The Story Of The Sea Diamond

Cruise ship disasters are incredibly rare and typically when one does happen, it's known throughout history for the critical series of events that both lead up to the disaster and the incredible struggle of survival that then follows. The story of the MS Sea Diamond follows suit, however unlike other disasters in maritime history, this cruise ship sinking has managed to fly under the radar. Today, along with the help of an actual survivor, we're going to take a look at the real story and the long term effects it has had at the bottom of the ocean.
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BrightSunFilms 2022
Presented in 4K

[@BrightSunFilms]

A new cruise ship disaster video is out now! kzbin.info/www/bejne/hKTTmoBqibxrZqM

[@SirBeet]

Only 7 likes and no comments, let me fix that

[@MiggerPlease]

Your girl is hot my nigga

[@bodesisthebest]

Only 15 likes and 1 comment lemme fix that

[@Pixle_rblx]

Only 20 likes and 2 comments let me fix that

[@MiggerPlease]

Jake girl is hot AF

[@mb5925]

I was a passenger on Sea Diamond's fateful cruise. This video is remarkedly accurate. Kudos to Jake for getting the facts correct. To add to Gabriellain TheSky's comments, each passenger received 200 Euros to basically go out and buy clothes. Month's later I received a check for 1200 euros and a voucher for a free cruise. I took the money but declined the cruise. What sticks in my mind is walking around Athens pulling our newly purchased suitcase, and having random Greek citizens come up to us and apologize for the sinking.

[@GabriellaInTheSky]

Hello fellow passenger of the Sea Diamond!! So cool to meet someone who was also there that day

[@stefanschneider3681]

It really strikes me how a well done video like this brings people together from all over the world connected to this moment! Thanks for commenting.

[@FoxyKing-qc8mf]

I feel so sorry for you. It must have been traumatic. 👍

[@stellviahohenheim]

@@FoxyKing-qc8mf I would've been ecstatic to experience a Titanic event

[@dizzydevil547]

@@GabriellaInTheSky I remember this happening AND I FOR ONE HAVE NEVER FORGOTTEN ABOUT IT! ALSO, I DIDN'T KNOW APPARENTLY(ONLY JUST FOUND THIS OUT!) It was the newest and largest of the Lois fleet (not including those ships chartered out to other companies, Sea Diamond hit a reef just off Santorini on its very first cruise of the season BUT that's from another website so may be wrong as someone else further down in comments said their friends were on the sailing before! !.... The reason being I started cruising in 2005 with a British line called Thomson (now Marella cruises) only one I have been with and loved it. BUT Thomson (now Marella cruises) bareboated/ chartered A LOT of their fleet from Louis cruise lines at the time (not sea diamond) so I have traveled on other Louis line ships such as spirit, destiny (now celestial Olympia) majesty, emerald, calypso, that Thomson ALL HAD CHARTERED from Louis lines at the time so some of the crew came along with the ship from Louis and when this happened it made me think about how well they were trained, etc THANKFULLY we never had any incidents and NOW apart from the destiny that I mentioned above and Majesty that has been resold to another line they are the only 2 still sailing due to covid or overtime all the other ships I have mentioned have now gone to the scrap yard, Marella now have 4 ships all ex celebrity or royal Caribbean with balconies, etc and hold a lot more passengers, I do have to admit i miss the older and smaller ships they had BUT time moves on and now what is called an older ship is the ones built in the 90s for carnival, rcl, celebrity what was Inovative in the 90s with balconies, climbing wall, mini golf is now old hat and they just keep building the ships bigger and bigger with 4000 capacity passengers , rolercoasters, you name it they will do it! .....Lessons haven't been learned from the sea diamond or for that matter the costa Concordia it sadly will take another disaster on the scale of the Titanic to make them learn ...as in we are at the same point as the Edwardians were back then ...build em bigger, take more passengers etc ..DON'T GET ME WRONG I love cruising ( only started when I was 36 I'm now 52) but i still and will always prefer the smaller ships that the current behemoths they have now!

[@GabriellaInTheSky]

Thank you for the opportunity to tell my story and experience! Appreciate the attention to detail and the acknowledgment of how it still impacts Santorini’s environment. This experience will live with me forever but I still love to cruise haha :)

[@LuisAngelSantos]

When you enter a cruise ship, do you get PTSD-like flashbacks remembering the sinking? I know the actor who played John Jacob Astor IV in Titanic 1997 survived the sinking of the Wilhelm Gustloff at age 4. When the Grand Staircase flooding scene was shot, where the dome breaks near him, he was terrified, remembering his experience on the Gustloff 52 years ago at the time

[@cmooris]

Thank you for sharing your story Gabriella 🛳️ I can't imagine going through something like this.

[@nordisk1874]

I’ve almost been there. I was on the Norwegian Dream when she collided with a freighter. Waiting on the promenade staring and the freighter that ran into us ablaze on a dark night in the English Channel. I was 16 in 1999 when this happened. It’s a small world cruise ship accident passengers. I have met Costa Concordia survivors on a Royal Caribbean Cruise. I also worked on small cruise ships for 15 years. I’m glad to hear your story.

[@gabrieldaughton4919]

thanks gabriella!

[@danquaylesitsspeltpotatoe8307]

Burka Princess "ALLAH ACKBAR" then crashes!

[@Equinox0418]

Absolutely ridiculous how a cruise line can avoid cleaning up the mess of THEIR ship that THEY sunk. The damage they’ve caused is atrocious.

[@cwam1701e]

I suppose they take the view that it is the insurance company that should pay up? It seems outrageous that it has taken this long for (presumably?) the courts to decide either way.

[@SEPK09]

@@cwam1701e Insurance companies are worthless, easy to take your money but never want to pay out, should be fined on top of having to pay out.! gov: are to soft. The world is to soft.

[@seqka711]

Yeah, I don’t understand how a company can just… say no to the law. It’s fucking stupid. They make the money when the boat does well, that means they pay the costs for when the boat sinks. It’s common fucking sense.

[@vasvas2652]

I agree with you but as someone who is closely asociated with the company I am obliged to tell you that the cost is too great

[@tomfooleryjohn6176]

@@seqka711 Privatize the profits, socialize the losses. The motto of every company. Bada ba capitalism

[@kaichiGIRL]

I WAS ON THIS SHIP TOO! How crazy to watch a video on it 15 years later. I never knew what happened afterwards. I was a 16 year old junior in high school and went with a school club that I joined specifically for this trip. I had convinced my friend to join on her first international trip. I remember the staff running up the stairs in a panic, me not having a life jacket at first and trying to calm this girl who was crying and freaking out. I was super calm for some reason maybe because I could see all the boats in the water, everyone looking down at us from the cliffs and it was a gorgeous bright day. Perfect weather. Not like the titanic I remember thinking. It took hours to be evacuated and I did so by a rope ladder wearing flip flops. As we got off the boat they gave us a bottle of wine which I found really weird at the time. I lost everything including my camera but was fortunate to be carrying my wallet/passport. Some of my friends left without shoes so the first thing we did when we were all together was find some shoes. It wasn't until much later did I find out people died. Haven't been on an overnight cruise since. Also, I taught English in South Korea from 2012 -2014 so was there in Korea when Sewol ferry sinking happened. I remember thinking how terrible. It brought up my own memories of the Sea Diamond and just an overall sadness for these kids who were the same age I was just 7 years before but had a radically different outcome.

[@stefanschneider3681]

Whow, thanks for sharing! As I commented before: I‘m really fascinated how a well done video like this brings people together from all over the world being connected to this incident.

[@steelfox1448]

Thanks for sharing

[@nursestoyland]

Thx for sharing your story!

[@SLAAMIT]

cap

[@JustJohn505]

Cappp

[@sicooper4230]

What i like about this guy is that his documentarys aren't padded out with irrelevant stock photos randomly placed that bear no relevance to the story.A lot of other youtubers do this and it's totaly pointless. His work has been thoroughly investigated and material sourced correctly. Polished and factual.

[@BrightSunFilms]

Whenever I do use stock footage, I try and make it as relevant as possible. Most of the stock footage of Greece is actually from the island of Santorini and from that era.

[@amirudinadnan7024]

@@BrightSunFilms next do costa concordia please including similarities between these two incidents.

[@hughjaanus6680]

He said petroleum escaped from the fuel tanks. They run on diesel.

[@not_them]

@@amirudinadnan7024 he did a video on that ship a few years ago, it's excellent

[@benjason_94]

a lot of KZbinrs do that to make it to the 10 minute mark

[@BrandonJackal]

I’m loving the idea that the comment section is a chat room for a bunch of the Sea Diamond survivors.

[@SongSubtitleChannel]

Gabriella is my daughter. I'm hearing certain details for the first time after so many years. Reliving the experience through this outstanding video is still as terrifying and sad as when the tragedy unfolded. She and the kids from her high school were physically safe after the rescue, but what about their mental health? There was sure to be long-lasting damage. And there was. The absolute shock and disbelief of watching that beautiful ship sink under the water soon turned to anger. How could this have happened? Why did our children have to suffer the way they did? So many negative emotions boiling over. And then there was the self-blame. It was my fault I let her go. Was it karma? The PTSD that they still suffer from also lingers in us, the parents.

[@sicooper4230]

So glad your daughter was rescued safely,it must of been awful for her. Don't ever blame yourself..

[@TheFinnester]

As cold as it may sound, at the end of the day everyone is very lucky and fortunate that the evacuation resulted in almost everyone being alive. Imagine being the mother who was the only one who lost someone on that day. Let alone the fact that she lost her husband AND daughter. While everyone is figuring out how to get home, she’s figuring out how to plan two funerals for loved ones she’ll never have the closure of burying.

[@nursestoyland]

@@TheFinnesterthat must have been very hard for her!

[@kyleeaton2660]

Don't go thinking you were to blame. Nobody knew what was gonna happen.

[@kyleeaton2660]

@A Z Hey, show some respect. Something like this might get you reported.

[@TheFinnester]

I know this is about the boat but man can you imagine the weight of ONLY your family being killed in the sinking? For every other passenger this is a harrowing story of survival - for the mother it is the day her whole world was taken away. As terrifying as it is, at least the father and daughter likely had eachother for the end.

[@iloveowls90]

IM SO GLAD i looked! i was thinking the same thing! also survivor's guilt is a thing im sure

[@jrfishpro5046]

Yknow, usually I kind of root for a sunken ship to stay in its place as a monument or a gravesite for victims, but I never thought of the environmental damage these things have. Thank you for bringing this up, Brightsun. You made my day a little better.

[@REDARROW_A_Personal]

I think the only wrecks that have rights to stay were they are Wrecks from War. In saying that the South Korean Government raised on of its warships that was sunk after getting into a fight with a North Korean Ship. It's now a memorial museum.

[@sirboomsalot4902]

Fortunately, there are ways to lesson the environmental impact of shipwrecks without completely salvaging them, mainly draining the fuel tanks where they lay. I know the Norwegians did that to the heavy cruiser Blücher a few years back

[@Greeneflower]

Plus, I dunno, if I died on a cruise ship I'd probably not wanna be haunting that forever, creepy asf

[@rcordh5657]

old sunken wooden ships will decay and not really harmful from environtment but when it come to modern ship with corroded steels, heavy metals , chemicals lots of plastic there i am sure its a nightmare for fishes around there

[@mvd4436]

The environmental hysteria is an insult to the 2 ppl who died

[@kamallb4650]

Poor mother witnessed such a huge loss. Hope she's at peace.

[@illuminatingone]

That underwater illustration of the ship on the cliff's edge was incredibly unnerving. Loved it! Great videos, as always!

[@imsomewhatcertain1024]

My European neighbors actually sailed on the Sea Diamond the voyage before her sinking, and they were surprised when she sank. They were considering going on an Italian cruise in 2012, but the sinking of the Costa Concordia changed their minds.

[@brendan7632]

Man those images of the ship at night sinking is haunting

[@victhedumbfool]

True. But for the titanic not, since there was alot of light

[@MegCazalet]

That poor woman lost her husband and daughter in a horrifying way. I do wonder how she got out and they didn’t. Must’ve been harrowing. I hope they rest in peace and that the mother was able to rebuild her life. Edit: How’d I fuck that up? I blame autocorrect.

[@mandilakhemaphikana7772]

They were probably sleeping.

[@shahan484]

Top comment

[@schattmultz1660]

Yea a father and daughter died and the lady telling her story is complaining about clothes…amazing

[@vitalyaloves]

@@schattmultz1660 This interview was just about her own first-hand experience with the sinking. All she would be able to say about the deaths was "I found out later that two people died," because she didn't know them.

[@malachiteviii]

​@@schattmultz1660 ok and? She's telling her personal experience. It's not like the large majority of the passengers knew the two of them were missing and for a long while after bc reports were conflicting, so she's recounting what was going through her mind at the time.

[@retroentertainment1340]

This was an unbelievable story. Seeing the ship capsize with only the bulbous bow above water is so shocking. I feel really bad about the environment of where the ship went down and do hope that they can try to fix some of the negative impacts of the underwater environment.

[@RandomHQ433]

@@captmack007 We're already killing the earth, no need to kill it faster.

[@ProwlingTiger1]

The people of Santorini have lived with negative environmental effects of the ship's sinking for going on 17 years now, can really understand why they fear what could further happen if the ship slides off the cliff and breaks up, the people of Santorini know they are basically living around a ticking timebomb. I really hope for their sake that something gets done before its too late...

[@sethseller111]

I stayed in santorini last summer and my hotel room was RIGHT where that floating ring marker is. I looked at it every morning but didn’t think anything of it. Now I have terrible chills from watching this video. The marker is in a lot of my vacation photos.

[@Destroyer995X]

Never knew about this ship's sinking buts it's interesting to know somebody would go out and keep this history

[@dizzydevil547]

I knew and have never forgotten it as Louis cruises at the time chartered a LOT of their cruise fleet to Thomson cruises and sailed on many of their ships through Thomson cruses (now Marella)

[@profoundcake]

It's incredible to hear a first-hand perspective and see live footage from the sinking. Those images at night were especially haunting. Thank you, as always, for the diligent research and respect you give to these stories.

[@alessm2206]

Have you seen the Costa Concordia video? That live footage has stayed with me since I've watched that BSF video.

[@randomrazr]

they had a chance to tow it to safety.....idiots

[@alessm2206]

@@randomrazr Are we the idiots or the way the ship was handled?

[@randomrazr]

@@alessm2206 the way they moved the ship. they had it in their hands an decided...lets take a break and leave it LOL

[@profoundcake]

@@alessm2206 YES! The story and those images from that video constantly pop up in my mind.

[@AlfaGiuliaQV]

Birka princess was an institution among us Åland islanders, bringing cruise tourists from sweden and providing workplaces for the locals at sea. All of us were very sad to see her go under on tv...

[@ryancrowe7929]

I remember when this happened. I was 9 years old and it was just when I was getting into sunken ships and seeing this on the news blew my mind.

[@ChristionGirl45]

I've seen many videos of ships sinking into the sea, yet every time, there is still that feeling of hopelessness and dread, as you helplessly watch it be concumed by the sea. I'm glad almost everyone survived, and thank you Jake for covering this story. I always enjoy the ones about ships!

[@alexanderolsson6632]

This ship was also featured in the Swedish television series "Rederiet" and she was named Freja there.

[@swedishmeatball4382]

Hence the guy posing with the ship around the 2.01 mark, as he had one of the more prominent roles in Rederiet.

[@robertobaird1015]

I didn’t even know this incident even happened until you uploaded this video. The only cruise-ship disaster that I am much more familiar with was the Costa Concordia from 2012. I was around 9 and a half years old when I first saw images of the partially sunken ship on the news, just before I went off to school!

[@lellesunk]

Ever heard of Estonia that sunk 1994? Huge disaster with 852 dead people.

[@DennisAlexis]

I traveled on Birka Princess as a kid together with my parents. It was also used as the exterior of the ship in Swedish 90s soap opera "Rederiet" which is still a cult favourite here. I see you use some pics with actors from the show in it.

[@DS-dd7vf]

Classic intro: kzbin.info/www/bejne/sIXJfJaImM6Vr8k

[@jofawe]

Almost a crime to not have this information in the video 🤣. Rederiet is a bigger part of that boats history than anything.

[@DennisAlexis]

@@jofawe Hahaha true! At least for Swedes.

[@DDdreamer90]

So did I! I remember being seated in that big front window watching the radar beam spinning. They also had a mascot called Sjörövar-Birger (Birger the Pirate) who entertained us kids and sent us on a treasure hunt throughout the ship. Good memories, so weird to imagine the ship is sunk in the mediterranean.

[@xmasgirl3048]

I was a passenger on the Sea Diamond 1yr prior to the sinking. I remember we were in the bar, dance floor area. There was a gentleman sitting at the club’s bar, drinking non stop. I am an US citizen and was dancing and drinking with some Australian tourists. One of them spoke up and said “that’s comforting, that’s our captain “ I went back to my room and told my then husband, the captain was going to sink this ship. One yr later, he did.

[@EM0tZ3]

Being from Stockholm I remember seeing Birka Princess (this ship) and Birka Paradise at the harbor. When going on a cruise I'd always wanted to go with Paradise instead of Princess because I liked that ship more. So I have never had the opportunity to go with Princess before it got sold.

[@PRR5406]

Best narrative I've seen for a passenger ship loss. The young woman's testimony was tempered and measured, without hysteria or enhancement. Thank you for using actual footage of the ship and the ship wreckage.

[@LuisAngelSantos]

Wonderful video on this forgotten sinking. You wanna know which one you should do in the future? The sinking of the MV Sewol, a South Korean ferry whose Captain committed a Schettino and left while around 450 students were left behind… and the Korean government tried to cover up the sinking.

[@BNuts]

Another weird case where nobody seemed to be sure of what to do, or seemed to want to do anything, either during the sinking, or afterward. For a year. More people died on the _Sewol_ , but that story has an end, right? _Sea Diamond_ remains an ongoing concern, primarily for lack of money and a decision.

[@stefanschneider3681]

Yeah, now you mention it I remember! What a terrifying story and if I remember right, it is connected to dark times of asian history, especially of Japan and Korea.

[@LethalJizzle]

The channel Brick Immortar made a really thorough 2 part documentary on the sinking of the Sewol.

[@pavlazelena1929]

There are already good videos about that on youtube

[@frankb5693]

Jake, this video was fantastic and even more real with the survivor’s commentary. I was in Greece a few years ago and remember seeing the site with the circular booms. Our tour director told us it was the site of a sunken ship, but I had no idea it was a massive cruise ship. I am amazed by the true story. Thanks very much!

[@i_am_ava]

I’m glad that Gabriella is able to smile & laugh after all these years when going back to those scary moments! ❤ and it was good to read she’s happy & still cruises today!

[@lauralu4861]

i found it very disrespectful....actually.

[@iloveowls90]

@@lauralu4861 no its not disrespectful its been15 years since it happened she needs happiness! this was probably tough for her to talk about it but she managed! SHE WAS ON THE SHIP so if she can laugh about she is allowed to MOVE ON

[@lauralu4861]

@@iloveowls90 thank you for your OPINION - but it is just that. I wonder how the families would feel. Sorry...it came off a little inconsiderate....in my OPINION. But thanks.

[@autumnoranges1719]

​@@lauralu4861ever thought that her laughing was her trying to cope with having survived through a traumatic event and having to retell its story?

[@kneeclaws2389]

My mom and her friend visited Greece for two weeks in April/May of 2007, and they were supposed to be on the Sea Diamond, but after the sinking they got redirected to the Thomson ship The Emerald. I was ten at the time and had just recently become obsessed with the Titanic and ships in general. I just remember us all being a little worried about the possibility of it happening again. While they were on the replacement cruise, my mom got several photos of the wreck site and the markers around it, as they went past it. I haven’t really ever seen anyone cover anything on the wreck since. I really enjoyed the video and Gabriella recalling her experience. Hopefully a resolution is reached soon before the wreck causes an even bigger environmental crisis

[@TheAeroAvatar]

You knocked it out of the park again, man! I remember this story, and as someone fascinated by cruise ships I'm glad to see this revisited. It was definitely the biggest ship disaster I can remember before the Costa Concordia sank. Unbelievable that even now, nobody has taken greater action to limit the damage done by the wreck. They're running out of time to prevent a second disaster involving Sea Diamond.

[@stevejord1]

I am watching your channel for years. So glad you finally did the sea diamond. Thank you! One day before me and my family were to get onboard for our cruise, it sank.

[@pajon82]

This ship was one of the most famous in Sweden. The TV-series "Rederiet" was very popular here with 318 episodes. The ship was called Freja.

[@laurat1129]

It sounds like Sweden's version of the US TV series of Princess Cruise "The Love Boat"?

[@MLennholm]

You forgot to mention why _Rederiet_ made this ship famous. It's because it was used for exterior shots to represent the ship in the show.

[@MLennholm]

@@laurat1129 Kinda, but much more dramatic and even dark at times

[@pajon82]

@@MLennholm Not only... Bridge, Engine room and deck!

[@TecumsehRulesbcserk]

By far my favorite thing from you was the Achille Lauro and Oceanos. If you ask me those two cases were caused by neglect and cutting corners. The Oceanos wasn’t maintained very well and the Achille Lauro was running on engines built in 1944.

[@balazs7235]

Events like these always just make my mind go crazy. A ship this size, being so close to land, sinking so fast and happening as recently as it did. I am left speechless as it feels... unreal.

[@NYCDemonDiva]

Been here for a long time, I just want you to know how much I enjoy your storytelling and content! Keep up the good work

[@n.g.4852]

As i Swede i think this is extra fascinating. Swedens biggest soap opera ever called "Rederiet" (i guess simply translates to "The shipping company") took place on a cruice ship. The ship in that show was modelled efter this very ship, and when you saw the ship from outside it was the real "Birka Princess", only hey had covered the name with the name it had in the show; "MS Freja". The show ran between 1992-2002 (over 300 episodes) and was watched by 1,5-2 million people (out of 8-9 million living in sweden at the time) so it fair to say a lot of people here has som kind of connection to this ship. The show ended in 2002, and to know that the real ship sank just a few years later is a bit strange... The man at 2:03 is a very famous Swedish actor named Bert-Åke Varg. He was on the show for all of its durance. Here is the intro to the show and Birka Princess/MS Sea Diamond is central. kzbin.info/www/bejne/sIXJfJaImM6Vr8k

[@smokeonthewater5287]

Many of the ex Sweden-Finland ferries have been in fatal or near fatal accidents. This one, Estonia, Sally Albatross etc. Makes you think of how safe you actually are on these ferries even today.

[@brian5o]

Hello Jake! I just wanted to wish you and your wife a very Merry Christmas! Thank you both very much for your wonderful documentary videos, you have no idea how much I appreciate them and I am sure I am far from the only one that does. You both are awesome and are such great documentarians and storytellers! I hope you both are keeping warm. Thank you both so very much for all that you do to document history.

[@Markmeister1989]

I actually worked on Birka Princess successor the Birka Paradise and many of the crew members talked very fondly about Birka Princess. Sadly the shipping company Birka Cruises was shut down during the pandemic.

[@JesseGillett]

Great video Jake! Awesome to see some more attention brought to this mainly unknown story!

[@coasttocoaststudios2009]

Hi everyone I wanna be top comment

[@BrightSunFilms]

Thanks again Jesse!

[@therealtony2009]

oh hello

[@wannaplaythisdavid]

@@coasttocoaststudios2009 well dont expect to get what you want

[@danquaylesitsspeltpotatoe8307]

14:28 Typical heavy metals found in all fish from europe!

[@Inesdysphoria]

I remember hearing about this when i was extremely young, It was so surprising to me that something like this could ever happen. I loved this video, thanks for providing it.

[@euanthepianoboy]

Hey Jake, I just want to say that I’ve followed you from the early days and honestly, your content cinematic and beyond legendary. With love from Scotland 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 😊

[@rossvinskas]

When Jake come out with a new video, the entire family stops and watches it! This one is truly shocking and I would have never known about it unless you documented it. Thanks for the amazing videos!

[@elysium694]

i would just like to say, you have the perfect voice for a video like this. like, you're easy to understand and you speak clearly without sounding like a robot and that's like... apparently really hard to find. love your ship content :)

[@905draiden2]

Your production quality is top tier for the type of videos you make love the channel keep it up

[@tamarriver3338]

I've been wanting a Video about this disaster since a lot of people haven't heard of it. Thanks for making this video!

[@nunyabizznizz7326]

always love seeing new content from you....thank you jake!👍👍

[@merik2001]

I remember seeing the video of the sinking many years ago when I was little but I was never really able to find a lot of information on it. Thank your for finally telling her full story

[@cjr21]

These types of videos deserve broadcasting. They’re so well put together

[@tdestroyer1882]

Great video! I love how all this phenomenal content is completely free and I appreciate it so much! Vid suggestion: I would love a video on Estline and the MS Estonia

[@critical_always]

The way you tell stories is so compelling. The irony how in the background the circus of cruiseships just keeps going. And probably none of them would be prepared to take responsibility when it happens again.

[@aidanshay5846]

It's always a good day when Jake uploads a maritime video. Also, PLEASE do the MV Explorer. An Explorer video would be glorious!

[@BrightSunFilms]

Maybe if there’s enough media on it!

[@aidanshay5846]

@@BrightSunFilms There’s a documentary on it if I remember correctly. It’s part of the “Disasters at Sea” series.

[@therealtony2009]

@@BrightSunFilms please do it jake

[@kiki1573]

The images of the ship at night gives me chills. It looks so creepy.

[@youknowwho189]

Just another great story told by BSF. Love the channel and all of the stuff you cover. Cheers

[@alexanderm4379]

Magnificent video, Jake, on a topic that I believe is rarely discussed about on KZbin and the internet as a whole. I remember distinctly about the sinking of the Sea Diamond some two years after the incident had occurred. In fact, the Sea Diamond is one of several ships that led me to be interested in cruise ships and ocean liners in general (along with the Titanic and the Oceanos). As a young kid, the ship fascinated me on just how things had unfolded on a relatively modern cruise ship. This was, of course, before the likes of the Costa Concordia had occurred some years later. I remembered clicking onto the Wikipedia page and repeatedly reading the whole article just to get a glimpse the ship’s early history and how things unraveled on that fateful day in 2006. I remembered seeing photographs of the ship sinking aimlessly into the Mediterranean, and the video of it slowing going down at night and revealing the last plunge as morning rose. However, what I believe is what makes this topic so interesting is the fact that, as you mentioned, nobody seems to remember much about the sinking of the Sea Diamond or even care about it. Sure, people might know about the Costa Concordia disaster because of Captain Schettino’s misguided direction and evacuation, or the Sewol ferry tragedy that led to a protest in South Korea that caused the then-president to resign; but nobody talks about the long-term issues that impacts the community of Santorini then and now. People have simply forgotten about the whole fiasco between the Greek government and Louis Cruises (now Celestyal Cruises). Much like the community of Santorini, it infuriates me that Louis/Celestyal keeps dodging the bullet when it comes to the responsibility of the clean-up and removal of the wreck. Nobody wants a ticking time bomb in their backyards left unchecked just because some company is too lazy and careless for something they don’t want to deal with. Again, Jake, you did a fantastic job on this one. Your video essay into this little-known topic brings more attention to a wider audience who should know more about the sinking and aftermath of a forgotten ship. Keep up the good work, Jakes!

[@YukariAkiyamaTanks]

Very interesting. Im pretty sure this is the only video that goes into detail about her history and the disaster. Thank you jake!

[@afp5013]

I was on the ship about 8 months before it sank, and my cabin was on the same floor as the victims that perished. Even though I wasn't there when it happened the incident still gave me nightmares for years.

[@bardofarmagh]

Never really seen anyone talk about this in detail before, and I'm really glad to see you of all people be the first, cheers jake!

[@smedley5215]

Grateful for your channel bro. Keep it up

[@Frissegast]

Amazing how accurate and captivating your videos are. Every time, I am impressed. Keep up the good work!

[@BrightSunFilms]

Thank you so much!

[@Killerfin100]

Please do more ship disaster videos!! They're so well made and so interesting. I'd love to see you discuss Estonia, or Brittanic or even Empress of Ireland

[@Trenton-om9qs]

I forgot about this ship but after seeing this video I remember seeing footage of it a long time ago when I went through my ship phase. Great video as usual

[@SaturnCanuck]

Wow Jake that was fascinating. One of your best yet!

[@owellafehr5191]

Interesting to know more about this, and especially to hear from an actual survivor. I remember hearing about the sinking of the Sea Diamond because I (13 at the time) had just gotten deeply interested in the Titanic throughout the previous year. It was the first 'real' shipwreck I could remember happening during my lifetime. (Obviously there were others but none I was aware of until then). What also struck me was the fact that one of the two passengers who died, Maud Allain, was only a few years older than me (16). Maybe as a result of this I went through a stupid phase of really wanting to experience and survive a shipwreck, which in hindsight was not only embarrassing but insensitive as hell. I'm still as obsessed with disasters at sea as I was back then, but (hopefully) not in such an immature way. As for the Sea Diamond, it's nice to see it getting some attention, since I feel like it was largely overshadowed by the Costa Concordia's sinking 5 years later.

[@jacksonclavierproductions]

Amazing video as always. Hopefully this video leads to the sea diamond becoming more well known by the general public

[@BrightSunFilms]

I hope so too!

[@stephaniemcquillan1930]

Interesting video Jake and your narration is brilliant. I hadn’t heard of this ship/shipwreck before. Thanks!

[@PrincessSapphireSpirit24]

I'm Absolutely addicted to this channel, the most interesting types of videos for me are Abandoned and Vidoes like these on ships and disasters... oh who am I kidding all your videos are awesome

[@gc7820]

I’ve seen pictures and footage of the evacuation from the ship but never knew the full story before, thank you

[@MichaelEilers]

Awesome writing and so nice to have a first-hand account, that sounds absolutely terrifying to experience.

[@jordanriegel5082]

Such an amazing video, always love it when you upload. Can’t wait to watch the next one! Keep up the great work.

[@LaynaLae]

Amazing video as always Jake! Man, I just ask that God blesses this entire situation. So sad how it all turned out. I look forward to your next one!

[@maxwasson2000]

-Cruise ship hits an underwater rock -Underwater rock causes cracks in the ship to open watertight compartments -Passengers notice something's wrong with the ship -Cruise ship starts to list -Passengers rush to their muster stations -The lifeboats are launched from the ship awkwardly because of the listing -The ship is listed on the coast of a Mediterranean island -The captain is the one to blame for the disaster -The cruise ship company offers survivors very little compensation NOW WHERE HAVE I HEARD THIS BEFORE?

[@MDimitroulakos]

Thank you for doing the Sea Diamond story! I had asked for this at the Achillee Lauro. Just to know, when they went to extract the fuel and dangerous substances from the wreck, a day or two after, the ship doing that just took off and after a long time they came back.

[@huntlewis8938]

WOW! this was a great one Jake! Fascinating. I did not know about this one! The environmental impact is sad. Also, Thanks to @GabriellaInTheSky for sharing your experience!

[@BrightSunFilms]

Thanks!

[@quantic7722]

Can't believe it's 15 years this year! Remember watching it unfold live on TV over here. Such a shame there was loss of life but its such a miracle this was so close to land

[@Fusilier7]

This reminds me of the sinking of the Costa Concordia, which also struck a reef due to navigational error, only the Sea Diamond fully sank and is an environmental disaster for Santorini.

[@nigelbond4056]

Congratulations Jake. This was a terrific yet sensitive report of what must have been a truly scary experience for all on board. Your videos are first class👏

[@BrightSunFilms]

Thanks so much!

[@FoxyKing-qc8mf]

I really love you bright sun films, I love cruise ship disasters at any type of Maritime disasters. I love your videos, and rip to those 2 people who died.. 😞😞😞

[@zylbrh]

Am I the only one who Appreciates his videos so much I got curiosity stream to learn more and watch his videos to learn about interesting historical events?

[@ThemeParkScienceOfficial]

I love this channel! Thanks!!

[@TTHBLOX_]

Another bright suns ship video. Awesome

[@ineedcaffeinenow.5977]

YESSSSS IVE BEEN WAITING FOR ANOTHER SHIP VID >:D YOUR CHANEL IS AMAZINGGGG!!!!

[@lukestarkiller441]

Another great video! Never heard about this one before. Crazy how something like this is still an ongoing issue, compared to how fast Concordia was dealt with.

[@stefanschneider3681]

I guess it‘s because Concordia was so dominantly visible …

[@bexnewt]

​@@stefanschneider3681 I concur. It was that secondary location.

[@chloescars22]

Really interesting to get a survivor's perspective!

[@Mtb90818]

You are one of the best ship chanels i know and you make me happy becouse of the abonded and bankrupt series

[@douglas.barbosa]

Amazing story. Thanks for sharing Jake! Cheers.

[@eloramaxwell7020]

Never stop making these. Thanks.

[@AryaTheTerrorTabby]

Thank you for covering this! I have been interested in this sinking in particular because my mom knew someone on board. She was there with one of the school trips with her daughter. I continue to enjoy your videos 😊

[@SaraSpruce]

The ship that Louis Cruises bought to replace the Sea Diamond after the sinking, the Crystal, also has a pretty interesting history. Originally built as a Baltic cruiseferry in 1980, a massive fire broke out onboard in 1990 while she (then known as the Sally Albatross) was undergoing renovations at a dock in Sweden, burning for three days and more or less completely destroying the ship. Everything above the waterline was then torn down, and the hull was used to build a new fully-fledged cruiseship still bearing the Sally Albatross name. In 1994, she ran aground and had to be beached on the coast of Finland to prevent her from sinking. She was refloated, repaired, and returned to service, first in the Bahamas and then in Asia, before returning to the Baltic in 2002, where she continued cruising until being bought by Louis Cruises and moving to the Mediterranean in 2007.

[@moneyblock8566]

The photos of her sinking are surreal in their own way. The most beautiful cruise ship in the world sinking into a frozen water.

[@markusairola]

Looks like the Crystal makes an appearance at 2:20 in the video. It's a ship that's definitely has had her share of bad luck. There was even a small fire on board a few months ago.

[@idontknowwhatimdoinghere]

The Sea diamond, then known as Birka Princess, was seen in a news report about the 1994 fire that the Sally Albatross sufferred. P.S. bet BP was thinking "Whoa, that must be terrifying, if not absolutely painful" when she saw that.

[@Weffi76]

I rember seeing it on the news, when sally albatross was beached, it was middle of the winter, and if I recall, she was there for weeks, due to bad weather and to much ice.

[@youshimimi]

Thank you for bringing light to the issue. Cruises are an environmental disaster for so many reasons, my heart goes out to the locals who pay the price for it.

[@Blue-Star-Line]

Really well done, Jake.

[@ivrunner5043]

Another great video. I consider myself a very up on current and past events of the last 20 years. A 45 year old person. I can't recall ever hearing about this story when it happened, or its' lingering problems.

[@TheOceanChannel2]

wanted to share my story with this ship. in 2006 my parents were on this ship as a 1 day ferry trip to Santorini. but apon going to lifeboat stations, they were told that since thy were not staying overnight they did not have to do it. the last thing they told me was that they wandered what would they do if the ship sank... amazing video tho and I hope the wreck becomes a diving site someday

[@gofast3209]

You do some great videos sir!!! Its amazing that it was that deep so close to land

[@hannesw.9088]

I remember travelling with this ship when it was the Birka Princess. It felt a bit surreal to see news footage a few years later of the same ship sinking, still recognizing it. I enjoyed the video, it made me learn more about the ship and its unfortunate fate.

[@thesketchydude1315]

was proud to be a part of this documentary! finally got to put my backlog of Technical documents and early concept photos to good use haha Excellent work as always Jake!

[@ceedee9186]

Thanks for making a video on this subject. As a Greek who watched the entire thing unfold in front of me I appreciate the effort.

[@BrightSunFilms]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@ryanfranklinbrown8790]

Amazing video brother! Keep up the great work and content. Much love ❤️

[@BrightSunFilms]

Thank you so much!