25/06/2025
When Thick Fog Drove Bermuda Star Into the Rocks Off Falmouth
On the foggy morning of June 10, 1990, the 617-foot cruise ship Bermuda Star ran aground just over a mile off West Falmouth, Massachusetts. While en route from New York to Provincetown during an eight-day cruise to Montreal, the vessel strayed more than a mile off Cleveland Ledge Channel due to near-zero visibility and grounded between Cleveland East Ledge and Old Silver Beach. None of the 680 passengers or 311 crew members were injured, but the grounding tore a 90-foot gash in the ship’s hull and punctured a 96,000-gallon fuel tank.
Roughly 1,500 gallons of diesel oil leaked, creating a mile-long slick. The Coast Guard and local harbor officials responded within hours, containing the spill by noon. Passengers were evacuated by ferry that evening, and the ship was later pulled free by tugboats. Authorities launched an investigation into the cause, considering possible navigational error or mechanical failure. While the environmental impact was far less than the notorious 1969 barge Florida spill, local officials kept watch for any damage to sensitive shellfish habitats around Falmouth.
