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On the morning of June 5, 2023, while navigating in Glacier Bay NP, the USCG requested the ship to assist the UnCruise Adventures vessel Wilderness Discoverer, which had lost power and was drifting after an engine room fire.
At 7:30 a.m. (3 p.m. UTC), the Wilderness Discoverer (carrying a total of 78 persons, or 51 passengers and 27 crew) contacted the USCG Sector Juneau. The nearby Sapphire Princess assisted in the disembarkation of all 51 passengers and 17 crew members; the remaining 10 crew members remained on board. All disembarked passengers were conveyed to Sapphire Princess via lifeboat.
As the fire left the ship without power/propulsion and communications, Sapphire Princess contacted the US Coast Guard. All evacuated passengers were transferred to the cruise yacht Baranof Wind (1984-built, MMSI 363565630), which transported them to Bartlett Cove Seaplane Base, at approximately 3:15 p.m. (23:15 UTC), at which time the USCG released the vessel for departure.
The incident occurred during the 7-day “Voyage of the Glaciers Cruise” (itinerary May 31 – June 7, from Vancouver to Whittier), which visited Alaskan destinations Ketchikan (June 2), Juneau (June 3), Skagway (June 4) and Glacier Bay (June 5).