claim: A Royal Caribbean vessel fired upon and sank a Carnival Cruise liner in "disputed waters" on the high seas.
origin: On 20 July 2017, humor site The Onion published an article appearing to claim that thousands of passengers died in a â€œclashâ€ between two cruise ships in the waters off the Bahamas: < COCO CAY, BAHAMASâ€”In the latest clash between rivals that have long vied for control of highly prized cruise routes, a barrage of cannon fire from Royal Caribbeanâ€™s M.S. Allure of the Seas sank a Carnival Cruise Line ship that crossed into disputed waters off the coast of the Bahamas, sources said Thursday. The Allure, an Oasis-class recreational vessel with a standing crew of around 2,300, opened fire on Carnivalâ€™s M.S. Magic after it allegedly ignored repeated warnings not to approach Coco Cay, a private island owned by Royal Caribbean. After sustaining several direct hits, the enemy shipâ€™s hull reportedly ruptured, immediately flooding its bingo hall and spa with seawater, collapsing several theme restaurants, and ultimately killing all 3,675 guests on board. > Although The Onion was well-known as a satirical outlet, not all readers were in on the joke: < Report from â€œthe Onionâ€ (7/20/17) states the Royal Caribbean Cruise ship, Allure of the Seas, had attacked and sunk the Carnival Magic Cruise ship, killing all on board (over 3,400 people) in the waters of Coco Cay. It would be appreciated if you could validate or disprove this report. Thanks for your time and research into this report. ;-) > Whether for clarification purposes or simply out of amusement, Royal Caribbean, one of the cruise operators named in the piece, tweeted shortly after the article appeared (making clear it was humor): < Great laugh to brighten your day! https://t.co/eHNk6v6C2A â€” Royal Caribbean Blog (@theRCLblog) July 20, 2017 > The Royal Caribbean and Carnival Cruise Lines clash story was hardly the first Onion bit to confuse social media users. Prior items mistaken for news included claims about cleaning and entertainment at Seaworld, and a piece about Mike Penceâ€™s adherence to Biblical principles.