Where did Zeebrugge sink?

MS Herald of Free Enterprise was a roll-on/roll-off (RORO) ferry which capsized moments after leaving the Belgian port of Zeebrugge on the night of 6 March 1987, killing 193 passengers and crew.



The "Zeebrugge disaster" refers to the capsizing of the MS Herald of Free Enterprise on March 6, 1987. The ferry sank just moments after leaving the port of Zeebrugge, Belgium, en route to Dover, England. Specifically, it capsized about 1 kilometer (roughly 0.6 miles) from the shore, just outside the outer breakwater of the harbor. The ship sank in relatively shallow water, which resulted in the vessel lying on its side on a sandbar, half-submerged. The cause was a fatal combination of human error and design: the assistant boatswain had fallen asleep and failed to close the bow doors. As the ship accelerated, a "bow wave" entered the open vehicle deck, creating a "free surface effect" that caused the ship to flip in less than 90 seconds. Because it was so close to the busy port, rescue operations began almost immediately, but the freezing water and the speed of the capsize still resulted in 193 fatalities.

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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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A combination of procedural errors and oversights and the design of the ferry itself caused the vehicle deck to flood, after the ferry set sail with the bow doors open.

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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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Carly Zutic, from Dumfries, Scotland passed away suddenly at her home after a long battle with drug addiction, the Daily Record reported. Carly was just nine weeks old when she survived the sinking of the Herald of Free Enterprise in March 1987.

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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 6 March 1987, the Townsend Thoresen branded roll on/roll off car ferry Herald of Free Enterprise capsized just outside Zeebrugge's harbour about 25 minutes after departure. A subsequent inquiry determined that the ship's bow doors had been left open allowing water to get onto the car deck.

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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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More than 130 people — men, women and children — lost their lives when the car ferry Princess Victoria sank off the Co Down coast on January 31, 1953. Many of those lost to the sea that day were residents of Belfast, along with the many crew members whose homes were in port towns of Larne and Stranraer in Scotland.

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MS Free Enterprise (I) was a cross-Channel ferry operated by Townsend Brothers and later Townsend Thoresen between 1962 and 1980. She was their first purpose built roll-on/roll-off passenger and vehicle ferry. She was sold to Greece in 1980, where she served until being sold for scrap in 2013.

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The Herald of Free Enterprise was a roro ferry owned by the former ferry company Townsend Thoresen. She was part of the Spirit Class of ferries and had two other sister ships, the Pride of Free Enterprise and the Spirit of Free Enterprise.

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Zeebrugge is a city in West-Flanders, Belgium. It has many popular attractions, including St. Donatian's Cathedral, De Fonteintjes, Visserskruis, making it well worth a visit.

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Within half an hour, the seriously damaged Gateway had turned on its side in the shallow waters and capsized. After an order was made to abandon ship, the crew and lorry drivers ended up in the water. There were 70 people on board. Two lorry drivers and four crew members died that night.

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