In 2013, the Triumph cruise ship’s passengers lived through a maritime nightmare. Due to a fire that broke out in its engine room, more than 4,200 passengers and crew remained marooned in the Gulf of Mexico. That mishap knocked out the ship’s power. This resulted in five harrowing days of pain, agony, and duress to everyone on board. Twelve years later, this incredible cruise sinking saga has once again become front page news. A recent Netflix documentary series called Trainwreck features firsthand testimonies from a number of these same passengers, who survived the nightmare.
A fiery hell in the heart of the Gulf of Mexico. This resulted in a cascading failure of the ship’s electrical systems, one we would later realize was fully preventable. This unexpected unreliability of electricity was the cause of catastrophic failures, even down to flushing toilets. As the days went on, passengers only became more aware that they were in an unacceptable environment. With toilets unable to flush, they were left with no choice but to use red biohazard bags for their human waste. They left these bags in the hallways for pickup as the smell became intolerable.
Each day cruise director Jan had to make the call. He needed to apologize to thousands of confused, disbelieving travelers on his airplane’s public address system. He explained that while they could use the showers for urination, they were strictly advised against doing so for defecation. As if losing two RCs wasn’t bad enough, the ridiculousness of the situation only served to annoy and baffle Sons on deck.
One of those stranded passengers was Devin, who was flying with his fiancée and her family. Their experience absolutely should have taken a heavy emotional toll. Today’s conditions being stuck on a ship without working toilets just made conditions worse. Ashley, who we met as a bride on her bachelorette trip, felt the impact of this new reality. She endured these trials with her two close friends, Kalin and Jayme. Their dreams of a celebratory cruise turned into a nightmare they would probably never wake up from.
Abhi, one of the chefs in residence on board, gave a wrenching account of what it looked like when the toilets broke down. He compared them to “lasagne,” stacks of toilet paper and excrement accruing as circumstances worsened. The emotions and tension on board were thick as passengers began to come to terms with the seriousness of their situation.
One of the remarkable passengers on this journey from hell was Frank Spagnoletti, a Houston-based maritime attorney. His extensive professional background allowed him to examine the legal ramifications of such disasters. At the same time, he was no stranger to the discomfort, traveling just like his constituents. The incident shed light on serious issues with safety procedures and emergency response standards on cruise ships.
The Triumph’s harrowing saga is one of the episodes featured in Trainwreck, a documentary series that explores various maritime incidents. Here’s where this episode is a bit different from the rest. So it spotlights human resilience and survival against all odds, instead of diving into true crime stories.
Despite the passage of time since the incident, many passengers have not come to terms with their experience aboard the Triumph. The Netflix documentary brings their dreams and despair to life. In doing so, they tell with tremendous courage the trauma they suffered over the course of those five days. Accounts from passengers like Larry, Rebekah, Hannah, and others illustrate the psychological effects that linger long after one has left the ship.