The woman went missing from the Norwegian Epic. Photo / News Corp Australia
The woman went missing from the Norwegian Epic. Photo / News Corp Australia
Paul Rossington and Kristen Schroder had been arguing in a restaurant aboard the Carnival Spirit as it cruised along the New South Wales coast in May 2013.
A short time later, Schroder, 26, slipped and went overboard. Rossington went in after her and the pair were never seen again.
That night, the couple's names were added to a list that has this week claimed another tragic addition.
The search has been called off for a female passenger travelling between the French city of Cannes and Palma de Mallorca in Spain after she went overboard.
The Korean woman, dressed in pink pyjamas, has not been seen since she disappeared from the Norwegian Epic cruise ship on Saturday.
In a short statement, the owner of the luxury vessel said a search and rescue operation had begun immediately authorities were told the 63-year-old went overboard.
"Sadly, the guest has not yet been found. Our thoughts and prayers are with the individual's family during this difficult time," the statement read.
The Norwegian Epic was in the port of Barcelona on Sunday.
The tragic incident is the latest in as many as 20 similar incidents since 2000. According to a website that collects data on individuals missing from cruises or ferries, 340 people have gone overboard since 1995 at an average of more than 17 per year.
Most of those who do go overboard are rescued, but some are never seen again.
PAUL ROSSINGTON AND KRISTEN SCHRODER
The NSW couple had been together only about nine months before they took a cruise together in 2013.
On May 8, CCTV captured the pair in conversation at the ship's casino, appearing to argue.
A short time later, Schroder, 26, slipped and went overboard. Rossington went in after her and the pair were never seen again.
CCTV footage from the night appeared to show Schroder falling into the water about 8.48pm followed by another figure, believed to be Rossington, a few moments later.
Their disappearance was not reported until the cruise ship docked at Sydney's Circular Quay the next day.
An inquest into the couple's deaths found Rossington went into the water to save Schroder. He received a posthumous bravery award.
Paul Rossington and Kristen Schroder. Photo / News Corp Australia
His mother, Christeen Rossington, said the NSW-based paramedic died a hero "doing what he loved, which was caring for those around him".
"We are filled with pride that his final, brave and selfless act, to help someone else, is being recognised with this posthumous Australian Bravery Award," she said.
"This award places our son forever among a special group of heroes who made a deliberate choice to step from safety into danger to provide help to someone.
"For our family, this award is testament to the fact that Paul's ultimate sacrifice will never be forgotten."
SAMANTHA BROBERG
Texas woman Samantha Broberg went overboard while sailing on the Carnival Liberty cruise ship in May 2016.
Video from the ship's security cameras showed the 33-year-old falling from the ship and into the Gulf of Mexico about 2am on the morning of her disappearance.
It wasn't until the following day that anybody reported her missing, and by then it was far too late.
"Unfortunately, it appears the guest may have gone overboard early this morning," Carnival said in a statement at the time.
Friends on an all-girls' trip said Broberg was not ready to go to bed when the night was over and decided to stay up.
Samantha Broberg fell overboard on a Carnival cruise ship. Photo / Facebook
Her friend Sarah alerted crew members that her friend was missing in the morning and Carnival staff did not initially take her seriously.
"Walking off the boat and realising three of us went on and only two of us were getting off was a bit of a reality check."
Broberg's husband said his wife had been drinking excessively on the night she vanished.
"She herself had paid for 16 drinks and they'd also given her a free drink or more," he told Inside Edition.
Documents filed as part of an FBI investigation show a man was with Broberg when she vanished. On the 10th-floor deck, he watched her fall from the ship, documents say, before he had a beer and went to bed.
Michelle Vilborg's husband still doesn't know what happened to his wife after she went to shower before bed and was never seen again.
The 50-year-old was reported missing on June 15, 2009, after she vanished from the Carnival Holiday as it sailed in the Gulf of Mexico.
Swede Vilborg, 68, said his wife turned on the shower before he fell asleep. The Birmingham News reports the towels in the couple's room were not used and Vilborg woke to the boat stopping.
Vilborg said about 11pm an alarm went off signalling a passenger was missing. When he couldn't find his wife, he told crew members. But he never got any answers.
"I have no idea what happened. I have thought of every scenario of why she would leave the room," he said.
"I still hope for a miracle (that) she'll walk in the door and say, 'I'm fine'," he said, "but I doubt that will happen."
British nanny Rebecca Coriam was not a first-time cruise passenger — she was a seasoned staff member aboard a Disney cruise ship.
Coriam, 24, disappeared on March 22, 2011. Crew aboard the ship, sailing between California and Mexico, sounded an alarm and commenced a search but her disappearance was ruled a tragic accident.
Her family, however, believes there's more to the story. Mike and Ann Coriam said everything was fine on the night before she went missing but something doesn't add up.
"As far as we know she had a normal day on Monday. She had a meal on the Monday night with her friends and everything was fine," Ann said, according to The Sun.
Rebecca Coriam was working as a nanny when she went missing from a Disney cruise line. Photo / News Corp Australia
The newspaper reported that CCTV footage from the ship showed Coriam on her phone on the first deck "wearing what looks like men's clothes" and "tugging at them repeatedly and showing signs of distress".
The Sun reports Disney made an out-of-court settlement with Coriam's parents, who have not commented on the investigation since.
