MS Estonia
The MS Estonia was a Finnish cruiseferry. It was built in 1980 for the Finnish company Rederi Ab Sally. The ferry was built by Meyer Werft, in Papenburg, West Germany. It was used on ferry routes between Finland and Sweden by several companies, It was first useed by Viking Line, then EffJohn. In 1993, it was sold to Nordström & Thulin for use on Estline's Tallinn–Stockholm route. The ship sank on 28 September 1994. It wend down in the Baltic Sea between Sweden, Finland and Estonia. This was one of the worst maritime disasters during peacetime in the 20th century. 852 people died.
![]() Scale model of MS Estonia
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History | |
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Name |
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Namesake | Estonia (as Estonia) |
Owner |
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Operator |
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Port of registry | |
Ordered | 11 September 1979 |
Builder | Meyer Werft, Papenburg, West Germany |
Yard number | 590 |
Laid down | 18 October 1979 |
Launched | 26 April 1980 |
Completed | 27 April 1980 |
Acquired | 29 June 1980 |
In service | 5 July 1980 |
Identification |
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Fate | Capsized and sank on 28 September 1994 |
General characteristics | |
Type | Cruiseferry |
Tonnage | |
Length |
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Beam | 24.21 m (79 ft 5 in) |
Draught | 5.60 m (18 ft 4 in) |
Decks | 9 |
Ice class | 1 A |
Installed power |
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Speed | 21.1 knots (39.1 km/h; 24.3 mph) |
Capacity |
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The ship sank during a storm on the Baltic Sea. The closest ship to the Esonia when she made the SOS signal was the Silja Europa. While sinking the ship capsized and sunk. All of the passengers of MV Estonia died. No lifeboats were found. The sinking was said to be caused by flooding.
References
change- ↑ "M/F Estonia". The ferry site. Retrieved 21 October 2021.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Final report on the capsizing on 28 September 1994 in the Baltic Sea of the Ro-Ro passenger vessel MN Estonia, Chapter 3: The vessel. The Joint Accident Investigation Commission of Estonia, Finland and Sweden, December 1997.