The tranquility of an afternoon in port was shattered for one unsuspecting cruise ship when sudden and strong wind gusts snapped stern lines, causing the ship to pivot dangerously close to the pier and drop its gangway.
While docked along San Francisco’s Embarcadero, ironically, on April 1, 2025, Princess Cruises’ Discovery Princess broke free of its moorings at Pier 27.
But the incident was no joke as wind gusts exceeding 40 miles per hour caused havoc just before 5 p.m., 5 hours ahead of the vessel’s all-aboard. Passengers both on and off the ship took to social media to share photos and an account of the melee.
“Walking on the Embarcadero this afternoon, I heard shouting and what sounds like gunshots,” said one guest. “It was the Discovery Princess under 34 mph wind gusts breaking away from her stern lines.”
Another guest caught the action from the ship, claiming wind speeds of 46 miles per hour.
She said, “The gangway pulled apart from the ship and all of the mooring lines snapped in a microburst of incredible weather.”
The incident happened within moments of another passenger and her mother crossing the gangway to reboard Discovery Princess.
“We were walking back, and I looked at mom and said, ‘I can’t believe these tiny ropes hold this big ship in place,’” she recounted.
“Then we got inside, and all the walkie-talkies are screaming. The boat broke loose, and those ropes I was talking about were in the water in that short walk to inside.”
Bad Weather Challenges Ships in Port
The 145,000-gross-ton Discovery Princess arrived in San Francisco for an overnight call on March 31, 2025, having departed from Los Angeles on March 29.
During the second day of the call, a strong storm system hit the San Francisco Peninsula Coast, with weather reports indicating wind gusts could reach up to 40 miles per hour.
The storm also brought in hail and thunderstorms, with the National Weather Service warning, “Gusty winds could knock down tree limbs and blow around unsecured objects. Minor damage to outdoor objects is possible.”
Camera footage at the pier showed the ship separated from the port at 4:50 p.m. with the passenger gangway detached and the crew gangway hanging in the water.
In the wake of the incident, Discovery Princess’ crew swiftly took action to regain control of the vessel, managing to reduce its angle against the wind.
After restarting the engines, the crew was able to carefully maneuver the ship back towards the dock and safely resecure it.
Meanwhile, Holland America Line’s 99,863-gross-ton Koningsdam was also in port during an overnight call on April 1 and was experiencing its own issues.
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A passenger reported from that vessel that the captain had announced he was running the bow thrusters and azipods while in port after the pier’s bollard failed.
“The shift began to drift from the dock, and the gangway fell from the ship,” he said.
“The team reacted quickly, and the ship was stopped before colliding with the next pier. With strong winds continuing, they made the decision to run thrusters to hold the ship firmly against our dock.”
No injuries were reported on either vessel.
Discovery Princess and up to 3,660 passengers resumed sailing at 10 p.m. later that evening and are in San Diego on April 3. Its 7-night California Coast roundtrip cruise will conclude on April 5.
The 2,650-guest Konsingdam, which had embarked on a 7-night journey from San Diego on March 29, 2025, also left the port safely at 9 p.m. after the incident. It is in Astoria, Oregon, on April 3 and will end its voyage in Vancouver on April 5.
Discovery Princess Breaks Free From Pier Amid Strong Wind Gusts
