Today, ten years ago I got the news that M/S Estonia sank. And that one in my class's dad was onboard the ship. I remember it as if it was yesterday, i was in third grade (9 years old), the time was 8:00 am, it was the 28th September 1994. The teacher explained what had happened that night. After she had told us what had happened we dicuessed it in the class (30 students from the age of 7 to 9). About 8:30 we held a quiet minute for the dead and especially the dad to one of our class mates. Its a day that is etched into my memory and I can't stop thinking of it, never will. All this because of a paper.
Estonia wasnt allowed to go more then 20 nm on the open sea, it was supposed to have a paper stating this, but the finnish sea control agency (sjöfartsverket) never did issue this paper. About ten years after it was built, the fact that it was limited to the 20 nm had been forgotten. The rute, between Stockholm and Tallin where it sank was 130 nm over the limit. There was never a truthfull investigation on the cause, speculations is that the front hatch(Bow door) was to week for the types of waves and weather that is present on the Baltic Sea (Östersjön), the weather that night was fearsome. At least 852 lost their life, the reason beeing a safty violation more then 30 years ago.
The paper that was supposed to have been issued was supposed to limit the ship from going more then 20 nm beacuse the bow doors ware too week to coop with the punnishment of the open sea. It sank fast trapping most of the people inside the hull when it sank. People had only time to lower a few lifeboats.
Only half of the people in the the life boats made it, the sea was to tought on them, they drowned on the open sea away from Estonia.
Estonia wasnt allowed to go more then 20 nm on the open sea, it was supposed to have a paper stating this, but the finnish sea control agency (sjöfartsverket) never did issue this paper. About ten years after it was built, the fact that it was limited to the 20 nm had been forgotten. The rute, between Stockholm and Tallin where it sank was 130 nm over the limit. There was never a truthfull investigation on the cause, speculations is that the front hatch(Bow door) was to week for the types of waves and weather that is present on the Baltic Sea (Östersjön), the weather that night was fearsome. At least 852 lost their life, the reason beeing a safty violation more then 30 years ago.
The paper that was supposed to have been issued was supposed to limit the ship from going more then 20 nm beacuse the bow doors ware too week to coop with the punnishment of the open sea. It sank fast trapping most of the people inside the hull when it sank. People had only time to lower a few lifeboats.
Only half of the people in the the life boats made it, the sea was to tought on them, they drowned on the open sea away from Estonia.