In April 1912, the world was shaken when the infamous RMS Titanic struck an iceberg and sank, taking over 1500 lives with it. Though the Titanic disaster was one of the worst maritime disasters in history, it is not the only cruise ship disaster to occur.
In fact, there have been a number of cruise ship disasters throughout history that have resulted in significant loss of life. One such disaster stands out as being particularly horrific: the MS Estonia.
On September 28th, 1994, at 8:55 pm, the MS Estonia departed from Tallinn, Estonia and was headed towards Stockholm, Sweden. The ship had a total of 989 passengers and crew on board.
At around 1:50 am on September 29th, a loud noise was heard coming from beneath the ship. Then suddenly the ship began to list to starboard and eventually capsized. In a matter of minutes, 852 people had lost their lives in what is now considered one of the worst peacetime maritime disasters ever recorded.
The cause of the disaster remains disputed to this day due to conflicting reports from survivors as well as a lack of evidence due to secrecy surrounding the accident. Many believe that a large wave caused by heavy weather conditions caused one or both of two bow visors on board to break away from their moorings and puncture open three water-tight doors leading into car decks below deck level which allowed water to rush in quickly resulting in a rapid sinking. However, some survivors reported hearing an explosion before they were forced into lifeboats which has led many to speculate that an act of sabotage could have been responsible for this tragedy.
In addition to those who perished in this tragedy there were 137 survivors who were rescued by nearby vessels after clinging to debris for hours in icy waters with temperatures reaching -2°C (28°F).
The aftermath of this tragedy led to changes in maritime safety standards with all passenger ships being required to carry sufficient lifesaving equipment on board such as life rafts and life jackets as well as improved evacuation procedures for all passenger vessels traveling through dangerous waters like those near Estonia where strong currents can create large waves capable of capsizing ships even during relatively calm conditions.
In conclusion, the MS Estonia disaster was one of the worst cruise ship disasters in history with 852 people losing their lives due to either heavy weather conditions or an act of sabotage that caused three water-tight doors leading into car decks below deck level allowing water rush in quickly resulting in the rapid sinking of this vessel during its journey from Tallinn to Stockholm. The tragedy resulted in changes in maritime safety standards and improved evacuation procedures for all passenger vessels travelling through dangerous waters like those near Estonia which can create large waves capable of capsizing ships even during relatively calm conditions.
Conclusion: What Was The Worst Cruise Ship Disaster? Without question, it would be hard to top MS Estonia’s horrific incident back in 1994 when 852 passengers and crew members tragically lost their lives due its capsizing after leaving Tallinn for Stockholm; now remembered as one of the worst peacetime maritime disasters ever recorded.