M/S Herald of Free Enterprise
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M/S Herald of Free Enterprise was a roll-on roll-off (RORO) car and passenger ferry that sank on March 6, 1987, killing 193 passengers, due to negligence by the crew and company operating the ship.
The ferry was built by Schichau-Unterweser AG in 1980 and owned by Townsend Thoresen, and had two sister ships: Pride of Free Enterprise and Spirit of Free Enterprise. She worked the English Channel ferry routes between Dover and Calais, and Dover and Zeebrugge.
Being a RORO, the Herald had doors at the bow and stern. In the early evening of March 6 1987 she capsized in the approaches to the Belgian port of Zeebrugge en route to Dover, England. When the ferry left port not all the water had been pumped out of the bow ballast tanks, leaving the ship three feet down at the bow. But what really caused the tragedy was the failure to close the vehicular entrance door at the stern. The ship had a crew of 80 and carried 459 passengers, 81 cars, 3 buses, and 47 trucks. She capsized in about 90 seconds after leaving the harbour, ending on its side half-submerged in shallow water just 100 yards (90 m) from the shore. Only a fortuitous turn to starboard in her last moments prevented the ship from sinking entirely in much deeper water.
The disaster resulted in the death of 193 people. Many of those on board had taken advantage of a promotion in The Sun newspaper for cheap trips to the continent. Most of the victims were trapped inside the ship and succumbed to hypothermia because of the frigid water. It was not until the end of April 1987 that the ferry was refloated. It soon became apparent to the rescuers that the Herald had left the port of Zeebrugge with the bow doors open. The disaster brought the highest death toll of any British vessel in peacetime since the sinking of the luxury liner Titanic 75 years earlier.
After a public inquiry into the sinking in July 1987, Britain's Lord Justice Sheen published a report that castigated Townsend-Thoresen, the ship's owners as part of the P&O Group, and identified a "disease of sloppiness" and negligence at every level of the corporation's hierarchy. It was confirmed that the ferry left port with her bow doors open and the extra ballast still in her tanks. Water began flowing onto the car deck and the vessel quickly became unstable. In October 1987, a coroner's inquest jury into the capsizing returned verdicts of unlawful killing. Many of the individuals involved at the company were prosecuted for manslaughter, as was the operating company, P&O Ferries (Dover) Ltd for corporate manslaughter. The disaster was one of a number that influenced thinking leading to the Public Interest Disclosure Act 1998.
A few scenes filmed live by the media of the disaster were used by film director Krzysztof Kieslowski as part of the conclusion of his film Three Colors: Red that bound together the Three Colors trilogy.
In Britain, a group named Ferry Aid released a charity record.
See also
- Princess Victoria, a similar ferry disaster in 1953.
- Estonia, a similar ferry disaster in 1994.
External link
- Hundreds trapped as car ferry capsizes (http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/march/6/newsid_2515000/2515923.stm) (BBC News)
- Zeebrugge disaster was no accident (http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/october/8/newsid_2626000/2626265.stm) (BBC News)nl:Herald of Free Enterprise