Brits’ race against the clock to get home for Xmas after being trapped on cruise ship battered by storm & 70ft waves

A BRITISH couple fear they’ll miss Christmas after Storm Pia battered their Norwegian cruise ship and left them stranded in the middle of the North Sea.

Grandad Brian Launder, 75, and his wife Carole’s birthday were celebrating her 70th birthday with their first ever cruise when 20 metre tall giant waves smashed into the ship and left them stranded.

Brian Launder, 75, and his wife Carole, 70, on board the MS Maud beside a Christmas display before the ship was hit by a stormSWNS

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Great waves seen from the MS Maud’s windows which left the ship stranded[/caption]

Scenes of damage inside the MS Maud cruise ship after it was struck by a storm on December 21SWNS

The couple are aboard the MS Maud, a Norwegian cruise ship which takes tourists along stretches of the coastline where larger, traditional boats can’t reach.

The boat had departed from Tilbury Docks on December 9 but ran into rough waters and lost its engine power, along with all navigational equipment, on December 21.

Brian says he saw waves reaching their cabin window despite being on deck floor five and said he saw water running down the corridors.

The MS Maud had cut its tour short to avoid the storm but strong winds caught up, causing tall waves to wipe out the ships power.

The couple are still aboard the cruise ship but are being towed back to Bremerhaven where they’ll aim to get fly back to the UK in time for Christmas.

Brian, from Richmond, North Yorkshire, said: “We thought we’d be out here for Christmas.

“At the one stage they were getting the lifeboats ready.

“We set sail on the 9th of December. We were supposed to finish up today (23).

“The cruise had to be cut short as they had to cut through the storm. We spent lots of hours not moving with no power.

“We were talking to the officers and they estimated the waves were 15 to 20 metres.

“The waves were coming up to our window on deck five. We were worried when the water came through the door.

“My wife was so calm, she was helping this lady.

“She got her sorted out. We were worried we’d be here for Christmas, we didn’t know what would happen. We lost power on the engines.

“We lost all the communications and navigation. The captain’s in the lounge. A fishing boat came on side and was trying to help with communication.

“There was a ginger bread house knocked over. There was a table smashed. There was chairs damaged and tables on the floors.

“There was only person injured thankfully. She had a baby in her arms but she went flying.

“Captain had to move the bridge to the passenger lounge due to three windows blown out by wave.

“The ship is being steered from the engine room. There’s a rescue ship alongside providing navigation.”

Brian and his wife Carole now have to travel back to Hamburg at 3am on Sunday for an early morning flight to Frankfurt and then finally back to the UK.

The couple will land at Heathrow at 3.45pm on Christmas Eve but worry they won’t get back to their son’s home in time before Christmas day.

The grandad-of-four added: “Apart from the drama we’ve actually quite enjoyed it.

“We’ve never been on a cruise ship before. I’d definitely go on one again, the crew have been fantastic.

“It went in and around all the passages in Norway and all the small places where big cruise ships can’t go.

“We’ve got to fly from Hamburg at 10am tomorrow morning. Then from Frankfurt to Heathrow 3.45pm, then to Tilbury for the car and then to Worcestershire.

“We knew there was a storm coming, we just didn’t know it would be that bad.”

It comes after an enormous wave engulfed a cruise ship full of Brits and sent passengers flying during a ferocious storm off the UK coast.

A passenger managed to film the dramatic moment in which the terrifying freak wave can be seen smashing into the luxury cruise ship.

The unnamed holidaymaker told the Daily Mail: “I had the bridge camera showing on the TV to try to stop dizziness and just randomly decided to film it! 

“As soon as the wave struck, the TV screen went blank and the ship’s horn distress signal sounded so I knew something was wrong.”

They added how they expected it to be a “rough ride” after previously encountering several other big waves.

According to the passenger, people, fixed tables and chairs were sent sliding across the floor.

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Passengers in life-jackets brace in chairs on board the MS Maud[/caption]

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Storm Pia battered the Norwegian cruise ship and left passengers stranded in the middle of the North Sea, causing damage inside the vessel[/caption]