of Hamburg and First Officer Reiling. On 17 January the ship arrived in Puerto Madryn, and on the morning of 20 January in Punta Arenas. The next day the ship sailed in bad weather but found calm seas in the Beagle Channel near Tierra del Fuego and reached Ushuaia around 1900 hours [7 pm]. On the morning of 22 January, Monte Cervantes weighed anchor and cruised in the direction of Yendegaia Bay, to the west. The captain steered a safe route around Les Eclaireurs Lighthouse and chose a route through vast fields of seaweed and numerous small islands. Collision About 12:40 pm, the lookout on the bridge spotted a submerged rock directly ahead and the captain ordered an immediate change of course. This course was confirmed around 12:43 pm by First Officer Reiling using location bearings. Seconds later the ship struck a rock which did not show on the nautical charts at that time. The outer skin of Monte Cervantes was ripped open and water poured in. According to a passenger, there was a "formidable breach in the keel and a thunderous din of roaring engines and then, suddenly, the boat leaned left." The resulting shock and vibrations caused innumerable plates, cups, and even furniture to break. The hatches were closed, but soon Monte Cervantes slipped a little and slid slightly back into the sea. More water poured into the interior and flooded the cargo hold and steerage. Evacuation and assistance Immediately after Monte Cervantes slipped from the rock, the command was given to lower away the lifeboats from E-Deck. This initially resulted in a small panic among the passengers, but the crew explained that the 30 boats remaining would still be enough to receive an additional 500 passengers, and the anxiety was relieved. All 1,117 passengers and 255 of the crew members were successfully evacuated and began rowing against the wind toward Ushuaia. A passenger later reported that the rescue was not always pleasant: "...a high wind rose and enormous waves lifted us to a height of ten metres [33 feet], letting us fall again in great precipices, nearly turning over the boats. It was terrifying! The waves drenched us with glacial water, from head to toe. My legs were stiff and my right arm was paralyzed after clinging for so long to the edge of the boat." At the time of the collision the wireless operator had immediately