10 January 2008
SPIEGEL ONLINE (TALLINN) - The Estonia sank on the night of 28 September 1994, killing 852 people. The ship was traveling from Tallinn to Stockholm. Only 137 of the 989 passengers and crew on board survived the disaster. Until now, it was unsure as to why the ship sank. A research team's calculations, suggested that speed, wave conditions and a turning maneuver sealed the fate of the Estonia. It was not caused by explosives like some speculate. On the night of the disaster the ship's crew had the ferry at full speed through 13-foot waves to make up for delays. The resulting stress caused the bow visor to break off from the hull, which formed a second barrier against the waves. This allowed the vehicle deck, normally 10 feet above the water line to suddenly flood. The turn to portside was an attempt to use wind and wave action to stabilize the ship, however computer simulation reveals that physics prevailed over the crew's efforts, and the ship sank. (Source Reliability: 8)
Comment: Due to this accident the standards of the International Maritime Organization (IMO) are being extremely well enforced in all passenger ships.
1 comment:
The look of your page is a bit dark. Blue on black background is tough to read.
Also, why is this 13-year-old ferry sinking the top item?
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