On the night of September 28, 1994, the sea passenger ferry "Estonia" crashed in the Baltic Sea. This tragedy is considered one of the largest sea disasters and one of the worst mysteries of the 20th century. There were 989 passengers and crew members on board the "Estonia". The ferry took with it 852 human lives to the bottom, 757 people were never found, 95 were identified as dead, and 137 were saved.
On the eve of the tragedy
The Baltic at the end of September 1994 was especially turbulent. There was a gale wind, its speed reached 20 meters per second, waves of up to six meters in height ran ashore, interfering with the mooring of small and medium-sized vessels. The weather report, meanwhile, did not promise any improvement in weather conditions. The wind was getting stronger, the water temperature was no more than 10-11 ° С.
And even such a powerful ferry, which was the "Estonia", as high as a six-story building, designed for 2 thousand passengers, felt the tangible resistance of the waves. He departed from the Port of Tallinn on September 28 for another voyage to the Swedish capital Stockholm. The fog thickened, obstructing visibility. However, navigating in bad weather and high waves is the concern of the captain and crew of the ship. Passengers in warm and comfortable cabins, restaurants and bars did not pay attention to the wind and waves. Someone else danced and drank, others (overwhelmingly) were getting ready for bed: the time was approaching midnight.
"Estonia", which made flights to Stockholm three times a week, even with such a wave height, which was this time in the Baltic, did not slow down. And now she was walking at a speed of about 30 knots per hour.
The ferry hull trembled a little, its removable bow, held in place by powerful locks, experienced tremendous pressure. Cars were located in two special holds, located at the waterline level. The maximum capacity of the ferry is approximately 460 cars or 52 trucks. When parked, they usually enter the holds through the raised bow. It is very convenient: I arrived at the port in my car, loaded it onto the ferry, and I myself went into a comfortable cabin. Upon arrival at the port of destination, get into your car and drive further in the direction you need.
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Ferry Facts
Nowadays, about 4500 vessels of this type are used in the world. True, they all have one common flaw - weak stability. High sides, superstructures, where passengers are in the cabins, and huge (2-3 decks) empty holds, which are mostly filled with cars. They, of course, need to be thoroughly fastened, because if in the holds, God forbid, the cars move, this can be fraught with rather tragic consequences.
During the operation of ships of this class, 12 were wrecked just because of the shift in the center of gravity. This is a very high figure. 1987 - in the port of Zeebrugge (Belgium) the ferry Herald of Free Enterprise capsized. In the icy water, the accident killed 134 people on the day's pleasure trip. A few years later, in the North Sea near the German island of Rügen, the ship "Jan Hevelius" fell on its side. Both overturned ferries had a problem with loading doors. Sea water penetrated through loosely closed locks and flooded the loading decks. Cars that fell off the mountings rolled onto one side, which created a list and this led to a rollover.
About ferry "Estonia"
The ferry "Estonia" was built in 1980 at the German shipyard "Mayer Werft" in the city of Papenburg. The vessel met all international standards. To improve seaworthiness, it was repeatedly updated, even hydrofoils were attached. Then "Estonia" was equipped with the latest automation and electronics, satellite communication devices. The crew was hired strictly by competition, and the crew was headed by the captain with 25 years of sea experience - Arvo Andersen.
Fatal flight
This time there were 30 trucks, 2 buses and cars in its holds. There were still a few hours before the ship arrived in Stockholm. Just enough to have time to sleep and put yourself in order in the morning. On the upper deck in the bar, music thundered, girls from the ballet ensemble dressed in bright masquerade costumes performed their dance program, men and women sat at tables drinking champagne.
However, the pitching became stronger and stronger, the ship was thrown from wave to wave with an incredible roar. The girls from the variety show lost their balance, fell to the floor, and the musicians barely managed to stay in their chairs. At about 12 o'clock in the morning, having apologized to the audience, the musicians decided to end their performance. Spectators and artists have already begun to leave the hall, intending to sleep and rest before arriving at the port.
But 852 people never made it to Stockholm, and they never returned to Tallinn. That September night, the ferry Estonia became an iron tomb for them, taking them to a depth of 90 meters.
Everything happened very quickly
Passengers were still climbing to the upper deck to their cabins, when from the strongest wave they could not withstand, as can be seen, the attachments of the bow - the most vulnerable part of the ship, which experienced the greatest stress. A bank has formed. Probably, the slit in the bow had already been there and water entered the hold through it. Its level gradually increased and reached 50 cm, which exceeded all permissible norms. It was the water that got into the hold that began to create that very dangerous list. Poorly fixed cars and some not fixed trucks at all, from excessive rolling, moved from their place and "floated". Rolling to the other side, they, as you can see, added a roll. A few minutes later, the roll was approaching 30 °, and soon the bow of the ferry was completely ripped off and the ice-cold water poured into the holds.
Experienced captain Arvo Andersen hoped to straighten the ferry. He gave the command not to reduce speed, and the ship buried its bow even more into the water. Four turbines with a total capacity of almost 6 thousand horsepower continued to push the steam forward, and the water instantly filled all the cargo decks.
The roll increased very quickly. Soon water entered the engine room, after a few minutes the engines stopped, and then the emergency lighting went out. Complete darkness fell. The huge ferry rocked on the waves like a light sliver. In this situation, there was only one thing left - to give an SOS signal and save people.
At 00 h 24 min. the branch of the Finnish shipping company on the island of Ute, located 100 km from the city of Turku, unexpectedly received an alarming call sign: “We endure a disaster! Help!”,“We're flooding!”. The Estonian ferry, transmitting SOS signals, reported that all vehicles suddenly stopped working and the power supply was cut off. This could mean only one thing, the ship lost all ability to resist waves and became their prey. How long could it stay on the surface with a six-meter wave?
The distance to the crash site was approximately 35 km. Night, storm at sea … Where to send rescue ships? How to get to the rescue faster? Nevertheless, the Finns immediately organized a rescue: the coast guard ships were sent to the sea, helicopters were lifted into the sky. All ships then at sea were notified. A headquarters was set up in Turku to receive the rescued.
The ships and helicopters that arrived at the crash site of the ferry "Estonia" managed to pick up only 137 people and 42 numb corpses.
For several days and nights, 12 ships and 5 helicopters surveyed the area, hoping to find survivors. The ferry sank at a depth of approximately 90 meters, and no one else was found in the waves. The divers, having carefully examined the severed bow of the vessel, suggested raising it to the surface. The Estonian captains also agreed with this.
Possible versions of death
Who's guilty?
1994, November 18 - the Finnish icebreaker "Nordika" lifted the severed bow part of the ferry "Estonia" from the bottom. A group of specialists began to study it. They were immediately able to discover that both parts - the bow and the hull - were jammed, as a result of which the main lock (which is called the Atlantic) turned out to be non-functional. However, if the captain had not ordered to move at full speed, thereby leaving the waves to carry out their destructive work to the end, then many more people could have been saved - almost everyone. Indeed, according to all technical characteristics, the ferry could stay afloat for 5-6 hours in the event of an accident. And just the beginning of the roll, became destructive for him.
The official version of the tragedy
An official commission of inquiry, which was made up of experts from Finland, Sweden and Estonia, concluded that the ferry destroyed the bow visor - the surface of the vessel, which rises to take on board cars and other cargo.
According to experts, on the "Estonia", built in 1979, the technical requirements for the safety and reliability of the nose visor did not meet more modern requirements.
In a severe storm and at a high speed of the ferry, its visor could not withstand the impact of oncoming waves, which led to its breakdown. After that, storm waves began to engulf the cargo hold. In a few minutes, this caused an increasing list to starboard. When the crew realized all the danger of what was happening and gave an SOS signal, it was already too late - the ferry lay on the starboard side, and a few minutes later went to the bottom. The ferry "Estonia" was lost in just half an hour.
Drug smuggling?
All versions are somehow connected with a certain cargo transported by a ferry.
Some sources claim that just before the ship's departure, two trucks entered the plane without customs inspection. What kind of cargo could have been in them remains a question.
According to one of the most popular versions, the ship was used for drug smuggling. Allegedly, on its last voyage, the ferry was carrying another batch, but the crew found out that the police were already waiting for them in Stockholm. Then the crew members involved in smuggling decided to open the bow visor and throw the cargo into the sea. Having fulfilled their plans, they, however, could not close the visor, and as a result, the steam filled with water, lay down on its side and sank.
But maritime experts do not believe in such a possibility. Such a step in stormy conditions was tantamount to suicide, and the captain could not help but realize this.
Monument to the ferry "Estonia".
Was there Soviet weapons on the ferry?
Several more versions boil down to the fact that the ship was carrying weapons that used to belong to the USSR.
This possibility was indirectly confirmed by one of the heads of the Swedish customs authorities, Sven Peter Olsson, who later admitted that in 1994, the customs actually had an agreement with the Swedish army, according to which vehicles with a cargo of electronics purchased from the Russian army and delivered to the port of Stockholm were not checked. from Tallinn on the passenger ferry "Estonia".
However, in 2005 the Swedish government published a report of the commission of inquiry, which stated that there was no military cargo on the “Estonia” on the day of the crash.
Why didn't they start raising the sunken ferry?
Supporters of a more radical version of the sinking of the ferry "Estonia" are sure that radioactive materials were transported on board, maybe even components of nuclear weapons.
And, oddly enough, this version has an indirect confirmation. The fact is that the sunken ferry, according to an international agreement, was sealed at the bottom with a concrete sarcophagus, and the waters around it are a restricted area controlled by the Finnish Navy.
Those who disagree with the official version of the Estonia ferry crash draw attention to the fact that the authorities categorically refuse to attempt to lift the ship, even though it lies not at the most prohibitive depth, approximately - 83 meters.
Officially, this is done out of respect for the memory of the victims. Opponents say - around Estonia there is an international conspiracy of silence, the purpose of which is to hide the true causes of the catastrophe.
