On the night of September 28th, 1994, the Estonia cruise ship set sail from Tallinn, Estonia to Stockholm, Sweden in what was meant to be a routine trip.
The Estonia was a modern cruise ship that had been launched in 1979 and featured a large number of amenities including restaurants, bars, shops, and even its own casino. The ship’s capacity was 1,000 passengers and 180 crew members.
Unfortunately, the trip did not end as planned. Just after midnight on September 29th, a powerful storm hit the Baltic Sea. The Estonia encountered waves of up to 15 meters in height and soon began to take on water.
The crew attempted to stabilize the ship but were unsuccessful. At around 01:50 AM local time, the ship capsized and quickly sank beneath the waves. In total 852 passengers and 186 crew members were on board when it happened.
Rescue Efforts
The Swedish Coast Guard responded quickly to distress calls from survivors in lifeboats and helicopters were sent out to search for survivors. In total 137 people were rescued from the water but there were no survivors who had been inside the ship when it sank.
Investigation
An investigation into the sinking of Estonia was conducted by an international commission that included representatives from Estonia, Finland, Sweden and Denmark. The investigation concluded that a faulty hatch cover design had allowed water to enter the car deck which caused it to list dangerously.
Legacy
The sinking of Estonia is one of the deadliest peacetime maritime disasters in Europe in history and has left an indelible mark on those who survived or lost loved ones during this tragedy. To this day there is still much debate about what exactly happened during that fateful night.
Conclusion
On September 28th 1994, The Estonia cruise ship left Tallinn for Stockholm with 852 passengers aboard. Unfortunately due to a powerful storm it took on water and capsized at around 01:50 AM local time causing an immense tragedy with no survivors inside the ship when it sunk. Rescue efforts by choppers helped save some 137 people but investigations reveal a faulty hatch cover design leading to this disaster which became one of European’s deadliest peacetime maritime disasters in history.