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What happened to the bosun of the Herald of Free Enterprise?

Mark Stanley, the assistant bosun on the day of the tragedy, died in hospital on July 20, aged 58. He had not closed the bow doors when the ship set sail and he had been haunted by the tragedy, which was said to have severely affected his health, working life and family. Mr Stanley had fallen asleep in his cabin.



The 1987 Herald of Free Enterprise disaster was caused by the failure to close the bow doors, which allowed water to flood the car deck and capsize the ship. The Assistant Bosun, Mark Stanley, was responsible for closing the doors but had fallen asleep in his cabin after his shift; he remained asleep until the ship began to capsize. The Bosun, Terence Ayling, was the last person on the car deck but testified during the official inquiry that he did not close the doors because he believed it was not his specific duty, nor was he required to check if the Assistant Bosun was present. The inquiry, led by Mr. Justice Sheen, famously described the company's management as "infected with the disease of sloppiness." While legal proceedings for manslaughter were brought against the company and several individuals (including the Captain and Chief Officer), the cases eventually collapsed. The disaster led to a permanent change in maritime law, making it a legal requirement for bow doors to be monitored from the bridge.

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A public court of inquiry into the disaster placed the blame on three of the ferry's staff: assistant boatswain Mark Stanley, who failed to close the bow doors after falling asleep in his cabin during a short break; first officer Leslie Sabel, who failed to ensure the bow doors were closed; and captain David Lewry for ...

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The judge, Sir Michael Turner, told the jury that there was not enough evidence to convict the ship's owners, P & O European Ferries Ltd., or five of seven individuals who were being tried, including the ship's captain, David Lewry.

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Sue and the children were each offered a pounds 5,000 fixed payment for being aboard the Herald of Free Enterprise when it capsized.

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She capsized on June 21, 2008, off the coast of San Fernando, Romblon, at the height of Typhoon Frank, which passed directly over Romblon as a Category 2 storm. Of the 849 persons on board, only 32 survived, 227 died and 592 were reported missing.

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On September 28, 1994, 852 people die in one of the worst maritime disasters of the century when the Estonia, a large car-and-passenger ferry, sinks in the Baltic Sea.

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The simple answer is: they are generally very safe. In fact, ferries are normally considered one of the safest means to travel in Europe.

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The direct cause of the disaster was human error: the assistant bosun, responsible for closing the bow doors of this roll-on/roll-off ferry, had fallen asleep in his cabin and slept through the alarm telling crew that the ship was sailing.

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The Herald had 459 passengers, 80 crew members, 81 cars, 47 cargo trucks and three other vehicles. The weather was good. The Herald passed the outer breakwater at 1824 and, about four minutes later, capsized.

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On Oct. 20, 1976, the worst ferry disaster in the history of the United States occurred on the Mississippi River in St. Charles Parish. Seventy-seven lives were lost.

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