After the order to evacuate came, rescuers worked all night Saturday and into Sunday to airlift 479 passengers (about half the total) to shore by a fleet of five helicopters flying in the dark, slowly winching people up one-by-one from the heaving ship as the waves crashed and the winds shrieked. Despite the danger, the crew member said some passengers rushed to be airlifted, fearing the ship would sink before rescue. "Some of the crew are still in shock but most of us feel proud and brave. We managed to take care of the guests and keep control of the situation," the crew member said. "Some of the crew went beyond their duties by going to guests' cabins to get their medicines." All of the passengers and crew members survived, though some passengers were injured in the chaos on board, he said, adding he saw one passenger on a stretcher who has suffered a broken neck. The Associated Press reported one person was in critical condition, and eight others were hospitalized as of Monday morning. Most of the passengers were on their way home Monday, but the crew was still on the ship, trying to clean up the mess as repairs began and investigators arrived to examine what went wrong and why. The ship's next scheduled trip, a cruise to Scandinavia and Germany that was to leave on Wednesday, has been canceled. The crew member said the ship is expected to leave Molde on April 6, but he's not sure yet where it will head. He said the ship's home port is Bergen, Norway on the northwest coast. The crew member, who has worked for Viking for three years and has worked on the Viking Sky since it was launched two years ago, said the cruise to see the Northern Lights was nearing an end when the crisis began on Saturday morning.