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On March 7th/1987 the Herald of Free Enterprise
sank. It was a car and passenger ferry carrying 459 passengers,
80 crew and 131 vehicles at the time of the disaster. |
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The main cause of the sinking
was determined to be the failure to fully close the bow door.
As the Herald of Free Enterpise left port and picked up speed
a large amount of water began to enter the ferry. This rush
of water caused the ferry to capsize less than 2 minutes after
leaving port. |
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At the last moment the captain
steered the ship starboard which allowed it to land on a sandbar
and avoid capsizing in deeper water. |
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The sinking of the Herald
of Free Enterprise caused 193 deaths. Most of them were as
a result of hypothermia in the cold waters. The ship capsized
so suddenly that many passengers were left trapped inside. |
