Clelia II Tossed in Antarctica

Some passengers aboard Travel Dynamic's small expedition ship Clelia II experienced more than just ice and penguins on their voyage to Antarctica.  A taste of the area's often ferocious weather was also in store.

The 290-foot long, 50-foot wide vessel was returning from an Antarctica voyage when it ran into trouble on Tuesday approximately 500 miles south of Ushuaia, Argentina.  Amidst heavy seas common for the area, known as the Drake Passage, a large wave shattered a window on the navigation bridge, shorting out electrical equipment and knocking out one of the ship's engines.

By midday yesterday, however, full propulsion was restored and the ship was heading at normal speed to Ushuaia where it will disembark its passengers.  Eighty-eight passengers, all Americans, are on board, along with seventy-seven crew members.

While neither the ship nor its passengers were in any immediate danger, the video footage captured by passengers aboard National Geographic's Explorer is certainly dramatic.