I remember this as a 5 year old kid. I lived in a small village outside Stockholm. I head 800+ people died which is more than the village itself. I cried for days cause I thought every human died until my mother showed me a map of the planet and said there is people everywhere.
Fun fact: The murder that took place on Estonia (then called Viking Sally) is among the most famous murder mysteries in Finland and has never been solved.
Wow got a sense of deja vu last summer also in july i was on a ferry from turku finland also to germany and me and my brother slept on the top deck of the ferry pretty wild, sad what happened to them
In denmark we had a man named Herman Himle who was on that ferry back in the day (under a different name) was he actually guilty. He appear to be that person that has a lot to say & if it annoys the authorities then he will be happy to say it. If he actually committed then why was he acquitted in finnish court? He has been throwing a lot around since that appears to be nutts & bolts, but one said: he claimed he did IT. A lot of words in the documentary doesnt make sense & i highly doubt his words as he is full of hot air...
No fricken mystery, if Estonia was used by Americans to transport Russian military hardware from Baltic States. I guess someone grom KGB had enough and sank Estonia.
I just can't believe that level of incompetence with even getting out a clear. Mayday. ... If you don't do anything at all during an emergency at least get that call out.. wouldn't a person be yelling "mayday mayday our ship is listing heavily, I don't know why but it's getting worse send help Mayday"
@@farfaraway4285 ah yes, the old “fell into the lifeboat” guy. And didn’t he change into civilian clothing before “falling into the lifeboat” or am I confusing coward captains?
I remeber this accident from when i was a young man. It was especially devastating because only 4 years earlier a fire on board MS Scandinavian star cost 159 people their lives, these years were rough for Scandinavian passenger shipping...
That one was attempted insurance fraud. Scandinavian Star was barely legal, this was the first journey after some neck breaking deals and firefighters discovered at least three separate fires.
@@user-yi3yx2fn7g I know, i have an aunt that travelled with Scandinavian star a few days before the fire, she said the ship was in complete disrepair, cabins were being constructed or refurbished while the ship was operating, hoses and extension cords were strewn in the isles and through where the fire doors should close in case of fire.
@@darraghmckenna9127 lol I travelled on that ferry in 1990 and THAT was a crusty, rusty, dusty wreck held together by glue and tape! I was terrified the entire trip and it's amazing it held together for three years afterwards! I find nothing weird in that sinking. Screws INSIDE the ferry, in our cabin, were rusted loose!
Mate, you give the best recount of maritime events/disasters. I share your channel with as many captains and skippers as I can, in hope that if we cannot prevent these things from happening at least we can be more prepared when they do. Thank you
Estonia is the one sinking that really, really freaks me out. Because it looks so much like ferries I've been on so many times over the years. Like, modern. Or at least, modern to me.
I’m obviously no marine engineer or ship builder but I am a metal fabricator. The design to have the front of this ship open up seems really silly to me.. that should have been at the rear.. the pressures on the front crashing into waves would be massive
I think thats what the raising front section was supposed to function as, a way to keep pressure off the bulkhead of the loading port, but once that was gone like you said going at that speed in that weather its not suprizeing those hinges failed
More so ,, I’m terribly not going on a boat ,, ship ( any kind ) I’m have bad vertigo ,, found this out in the late 80s ,, sick was a understatement . 🤦♀️
I remember this. I had just started first grade. A classmate of mine told the class his mom was supposed to have been on the ship but had missed it for some reason I don't recal.
Great video, however I do have one comment. Regarding the rescue helicopters you called them Super Puma and Agusta Bell as if they were the names of the helicopters themselves, however the Eurocopter/Airbus Super Puma is a model of helicopter that was used in the rescue effort, and Agusta Bell is the manufacturer of the european variant of the Bell 412, which is a different model of helicopter also used in the rescue. Again, fantastic video, I just wanted to add a minor correction to a detail I missed.
Great information I'm sure the survivors floating in the water were concerned about the correct name of the helicopters that were coming to try and save them wow are you just being smart I'm amazed that you're brilliance of British aircraft you should be up aircraft designer better yet you should be someone that names their crafts😂
Hearing about the EPIRB made me instantly think of the El Faro. I don't believe you've made a video about it, but you should definitely add that to your list of "to dos"
@@waterlinestories I also cannot wait! I read a riveting piece from William Langewiesche on El Faro which was my gateway into this subject. Can't wait to see how you cover it!
I worked, several years later, onboard the Rocky Giant from van Oord ACZ, that was contracted to cover the wreckage by Smit, whom was the main contractor. We laid special mats and dumped rocks on them, around the Estonia to “stabilise” the seabed for the concrete mats that would cover her. The first time we were there we had to do a survey with our ROV and when it “flew” over the wreckage it got eerily quiet on the bridge. Everyone understood how many people lost their lives and how many people were still down there in the wreckage. That was a moment I’ll never forget. We finished our part of the plan to make her into a Seaman’s grave, but they cancelled it after many protests from the victims families.
@@derektaylor2941 They wanted to make it a “Seamans” grave. The reason that they wanted it covered by concrete mats was because Russian Navy ships were constantly near the spot where it sank. Also there was a rich guy who hired an ROV vessel to find his wife’s body and wanted to retrieve her with divers once he found her. So the Swedish government decided to cover it so no one could disturb the wreckage and, most importantly, the bodies of the deceased. They were afraid that people would dive to the wreckage to retrieve valuables from the trucks and the deceased.
@@erikgoossens1 it is unusual though, compared to other ship wrecks. Whilst I make no judgement either way, I can understand why the conspiracy theorists believe there is something inside the ship that they want to remain there. Thanks for explanation.
There is an audio recording from the first mayday call untill the first rescue ships arrive. From there you can really tell how fast everything happen. And the sound of surprise and terror in the voices of Europas and mariellas captains when they realise there is no more estonia.
It amazes me that there are not more RoRo ferry incidents considering I have read all it takes is an inch of water on an open vehicle deck to doom a ship. There would be nothing more terrifying than being trapped in a capsized ship with no light.
one reason is that after this incident, atleast in the nordic countries and estonia, they welded the front shut, and only use the back to load trucks and cars now.
Like Estonia, most accidents do not occur due to a single event, but many. Even an inch of water on the car deck won't automatically sink the ship. One inch of water on a RoRo 575 ft long, 100ft wide (about the Estonia or a Mariella class size) is about 130 tons of water. On a calm day with little movement, you'd not even notice that in the handling of the ship. Even on a violent sea, 130 tons is not going to capsize the ship- that's going to make it handle about the same as a badly loaded deck with 3 lorries on one side... With a ship weighing 37,500 tons (as with Mariella- don't know about Estonia) you won't sink from that. In any case there are drains all over the deck- named scuppers- which will either drain straight to the side or will have active pumps which switch on when detecting water. A clearer example of multiple events leading to a RoRo sinking is MV Herald of Free Enterprise... there were so many failures that happened and if only one failure had been detected and prevented then it would never have capsized- same with Estonia, perhaps (HOFE: bow door open, bow trim tanks flooded to match the linkspan, shallow water, increased speed, turning to port... take away any one of those and accident avoided). Re being trapped: I took part in a crew training event on Olympia (sister to Mariella, though just changed fleet) right after Estonia. When you're down on the lower decks, below water, with the power off, using torches because they even deactivated the emergency lights, with dry ice to simulate smoke and trying to get up to the top decks... that was not pleasant and that was in port and not on a ship in a storm. HTH.
Seeing news reports on TV just after this disaster, traumatized me for life and made me feel very uneasy about open seas and deep unknown waters. I was 9 years old when this disaster happened in 1994, and since I am Swedish, it hit close to home with such a disaster happening to a ship sailing to and from Sweden and where you or someone you know, could have been among the victims. But yeah, the helicopter footage from the rescue work and seeing the inflatable liferafts on the stormy sea, it marked me for life... Even today at age 38, I much prefer to stay on land or at least see land if I'm on a ship.
Same, but I was an “adult”, barely 18 and living in my first own home. Estonia happening right after Princess Diana’s death felt almost apocalyptic, I remember waking up to both, vividly. This was before internet, so quickest way to find news was text-tv, me & ex were glued to it, trying to find updates and checking all news broadcasts from all possible channels (I think we had 4 back then). Im a Finn and we traveled to Marienhamn in summer ‘95, it was hot & muggy July week, but I refused to go swimming.. all I could think was all the bodies, somewhere in that same dark water. I was melting, but I just couldnt make myself go into the water. On my first ferry trip to Stockholm after Estonia, I was super aware of every creak the ship made, I dont think I slept much at all. I cant even imagine how it mustve felt like as a child..
A recent discovery series argued that there was unreported damage to the underwater hull and evidenced this with imagery. The consensus was it had been caused by an external force
Very well explained on this tragedy. I remember crossing the ‘Little Minch’ in the early 90s when i was a kid! I remember looking at the massive storm waves from inside our ship and thinking the sea will swallow us whole if we have a problem no one will have time to do anything. It was a terrifying experience.
I was on an overnight ferry the other day and guys in the bar were talking about this. Being Ex Navy, I had my evacuation route planned, even in the event of a capsize! Stand by!
I live in Finland, I vividly remember watching the news in the morning after the disaster. Not my favorite memory. This video, however, is an excellent presentation of the accident. Thank you.
I'm Swedish. I didn't know it at the time but I lived in the city that was hit the hardest by the tragedy as about 100 of the people who were lost came from said city. For well over a month the only thing I heard downtown were the church bells tolling for the funeral services (most without a casket) day in and day out. It was a very somber sound. I remember waking up that morning. I always woke up to the prolonged radio news at 06.45 but this morning my brain was very slow to react, so I didn't really hear what they were talking about. Instead I reacted because usually they shifted news story after a minute or so, but this seemed to just be one very long, very serious story. After a quick shower I went out to the communal TV and switched on the TV where the news showed the helicopters evacuating people from the life rafts. I still couldn't grasp what had happened and just stared at the TV in silence. One after another my fellow dorm mates joined me on the sofa. Somehow we managed to cram 8 people in a sofa made for 3. No one said a word; we were all just staring at the TV, but then one of the guys began to cry. A situation where 8 adults sit on top of each other and just stare at the screen in total silence for about two hours in indeed a traumatizing event.
@@swedishmeatball4382 It is still a difficult topic to discuss for many and now that I'm much older I completely understand why. I have some friends in Sweden who lost someone that night. I hope you're doing alright.
I went on this ferry when she was Sally the Viking, it really was upsetting to think about her sinking and the tragic loss is so many lives, we had really enjoyed our trip over to France and back, made you realise how fleeting everything really is.
Ex US Navy fireman here. I'm trained in shipboard emergencies. Specifically for firefighting, flooding, fuel spills, ruptured pipes, chemical/biological/radioactive contamination/containment/removal. I was also a certified rescue swimmer. We trained constantly for personnel overboard operations, fires, flooding, abandon ship, chemical/biological/nuclear contamination and cleansing. Civilian operations never do this to any significant level and their passengers are also never properly trained or prepared for any types of disaster. If you've ever been on a cruise ship you know what I'm talking about. The civilian sector doesn't want their passengers to know just how dangerous travel aboard ship is so they deliberately avoid any types of training that could actually save lives. They also won't hire people like me and pay us what we're worth based on our military training and qualifications. I worked for a short time in the offshore oil industry aboard a crew transport vessel and I was only paid $60 a day for working 10 hours per day 7 days a week and living onboard and on call 24 hours per day for 6 weeks at a time. My next job as a fully qualified industrial painter paid $120 per day for 8 hour work days. Edit: This was back in 1988.
Well, that sucks. I get paid just as much with good health, and I don't even have close to the certifications and responsibilities that you have. My home and family is less than 5 mins. away. I literally put part in machine press button remove and repeat.
@@imchris5000 To save lives? Properly inspect the vessel before, during and after the trip? To actually organize a proper evacuation? To minimize damage by initiation of proper safety protocols and securing the damaged area to prevent spreading? 🤷
Worth noting is that the Estonia was owned by Estonia and Sweden at the time of the disaster, and the footage shown in the video was filmed from a Boeing Vertol helicopter from the Swedish Air Force. Eight helicopters from Sweden participated in the rescue operation and saved many lives. The full footage can be seen on the Swedish Armed Forces RUclips channel.
Very well made video. I've listened to the full radio broadcast of the mayday messages. It's very tough to hear. You can hear alarms blaring and all sorts of things falling as the Estonia lists when Tammes speaks. It's very likely that the ship was 60-70 degrees by the time he gave the position.
How refreshing to see a video that not only has presented the facts correctly, but is not sensationalist and as a bonus, presented by a real person and not an irritating AI voice. I can only imagine what it's like for those on a sinking ship. I was once 'lucky' enough to participate in an emergency crew simulation of an evacuation- ironically from Mariella's sister, Olympia. On the upper decks with great windows and plenty of doors leading out to the lifeboats, it's not so bad. But imagine being down in the bowels, with the lights switched off, the emergency lights deliberately deactivated, using only torches and the corridors full of dry ice to simulate smoke and you understand how they really pushed up training post Estonia. Oh and of course, we were in port with the deck level and not listing nor tossing about on the open seas.
I hope none of the failure to just say, "mayday" wasn't hinged upon ego or pride? A ship listing over at 15 degrees is significant & is a mayday condition. I've seen a ship where furniture & large vending machines were cascading across the floor like pool balls, careening off each other & the walls. IT's a terrifying event when things inside a ship are tossed like nothing and I can not fathom the levels of fear these folks must've endured. RIP...... WoW, thanks for the story.
I grew up hearing stories and seeing reports of disasters like this, Herald of Free Enterprise etc and every time I go on a ferry now I’m always paying attention to lifeboat stations, lifejacket locations and am looking to get seated as close to a way out as possible. What a terrible disaster, and completely avoidable, this was.
this channel is doing God s work, people take many things for granted, no way I am sleeping or below deck in any ship for any period of time lol and will do a reconnaissance tour of everything like you said, and all thanks to what I ve seen here
Loving your channel. I keep coming back for these interesting accounts. Coming from South Africa, I wanted to just recommend looking into the history of South African maritime incidents/accidents sometime. You'll find such interesting stories. The collision of the SAS Tafelberg and Kruger was quite a major tragedy and the survivor stories are quite harrowing.
Constructive critisism: It should have at least been mentioned that the reasons and findings about the sinking are disputed. It could not be ruled out that weapons were smuggled, that it was sabotage, there maybe was a bomb threat aboard just before leaving habour, according to some sources. The swedish government wanted to completely cover the wreck in concrete as soon as possible and without consent swedish from nation and people involved ships dropped rubble over the wreck. @waterlinestories
Dude, I worked on a Land Ship Logistic (LSL) with a flat bottom. We were told that with 3 inches of water on the tank deck, She would roll over in 22 seconds. Enjoy you kip .
@@something7239 Don't feel bad. Remember it as a lesson. TRUST NOTHING on the Internet until you've confirmed it yourself. Not photos. Not audio. Not words. Verify first... because the Internet is half truths incarnate.
@@dexio85Some are from Estonia but most of the video footage is from Concordia I believe. Its defo Estonia where the little red liferafts are being tossed about in the swell, filmed by a chopper. Pretty haunting video footage of those rafts, in some videos, about half of the people in the raft are dead. I remember theres a clip on Ytbe where a young, attractive, fit looking kid gets airlifted out of a raft, he survived, but the raft is partially filled with dead bodies just floating face down. The look on his face... Like a ghost. The fear of cold exemplified. I also recall a young fella saying he knew something was wrong, went to evacuate up the stairs, but his gf, mum & dad just froze at the entryway, he was carried up the stairs with the crowd & that was the last time he saw them, looking shell shocked & bewildered. Awful.
I remember when the news reported this accident. But mark my words that there was not a big follow up. No big headlines.... not much. It was a remarkable event. I remember the news saying the bow open in the middle of the sea and it sank very fast. Period. No documentaries, no rescue images. At least in my country Hispania, we didn't get many news about it.
Book by William Langewiesche has a section describing the sinking. It was pure Darwinian survival as the young and strong were able to climb out of the ship
First rate videos with high intellect and integrity. I have one question and that is with your introductions you appear to speak with no script or notes yet you perfectly relate what you have to say. Are you working from memory with your introductions or do you know enough in order to ad-lib. Best wishes Peter London UK
😂 I wish I were that good. I actually use a teleprompter. It’s the only way I could be as precise. Even then there’s a fair amount of editing out the garbled tongue twisters.
Thanks for your kind reply. I hope you continue with these excellent videos. Many of us enjoy vicarious excitement and adventure from your work but of course loss of life is sad but at sea anything can happen. These videos are far superior to the rest on You Tube and a cut above the American output. Best wishes in all you do. Peter Starr London UK
Thanks Peter. I actually lived in London for 15 years. My wife’s German so we moved to Germany after our son was born. Now we live in the middle of nowhere. Big change from London
They extracted the bow visor in order to examine it ashore, and it sat for a long while at a dock that was visible from the motorway through Stockholm. I remember seeing it there many times, it was kinda eerie.
A very thorough report of this terrible, terrible tragedy. Plus useful reflection of what could/should have been done to make it much less fatal. Lessons were learned, but as in all these cases - too late. RIP those who perished and remain in the vessel on the sea bed.
And a very well told story, that did not go into all of the conspiracies that lingered around the sinking, with claims of forbidden weapons or drugs transported, being the reason the ship sunk (I seem to remember claims that someone onboard found out costums would raid the ship, so they opened the bow to dump some vehicles containing the illegal stuff, but did not disengage the locking pals before opening the gate, making the hydraulic cylinders force the hinges to break)
@@JohnDoe-bd5sz Yes, I heard and saw those other causes - on different documentaries. I think that what we saw here was the truth. I thought the analysis that we saw of how the tragedy could have been avoided (or greatly reduced) was very useful.
@@nigelh3253 I agree, no matter why the bow port fell off, the captain and his crew terribly mismanaged the situation. This accident reminds me a bit of the "MS Harold of free enterprice" disaster, there someone forgot to close the bow and they sailed until the ship was full of water and again...No camera's to see what was going on. Luckily, today the laws have changed and these kinds of disasters would be all but impossible.
@@JohnDoe-bd5sz Yes the Herald of Free Enterprise was another Ro-Ro ferry (roll on, roll off). Almost 200 lives lost. Crew had a very lazy attitude - the man who should have shut the bow doors was asleep in his cabin! But nobody else bothered to check the doors and close them. Presumably this would have only taken a few minutes. Things like closing the door should have been double checked and not just left to one idle crew member. A disgrace.
@@johnnunn8688 because everybody knows conspiracies are not real. The rich and powerful are ABSOLUTELY NOT doing shady deals, ever. Not once in history! Brilliant and high IQ post brother!
@@johnnunn8688 There were claims of foul play, possibly involving military equipment. These theories only gained traction when governments in the area made it illegal to try to recover anything from the ship, going as far as to want to pour concrete over the ship below, so that no one would be able to enter it.
That this happened AFTER the Herald of Free Enterprise disaster was a shocker in Europe. I traveled on a Swedish Roro from Amsterdam to Newcastle last November through a huge North Sea Storm. I was extremely impressed at the professionalism and seamanship I saw the crew demonstrate.
@@QertzonOfficalAt first it was belived to be only soft seabed at the site of the wreck. New investigations of the site have shown that part of the seabed is rock. Those parts match the holes in the hull.
One thing more what report pointed out. Estonia or Viking Sally how it was first named, was designed sailing coastal waters not open, and the locking systems were desinged accordingly. Report speculates, that it might have contributed to material fatique. The report also states of overall bad maintenance of the vessel.
My classmates had friends and their families drowning in this disaster. There was a school trip from the neighbour county on that ship. I have tales about the govmt reaction to this. To be short: in the beginning everything was reasonable, but about 6mo into it, something changed. Things got WEEEE-IIII-RRRRRD and very VERY shady decisions were made. That's where the conspiracies started. I was only 17 at this time, but omg our govmt was doing really bad. Oh, I'm Swedish, forgot to mention. EDIT: Forgot to mention that just ask if anyone wants me to clarify things. I just wrote a short comment here on yt, but there is SO MUCH SHADYNESS from the Swedish govmt regarding this tragedy.
There were claims of weapons from Sweden's weapon industry being transported. Not sure why they would transport them TO Sweden though. I agree, something dodgy was going on....Did they ever go through with pouring cement onto the ship to make it impossible to enter
@@JohnDoe-bd5sz The rumours about weapons are somewhat true, it turned out. At the time, our govmt denied it, but a few years later it was "discovered" that Estonia among other ferries transported military materals to and from Estonia and the other Baltic states. The reason for transport TO Sweden was prob since the Baltics had a lot of Soviet weapons they wanted to get rid of, Sweden offered to transport some of this to maybe do research on. They never poured cement on the ship, they just covered it with gravel. THIS story is insanity defined. Our awesome neighbour Norway has EXTENSIVE experience in deep diving activities and considering Estonia is kind of shallow at 80m it is INCOMPREHENSIBLE that noone asked Norway for help!! At first the intention was to salvage the entire ship, but after those first 6mo that was reasonable, all THIS kind of shit suddenly appeared and this is where the conspiracies started.
To me a fecking "mayday" means get there ASAP regardless.🤨.it's highly possible that on a sinking ship someone could only have the time to say mayday before losing the radio, being hurt etc..😤..not just possible but highly likely..😠..so I don't understand why the mayday wasn't immediately considered an emergency..😡..heck the fact that he couldn't relay the extra information means to me, means that its DEFINITELY an emergency....🤬
And the ship and it‘s size was well known to other ships in the area, no need to mention the number of passengers. The other ships knew it was in hundreds.
It hurts my mind to think about this crew, not bothering to make sure the ship they're on won't sink. Makes me want to ask, did they hire Russians? Seriously, I don't know anyone else with the reputation Russian sailors have--and they earned that rep thoroughly. Seriously, I can't understand the complacency of the crew. That captain, I suspect, needed a bit more experience before becoming captain. I can no longer swim, and the last time I tried, I nearly drowned--so, stories like this kind of freak me out a bit. If I fell into deep water, I'd sink quickly. The only ship I've been on was USS Theodore Roosevelt, and I have to admit that I enjoyed the couple of storms we rode through. I've never had motion sickness, and I was confident the ship wouldn't sink (brand new ship!), so storms weren't at all frightening to me. It didn't hurt that I could still swim back then. Some of my shipmates, on the other hand, were absolutely green with seasickness. I sometimes wonder how big the waves were in the Atlantic. There was a storm while we were visiting France, in the Med, and had to put out to sea--the waves then were 60-70 feet, and the search and rescue team had to go rescue some people ferrying a new yacht (which sank) in that mess.
This sounds like stupidity. If a call is made and the message cannot be understood or is missing severity information, why is it not treated as immediate need for help. This just sounds like a prudent response.
I love your podcasts and your storytelling - but could you please cite your sources for photos, sound clips and video footage (that you used out of the documentaries). You know ... HBomber is waching.
The failure to even discribe whats happening in the MAYDAY call is so bad. I got frustrated just listening to it. I imagine the guy on the other end pulling his hair out. So bad.🙏
One of the key factors of the ms Estonia’s sinking was actually not the visor (the visor did let in water every time a wave hit it) the main factor of the Estonia’s sinking was a 4 meter gash found on her starboard side which was discovered in 2020 many people think that it was caused when a Russian submarine hit the ship, the list goes on about the theories. Please correct me in the replies section if I’m wrong about something
Sweden is so small so everybody knows someone who knows someone who lost somebody to the dark and cold baltic. We lost two from our family tree. Even if in a life jacket you will get hypothermia long before rescue, we swam with the military (no wet or dry suit) in about 3 deg waters and it was hard to operate at all after 10 min. Add the big waves and darkness and it won't be easy even for a professional..
7:48 why are there 2 pictures from Costa Concordia? Why are they not marked as such, even if they're used as representative of what the situation might have looked like? It would be somewhat understandable, but not clearly marking them is not okay, and quite frankly brings into question the research and accuracy of the entire video...
Does it, though? Lol. The ship sank while sailing, anyone with common sense would know that those were meant as reference material. Chill out man, this video was fantastic. Lol
When I called in the Mayday, first words out of my mouth after saying the ship name would have been "We are sinking rapidly." It was not shock by the radio operator, it was pure incompetency.
Is there a source for your definitive statement that if the ship had slowed down or gone into reverse then water would not have entered the car deck and the ship would not have sank? I am not aware of anything to suggest we can categorically say that.
They didn’t physically investigate a loud bang heard on the bridge. They forensically investigated the door and hinges. Had they stopped or even backdown on the initial bang the outcome would have been different.
@@PadConnelly interesting. I read the wiki on it. It told a story just like the video. I was interested if the primary captain died in the wreck. Apparently he did and rightfully so.
you are correct. There was nothing they could have done. The safest thing to do in a storm is to sail into the wind like they did. And maintain speed so you don’t loos steering control
Everyone here around the Finnish/Estonian/Swedish area knows she was sunk on purpose. They're diving to the wreck year after year and professionals say the massive hole on the starboard side of the vessel can not be explained other than by outside interference, especially when the hole's sides are bent outwards much like an exit wound. She sank in about 30 minutes, which is absolutely crazy. Russian weapons also on board...
All the evidence and modeling/simulation shows that the hole was caused by hitting rocks on the bottom as it sank and rolled. But of course if you like conspiracy theories nothing will ever convince you!
You really should mention the suspicious circumstances of the sinking or the inconcistencies, omissions and false statements of the official report or the revised official report. Why is no one mentioning this anymore?
@@kat4428 Good to know. Will counter-check with what I know about the case. It is funny: today, there are hundreds of completely braindead conspiracy-theories out there and the one I am 100% sure is real doesn't get any coverage at all anymore. 🤔
I'm no expert, but will suggest three things which could have reduced loss of life. Although this seems like a bad one with maybe no good outcomes. First, the helm of a RORO should have eyes on the bow at all times, and flooding indicators on the vehicle decks. Passengers need clearer training and signage on routes from key areas to their muster points. Training and safety needs to be a feature seen when booking travel. Like food safety at restaurants.
![Jason Aldean - Should've Been A Cowboy [Toby Keith Tribute] (Live from the 59th ACM Awards)](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/-B4nR-CgMVA/mqdefault.jpg)
I remember this as a 5 year old kid. I lived in a small village outside Stockholm. I head 800+ people died which is more than the village itself. I cried for days cause I thought every human died until my mother showed me a map of the planet and said there is people everywhere.
"there are people EVERYWHERE"- as an adult understanding the truth of that statement, I'm saddened in a different way.
I am estonian i was just turned 7 that same day ,my birthday is 27 september and i rember this accident it was sad day !
😂😂😂😂My mother told me when l was 5 if you made a face to the kids next door the wind would your face permanently. I was terrified.
@@sking3492 Jeeez
You have a good heart.
Useless fun fact: 'ramp' means 'disaster' in Dutch.
I learned this from bijlmerramp
Actually, that is very interesting. Thanks for including it.
Not useless...
Intuitive...
They always 'ramp' it up.
Fun fact: The murder that took place on Estonia (then called Viking Sally) is among the most famous murder mysteries in Finland and has never been solved.
More of a sad fact
Thank you for the information. Never know about this so thank you again!
Wow got a sense of deja vu last summer also in july i was on a ferry from turku finland also to germany and me and my brother slept on the top deck of the ferry pretty wild, sad what happened to them
In denmark we had a man named Herman Himle who was on that ferry back in the day (under a different name) was he actually guilty.
He appear to be that person that has a lot to say & if it annoys the authorities then he will be happy to say it. If he actually committed then why was he acquitted in finnish court?
He has been throwing a lot around since that appears to be nutts & bolts, but one said: he claimed he did IT.
A lot of words in the documentary doesnt make sense & i highly doubt his words as he is full of hot air...
No fricken mystery, if Estonia was used by Americans to transport Russian military hardware from Baltic States. I guess someone grom KGB had enough and sank Estonia.
I just can't believe that level of incompetence with even getting out a clear. Mayday. ... If you don't do anything at all during an emergency at least get that call out.. wouldn't a person be yelling "mayday mayday our ship is listing heavily, I don't know why but it's getting worse send help Mayday"
What’s worse- a cowardly captain who abandons the ship and saves himself or a captain who remains on the bridge but freezes up and does nothing?
The ones that bugger off are worse.
The ones who freeze can be left on board to go down with the ship while someone else takes lead.😆
If you’re talking about Costa Concordia, he didn’t abandon ship, he FELL into a lifeboat. Which then unexpectedly carried him to the shore. 😂😂😂
@@farfaraway4285 ah yes, the old “fell into the lifeboat” guy. And didn’t he change into civilian clothing before “falling into the lifeboat” or am I confusing coward captains?
@@ResearchNational yes you are correct. He changed his clothes when he got to safety before being interviewed.
I remeber this accident from when i was a young man.
It was especially devastating because only 4 years earlier a fire on board MS Scandinavian star cost 159 people their lives, these years were rough for Scandinavian passenger shipping...
That one was attempted insurance fraud. Scandinavian Star was barely legal, this was the first journey after some neck breaking deals and firefighters discovered at least three separate fires.
@@user-yi3yx2fn7g I know, i have an aunt that travelled with Scandinavian star a few days before the fire, she said the ship was in complete disrepair, cabins were being constructed or refurbished while the ship was operating, hoses and extension cords were strewn in the isles and through where the fire doors should close in case of fire.
Not to forget the MS Jan Heweliusz sinking a year before Estonia
@@darraghmckenna9127 lol I travelled on that ferry in 1990 and THAT was a crusty, rusty, dusty wreck held together by glue and tape! I was terrified the entire trip and it's amazing it held together for three years afterwards! I find nothing weird in that sinking. Screws INSIDE the ferry, in our cabin, were rusted loose!
@@user-yi3yx2fn7g no surprising, the repair job for the fire damage seemed amateur at best
Mate, you give the best recount of maritime events/disasters. I share your channel with as many captains and skippers as I can, in hope that if we cannot prevent these things from happening at least we can be more prepared when they do. Thank you
Thanks mate. 🤛🏻
I like the added map footage.
Thanks yes I'm enjoying adding that in
@@waterlinestories it's cool!
@@waterlinestories keep it up! its not easy to improve upon an already great concept
@@dabootvv Well said.
@@waterlinestories It is dumb and unrelated. A play to inflate legitimacy. A gimmick.
Estonia is the one sinking that really, really freaks me out. Because it looks so much like ferries I've been on so many times over the years. Like, modern. Or at least, modern to me.
I’m obviously no marine engineer or ship builder but I am a metal fabricator. The design to have the front of this ship open up seems really silly to me.. that should have been at the rear.. the pressures on the front crashing into waves would be massive
The ships I have been on as a passenger had rear or side ramps.
I’m fairly sure these types of ships have doors at both ends, because you don’t want the hassle of trying to drive all the vehicles backwards.
I think thats what the raising front section was supposed to function as, a way to keep pressure off the bulkhead of the loading port, but once that was gone like you said going at that speed in that weather its not suprizeing those hinges failed
Very typical and used design .
@@Sashazur correct
And this kids is why I’ll never go on a cruise.
Never!
More so ,, I’m terribly not going on a boat ,, ship ( any kind ) I’m have bad vertigo ,, found this out in the late 80s ,, sick was a understatement . 🤦♀️
I like the new "map-part" it gives the video another cool "reallife" feeling
It is dumb, and not related what so ever.
@@Look_What_You_Did It's dumb and funny that you felt the need to respond to three comments to complain about this 😂😂😂
I was like meh, but then I thought, he's put some effort in and not used some silly stock footage. I like it.
The pen on paper map is a brilliant concept!
It is dumb.
@Look_What_You_Did
I won’t hear any more Pen on Paper map slander. You’re already on thin ice
I remember this. I had just started first grade. A classmate of mine told the class his mom was supposed to have been on the ship but had missed it for some reason I don't recal.
I can't even begin to imagine what these poor people went through . 😢
Great video, however I do have one comment. Regarding the rescue helicopters you called them Super Puma and Agusta Bell as if they were the names of the helicopters themselves, however the Eurocopter/Airbus Super Puma is a model of helicopter that was used in the rescue effort, and Agusta Bell is the manufacturer of the european variant of the Bell 412, which is a different model of helicopter also used in the rescue. Again, fantastic video, I just wanted to add a minor correction to a detail I missed.
Great information I'm sure the survivors floating in the water were concerned about the correct name of the helicopters that were coming to try and save them wow are you just being smart I'm amazed that you're brilliance of British aircraft you should be up aircraft designer better yet you should be someone that names their crafts😂
Hearing about the EPIRB made me instantly think of the El Faro. I don't believe you've made a video about it, but you should definitely add that to your list of "to dos"
Were actually working on it.
@@waterlinestories omg cannot WAIT
@@waterlinestories I also cannot wait! I read a riveting piece from William Langewiesche on El Faro which was my gateway into this subject. Can't wait to see how you cover it!
@@waterlinestoriesyes lad
More like the other way around.. El Faro went down because of one mans Ego..
I worked, several years later, onboard the Rocky Giant from van Oord ACZ, that was contracted to cover the wreckage by Smit, whom was the main contractor. We laid special mats and dumped rocks on them, around the Estonia to “stabilise” the seabed for the concrete mats that would cover her. The first time we were there we had to do a survey with our ROV and when it “flew” over the wreckage it got eerily quiet on the bridge. Everyone understood how many people lost their lives and how many people were still down there in the wreckage. That was a moment I’ll never forget.
We finished our part of the plan to make her into a Seaman’s grave, but they cancelled it after many protests from the victims families.
Thank you so much for sharing your memories.
@@user-fj4mo9xz1c your welcome.
Did anyone ever say why? It's the first time I've ever heard of a ship- civilian or Military- covered in concrete.
@@derektaylor2941 They wanted to make it a “Seamans” grave. The reason that they wanted it covered by concrete mats was because Russian Navy ships were constantly near the spot where it sank. Also there was a rich guy who hired an ROV vessel to find his wife’s body and wanted to retrieve her with divers once he found her. So the Swedish government decided to cover it so no one could disturb the wreckage and, most importantly, the bodies of the deceased. They were afraid that people would dive to the wreckage to retrieve valuables from the trucks and the deceased.
@@erikgoossens1 it is unusual though, compared to other ship wrecks.
Whilst I make no judgement either way, I can understand why the conspiracy theorists believe there is something inside the ship that they want to remain there.
Thanks for explanation.
There is an audio recording from the first mayday call untill the first rescue ships arrive. From there you can really tell how fast everything happen. And the sound of surprise and terror in the voices of Europas and mariellas captains when they realise there is no more estonia.
It amazes me that there are not more RoRo ferry incidents considering I have read all it takes is an inch of water on an open vehicle deck to doom a ship. There would be nothing more terrifying than being trapped in a capsized ship with no light.
Search up express samina
one reason is that after this incident, atleast in the nordic countries and estonia, they welded the front shut, and only use the back to load trucks and cars now.
@@Weffi76makes sense. I work in Agriculture and all the Wallenius Wilhelmsen ships that move the machines are stern loaders.
@@Weffi76 that is not my experience. Bow loading still takes place.
Like Estonia, most accidents do not occur due to a single event, but many. Even an inch of water on the car deck won't automatically sink the ship. One inch of water on a RoRo 575 ft long, 100ft wide (about the Estonia or a Mariella class size) is about 130 tons of water. On a calm day with little movement, you'd not even notice that in the handling of the ship. Even on a violent sea, 130 tons is not going to capsize the ship- that's going to make it handle about the same as a badly loaded deck with 3 lorries on one side... With a ship weighing 37,500 tons (as with Mariella- don't know about Estonia) you won't sink from that. In any case there are drains all over the deck- named scuppers- which will either drain straight to the side or will have active pumps which switch on when detecting water.
A clearer example of multiple events leading to a RoRo sinking is MV Herald of Free Enterprise... there were so many failures that happened and if only one failure had been detected and prevented then it would never have capsized- same with Estonia, perhaps (HOFE: bow door open, bow trim tanks flooded to match the linkspan, shallow water, increased speed, turning to port... take away any one of those and accident avoided).
Re being trapped: I took part in a crew training event on Olympia (sister to Mariella, though just changed fleet) right after Estonia. When you're down on the lower decks, below water, with the power off, using torches because they even deactivated the emergency lights, with dry ice to simulate smoke and trying to get up to the top decks... that was not pleasant and that was in port and not on a ship in a storm. HTH.
Seeing news reports on TV just after this disaster, traumatized me for life and made me feel very uneasy about open seas and deep unknown waters. I was 9 years old when this disaster happened in 1994, and since I am Swedish, it hit close to home with such a disaster happening to a ship sailing to and from Sweden and where you or someone you know, could have been among the victims.
But yeah, the helicopter footage from the rescue work and seeing the inflatable liferafts on the stormy sea, it marked me for life... Even today at age 38, I much prefer to stay on land or at least see land if I'm on a ship.
Same, but I was an “adult”, barely 18 and living in my first own home. Estonia happening right after Princess Diana’s death felt almost apocalyptic, I remember waking up to both, vividly. This was before internet, so quickest way to find news was text-tv, me & ex were glued to it, trying to find updates and checking all news broadcasts from all possible channels (I think we had 4 back then). Im a Finn and we traveled to Marienhamn in summer ‘95, it was hot & muggy July week, but I refused to go swimming.. all I could think was all the bodies, somewhere in that same dark water. I was melting, but I just couldnt make myself go into the water. On my first ferry trip to Stockholm after Estonia, I was super aware of every creak the ship made, I dont think I slept much at all. I cant even imagine how it mustve felt like as a child..
@@janemiettinen5176 Estonia sunk in 1994.
@@helene4397 For some weird reason my brain makes Princess Di happening the same year, I dont get it myself.
A recent discovery series argued that there was unreported damage to the underwater hull and evidenced this with imagery. The consensus was it had been caused by an external force
Very well explained on this tragedy. I remember crossing the ‘Little Minch’ in the early 90s when i was a kid! I remember looking at the massive storm waves from inside our ship and thinking the sea will swallow us whole if we have a problem no one will have time to do anything. It was a terrifying experience.
I was on an overnight ferry the other day and guys in the bar were talking about this. Being Ex Navy, I had my evacuation route planned, even in the event of a capsize! Stand by!
I live in Finland, I vividly remember watching the news in the morning after the disaster. Not my favorite memory. This video, however, is an excellent presentation of the accident. Thank you.
I'm Swedish. I didn't know it at the time but I lived in the city that was hit the hardest by the tragedy as about 100 of the people who were lost came from said city. For well over a month the only thing I heard downtown were the church bells tolling for the funeral services (most without a casket) day in and day out. It was a very somber sound.
I remember waking up that morning. I always woke up to the prolonged radio news at 06.45 but this morning my brain was very slow to react, so I didn't really hear what they were talking about. Instead I reacted because usually they shifted news story after a minute or so, but this seemed to just be one very long, very serious story. After a quick shower I went out to the communal TV and switched on the TV where the news showed the helicopters evacuating people from the life rafts. I still couldn't grasp what had happened and just stared at the TV in silence.
One after another my fellow dorm mates joined me on the sofa. Somehow we managed to cram 8 people in a sofa made for 3. No one said a word; we were all just staring at the TV, but then one of the guys began to cry.
A situation where 8 adults sit on top of each other and just stare at the screen in total silence for about two hours in indeed a traumatizing event.
@@swedishmeatball4382 It is still a difficult topic to discuss for many and now that I'm much older I completely understand why. I have some friends in Sweden who lost someone that night. I hope you're doing alright.
I went on this ferry when she was Sally the Viking, it really was upsetting to think about her sinking and the tragic loss is so many lives, we had really enjoyed our trip over to France and back, made you realise how fleeting everything really is.
Ex US Navy fireman here. I'm trained in shipboard emergencies. Specifically for firefighting, flooding, fuel spills, ruptured pipes, chemical/biological/radioactive contamination/containment/removal. I was also a certified rescue swimmer. We trained constantly for personnel overboard operations, fires, flooding, abandon ship, chemical/biological/nuclear contamination and cleansing. Civilian operations never do this to any significant level and their passengers are also never properly trained or prepared for any types of disaster. If you've ever been on a cruise ship you know what I'm talking about. The civilian sector doesn't want their passengers to know just how dangerous travel aboard ship is so they deliberately avoid any types of training that could actually save lives. They also won't hire people like me and pay us what we're worth based on our military training and qualifications. I worked for a short time in the offshore oil industry aboard a crew transport vessel and I was only paid $60 a day for working 10 hours per day 7 days a week and living onboard and on call 24 hours per day for 6 weeks at a time. My next job as a fully qualified industrial painter paid $120 per day for 8 hour work days. Edit: This was back in 1988.
Well, that sucks. I get paid just as much with good health, and I don't even have close to the certifications and responsibilities that you have. My home and family is less than 5 mins. away. I literally put part in machine press button remove and repeat.
Money talks unfortunately. People's safety isn't paramount when there's money to be made.
Damn, I make more than that and I’m mainly just a dental hygienist for peoples pets.
why hire you for high pay when they can get all the crew from the 3rd world and pay them 120$ a month
@@imchris5000 To save lives? Properly inspect the vessel before, during and after the trip? To actually organize a proper evacuation? To minimize damage by initiation of proper safety protocols and securing the damaged area to prevent spreading? 🤷
Worth noting is that the Estonia was owned by Estonia and Sweden at the time of the disaster, and the footage shown in the video was filmed from a Boeing Vertol helicopter from the Swedish Air Force. Eight helicopters from Sweden participated in the rescue operation and saved many lives. The full footage can be seen on the Swedish Armed Forces RUclips channel.
Very well made video. I've listened to the full radio broadcast of the mayday messages. It's very tough to hear. You can hear alarms blaring and all sorts of things falling as the Estonia lists when Tammes speaks. It's very likely that the ship was 60-70 degrees by the time he gave the position.
How refreshing to see a video that not only has presented the facts correctly, but is not sensationalist and as a bonus, presented by a real person and not an irritating AI voice.
I can only imagine what it's like for those on a sinking ship. I was once 'lucky' enough to participate in an emergency crew simulation of an evacuation- ironically from Mariella's sister, Olympia. On the upper decks with great windows and plenty of doors leading out to the lifeboats, it's not so bad. But imagine being down in the bowels, with the lights switched off, the emergency lights deliberately deactivated, using only torches and the corridors full of dry ice to simulate smoke and you understand how they really pushed up training post Estonia. Oh and of course, we were in port with the deck level and not listing nor tossing about on the open seas.
I hope none of the failure to just say, "mayday" wasn't hinged upon ego or pride? A ship listing over at 15 degrees is significant
& is a mayday condition. I've seen a ship where furniture & large vending machines were cascading across the floor like pool
balls, careening off each other & the walls. IT's a terrifying event when things inside a ship are tossed like nothing and I can
not fathom the levels of fear these folks must've endured. RIP...... WoW, thanks for the story.
So sad, so many lives lost…..you did another great job on the storytelling……thank you xx
Another great story - keep it up! The visuals and the presentation have also gotten even better. It is noticeable and very much appreciated!!
Thanks 👌🏻
Loved the personalised vision of you showing us on a nice detailed colour map..👍
I grew up hearing stories and seeing reports of disasters like this, Herald of Free Enterprise etc and every time I go on a ferry now I’m always paying attention to lifeboat stations, lifejacket locations and am looking to get seated as close to a way out as possible. What a terrible disaster, and completely avoidable, this was.
this channel is doing God s work, people take many things for granted, no way I am sleeping or below deck in any ship for any period of time lol and will do a reconnaissance tour of everything like you said, and all thanks to what I ve seen here
Loving your channel. I keep coming back for these interesting accounts. Coming from South Africa, I wanted to just recommend looking into the history of South African maritime incidents/accidents sometime. You'll find such interesting stories. The collision of the SAS Tafelberg and Kruger was quite a major tragedy and the survivor stories are quite harrowing.
Thanks. I'll check it out.
Constructive critisism: you make too few videoes
🤣 thanks. I'm working on it
Constructive critisism: It should have at least been mentioned that the reasons and findings about the sinking are disputed. It could not be ruled out that weapons were smuggled, that it was sabotage, there maybe was a bomb threat aboard just before leaving habour, according to some sources. The swedish government wanted to completely cover the wreck in concrete as soon as possible and without consent swedish from nation and people involved ships dropped rubble over the wreck. @waterlinestories
nice video! properly researched, nice footage and the maps. keep it up!
Dude, I worked on a Land Ship Logistic (LSL) with a flat bottom. We were told that with 3 inches of water on the tank deck, She would roll over in 22 seconds. Enjoy you kip .
amazing production quality. I really like your calm explaining style
And likewise, Dona Paz does not compare to the lives that were lost on the Wilhelm Gustloff.
Can you make a video about the imploded Indonesian Submarine near Bali?
I missed you so much love 😉😉
So glad your back 👍👍👍
Thanks Beverly. Great to see you here👌🏻
@@waterlinestories Well, I've been here for weeks waiting for a new story from my favorite guy 😉😉 great to see you back at it
i really enjoy watching your vidoes i am a new subscriber .
It's haunting seeing these photos and videos of the disaster unfolding knowing so many of the people in those shots are about to die.
Those are not shots from Estonia but from another ships.
@@dexio85 I have been tricked.
@@something7239 Don't feel bad. Remember it as a lesson. TRUST NOTHING on the Internet until you've confirmed it yourself. Not photos. Not audio. Not words. Verify first... because the Internet is half truths incarnate.
@@dexio85Some are from Estonia but most of the video footage is from Concordia I believe. Its defo Estonia where the little red liferafts are being tossed about in the swell, filmed by a chopper. Pretty haunting video footage of those rafts, in some videos, about half of the people in the raft are dead. I remember theres a clip on Ytbe where a young, attractive, fit looking kid gets airlifted out of a raft, he survived, but the raft is partially filled with dead bodies just floating face down. The look on his face... Like a ghost. The fear of cold exemplified.
I also recall a young fella saying he knew something was wrong, went to evacuate up the stairs, but his gf, mum & dad just froze at the entryway, he was carried up the stairs with the crowd & that was the last time he saw them, looking shell shocked & bewildered. Awful.
Thanks again for the content
Good video, very detailed with the analysis of the causes of the disaster.
I remember when the news reported this accident. But mark my words that there was not a big follow up. No big headlines.... not much. It was a remarkable event. I remember the news saying the bow open in the middle of the sea and it sank very fast. Period. No documentaries, no rescue images. At least in my country Hispania, we didn't get many news about it.
So well done series. Great work 👏 ow man finally something good on tv
👍🏻
Book by William Langewiesche has a section describing the sinking. It was pure Darwinian survival as the young and strong were able to climb out of the ship
Its a shame so many companies are aloud to get by with skipping on safety and when it comes out they skipped on safety they get a slap on the wrist.
First rate videos with high intellect and integrity. I have one question and that is with your introductions you appear to speak with no script or notes yet you perfectly relate what you have to say. Are you working from memory with your introductions or do you know enough in order to ad-lib. Best wishes Peter London UK
😂 I wish I were that good. I actually use a teleprompter. It’s the only way I could be as precise. Even then there’s a fair amount of editing out the garbled tongue twisters.
Thanks for your kind reply. I hope you continue with these excellent videos. Many of us enjoy vicarious excitement and adventure from your work but of course loss of life is sad but at sea anything can happen. These videos are far superior to the rest on You Tube and a cut above the American output. Best wishes in all you do. Peter Starr London UK
Thanks Peter. I actually lived in London for 15 years. My wife’s German so we moved to Germany after our son was born. Now we live in the middle of nowhere. Big change from London
They extracted the bow visor in order to examine it ashore, and it sat for a long while at a dock that was visible from the motorway through Stockholm. I remember seeing it there many times, it was kinda eerie.
Man I just started going on cruises lol I don't need this right now
🤣
A very thorough report of this terrible, terrible tragedy. Plus useful reflection of what could/should have been done to make it much less fatal.
Lessons were learned, but as in all these cases - too late.
RIP those who perished and remain in the vessel on the sea bed.
And a very well told story, that did not go into all of the conspiracies that lingered around the sinking, with claims of forbidden weapons or drugs transported, being the reason the ship sunk (I seem to remember claims that someone onboard found out costums would raid the ship, so they opened the bow to dump some vehicles containing the illegal stuff, but did not disengage the locking pals before opening the gate, making the hydraulic cylinders force the hinges to break)
@@JohnDoe-bd5sz Yes, I heard and saw those other causes - on different documentaries. I think that what we saw here was the truth.
I thought the analysis that we saw of how the tragedy could have been avoided (or greatly reduced) was very useful.
@@nigelh3253 I agree, no matter why the bow port fell off, the captain and his crew terribly mismanaged the situation.
This accident reminds me a bit of the "MS Harold of free enterprice" disaster, there someone forgot to close the bow and they sailed until the ship was full of water and again...No camera's to see what was going on.
Luckily, today the laws have changed and these kinds of disasters would be all but impossible.
@@JohnDoe-bd5sz Yes the Herald of Free Enterprise was another Ro-Ro ferry (roll on, roll off). Almost 200 lives lost. Crew had a very lazy attitude - the man who should have shut the bow doors was asleep in his cabin! But nobody else bothered to check the doors and close them. Presumably this would have only taken a few minutes. Things like closing the door should have been double checked and not just left to one idle crew member. A disgrace.
So many mistakes it seems. What a heartbreaking story. I can hardly imagine what those poor people who did not survive went through.
Immediately stopped watching another podcast and ran straight here 💙
What podcast ?
There are books out there like "Worst Case Scenario " for a reason.
Are all of these video clips from the actual event? Or is it just similar situations being used as an example?
Another comment said they are almost all from the Concordia sinking.
Wasn't Estonia Estline's flagship?
Also good video.
Crazy how this sinking is so unknown outside of northern Europe. Lots of strange things surrounding this event.
Oh Lord, not another conspiracy theorist 🙄.
@@johnnunn8688 because everybody knows conspiracies are not real. The rich and powerful are ABSOLUTELY NOT doing shady deals, ever. Not once in history! Brilliant and high IQ post brother!
@@johnnunn8688 There were claims of foul play, possibly involving military equipment.
These theories only gained traction when governments in the area made it illegal to try to recover anything from the ship, going as far as to want to pour concrete over the ship below, so that no one would be able to enter it.
@@johnnunn8688 Oh Lord, another sheep
@@neera1123finally someone who uses his brain 👍
Great narration ❤❤❤❤ New subscriber.
👍🏻
That this happened AFTER the Herald of Free Enterprise disaster was a shocker in Europe.
I traveled on a Swedish Roro from Amsterdam to Newcastle last November through a huge North Sea Storm. I was extremely impressed at the professionalism and seamanship I saw the crew demonstrate.
Actual investigation from Swedish divers and journalists, revealing a big gash on the side of the hull of Estonia.
Yes it was caused by the ship hitting the seabed when she sank. When she landed on her side hard parts of the seabed punctured the hull on her side.
@@parnordquist6607she landed on sand, and the sand made it impossible to make that powerful hole in the ship wreck
@@QertzonOfficalAt first it was belived to be only soft seabed at the site of the wreck. New investigations of the site have shown that part of the seabed is rock. Those parts match the holes in the hull.
One thing more what report pointed out. Estonia or Viking Sally how it was first named, was designed sailing coastal waters not open, and the locking systems were desinged accordingly. Report speculates, that it might have contributed to material fatique. The report also states of overall bad maintenance of the vessel.
Scary content! Thank you.
Nothing better than turning RUclips on to see Waterline Stories had a new video uploaded !
My classmates had friends and their families drowning in this disaster. There was a school trip from the neighbour county on that ship. I have tales about the govmt reaction to this. To be short: in the beginning everything was reasonable, but about 6mo into it, something changed. Things got WEEEE-IIII-RRRRRD and very VERY shady decisions were made. That's where the conspiracies started. I was only 17 at this time, but omg our govmt was doing really bad.
Oh, I'm Swedish, forgot to mention.
EDIT: Forgot to mention that just ask if anyone wants me to clarify things. I just wrote a short comment here on yt, but there is SO MUCH SHADYNESS from the Swedish govmt regarding this tragedy.
There were claims of weapons from Sweden's weapon industry being transported.
Not sure why they would transport them TO Sweden though.
I agree, something dodgy was going on....Did they ever go through with pouring cement onto the ship to make it impossible to enter
@@JohnDoe-bd5sz The rumours about weapons are somewhat true, it turned out. At the time, our govmt denied it, but a few years later it was "discovered" that Estonia among other ferries transported military materals to and from Estonia and the other Baltic states. The reason for transport TO Sweden was prob since the Baltics had a lot of Soviet weapons they wanted to get rid of, Sweden offered to transport some of this to maybe do research on.
They never poured cement on the ship, they just covered it with gravel. THIS story is insanity defined. Our awesome neighbour Norway has EXTENSIVE experience in deep diving activities and considering Estonia is kind of shallow at 80m it is INCOMPREHENSIBLE that noone asked Norway for help!! At first the intention was to salvage the entire ship, but after those first 6mo that was reasonable, all THIS kind of shit suddenly appeared and this is where the conspiracies started.
There's definitely a-lot of shady stuff gone on regarding this ship! Wanting to cover the whole thing in concrete! Why would they want that?
There's the submarine collision theory as well........very sus.
@@dubber4life191there's a satanic alien theory as well... very sus
You Sir are the greatest RUclipsr.
Holy cow what a terrifying nightmare
Your a good storyteller ❤
Thanks 👍🏻
You're*
To me a fecking "mayday" means get there ASAP regardless.🤨.it's highly possible that on a sinking ship someone could only have the time to say mayday before losing the radio, being hurt etc..😤..not just possible but highly likely..😠..so I don't understand why the mayday wasn't immediately considered an emergency..😡..heck the fact that he couldn't relay the extra information means to me, means that its DEFINITELY an emergency....🤬
And the ship and it‘s size was well known to other ships in the area, no need to mention the number of passengers. The other ships knew it was in hundreds.
It hurts my mind to think about this crew, not bothering to make sure the ship they're on won't sink. Makes me want to ask, did they hire Russians? Seriously, I don't know anyone else with the reputation Russian sailors have--and they earned that rep thoroughly. Seriously, I can't understand the complacency of the crew. That captain, I suspect, needed a bit more experience before becoming captain.
I can no longer swim, and the last time I tried, I nearly drowned--so, stories like this kind of freak me out a bit. If I fell into deep water, I'd sink quickly.
The only ship I've been on was USS Theodore Roosevelt, and I have to admit that I enjoyed the couple of storms we rode through. I've never had motion sickness, and I was confident the ship wouldn't sink (brand new ship!), so storms weren't at all frightening to me. It didn't hurt that I could still swim back then. Some of my shipmates, on the other hand, were absolutely green with seasickness. I sometimes wonder how big the waves were in the Atlantic. There was a storm while we were visiting France, in the Med, and had to put out to sea--the waves then were 60-70 feet, and the search and rescue team had to go rescue some people ferrying a new yacht (which sank) in that mess.
All of them were estonians. Estonia had gained independence from USSR only 1991, so unfortunately not everything was up to western standards yet.
Pls tell me why you put these coloured arrows on your videos im curious
To point at things
Excellent channel. Live long and prosper.
👌🏻
This is somewhat unrelated but 12 on the scale saying “DEVASTATION OCCURS…Visibility is affected” cracked me up in the gallows humor sort of way.
This sounds like stupidity. If a call is made and the message cannot be understood or is missing severity information, why is it not treated as immediate need for help. This just sounds like a prudent response.
Yeah I'd never get on a ship that opened WITH the impact forces rather than against them in a force friggen 8.
Nice video, and we can finally see your hands move, lol.
😂
I love your podcasts and your storytelling - but could you please cite your sources for photos, sound clips and video footage (that you used out of the documentaries). You know ... HBomber is waching.
The failure to even discribe whats happening in the MAYDAY call is so bad. I got frustrated just listening to it. I imagine the guy on the other end pulling his hair out. So bad.🙏
They had less than half of the amount of passengers that it could actually carry. I’m surprised that it even sailed at only half occupancy.
excellent explanation, #respect
I wonder what happened to the captain after he left post, I’m assuming.
One of the key factors of the ms Estonia’s sinking was actually not the visor (the visor did let in water every time a wave hit it) the main factor of the Estonia’s sinking was a 4 meter gash found on her starboard side which was discovered in 2020 many people think that it was caused when a Russian submarine hit the ship, the list goes on about the theories. Please correct me in the replies section if I’m wrong about something
Edit: I realized that he showed a photo of the 4 meter gash
Sweden is so small so everybody knows someone who knows someone who lost somebody to the dark and cold baltic. We lost two from our family tree. Even if in a life jacket you will get hypothermia long before rescue, we swam with the military (no wet or dry suit) in about 3 deg waters and it was hard to operate at all after 10 min. Add the big waves and darkness and it won't be easy even for a professional..
7:48 why are there 2 pictures from Costa Concordia? Why are they not marked as such, even if they're used as representative of what the situation might have looked like? It would be somewhat understandable, but not clearly marking them is not okay, and quite frankly brings into question the research and accuracy of the entire video...
Bc there’re no pictures of the Estonia listing 90 degrees
Does it, though? Lol. The ship sank while sailing, anyone with common sense would know that those were meant as reference material. Chill out man, this video was fantastic. Lol
I saw the Silja Europa in Rotterdam last month
The automated beacon deploys when water dissolves a puck of sugar holding the device in place.
Force 7-8 is really not that dramatic
abolutely!
Depends on the ship you are traveling on. There is a difference between bravery and stupidity.
When I called in the Mayday, first words out of my mouth after saying the ship name would have been "We are sinking rapidly." It was not shock by the radio operator, it was pure incompetency.
They still would've died.
Captain pushed it against waves at high speed and the disaster was to come.
Is there a source for your definitive statement that if the ship had slowed down or gone into reverse then water would not have entered the car deck and the ship would not have sank? I am not aware of anything to suggest we can categorically say that.
It’s obvious to everyone that possesses a brain.
actively scooping up water by going forward certainly didn't help...
They didn’t physically investigate a loud bang heard on the bridge. They forensically investigated the door and hinges. Had they stopped or even backdown on the initial bang the outcome would have been different.
@@PadConnelly interesting. I read the wiki on it. It told a story just like the video. I was interested if the primary captain died in the wreck. Apparently he did and rightfully so.
you are correct. There was nothing they could have done. The safest thing to do in a storm is to sail into the wind like they did. And maintain speed so you don’t loos steering control
What a nightmare!
Love your presentation style. Terrible event, but you do the subject matter justice
I remember when this happened, when i heard about how it happened, it was such an unnecessary loss of life
Everyone here around the Finnish/Estonian/Swedish area knows she was sunk on purpose. They're diving to the wreck year after year and professionals say the massive hole on the starboard side of the vessel can not be explained other than by outside interference, especially when the hole's sides are bent outwards much like an exit wound. She sank in about 30 minutes, which is absolutely crazy. Russian weapons also on board...
We all understand that any RoRo can sink very quickly, especially with a damaged bow door.
All the evidence and modeling/simulation shows that the hole was caused by hitting rocks on the bottom as it sank and rolled. But of course if you like conspiracy theories nothing will ever convince you!
Not everybody. I don‘t.
You really should mention the suspicious circumstances of the sinking or the inconcistencies, omissions and false statements of the official report or the revised official report.
Why is no one mentioning this anymore?
In HBO Max there is a really good documentary about the sinking of Estonia and it actually goes pretty deep into the suspicious circumstances.
@@kat4428 Good to know. Will counter-check with what I know about the case.
It is funny: today, there are hundreds of completely braindead conspiracy-theories out there and the one I am 100% sure is real doesn't get any coverage at all anymore. 🤔
I just noticed that huge dent on the detached front visor, i wonder where that came from?
Lots of questions still unanswered about this disaster.
I'm no expert, but will suggest three things which could have reduced loss of life. Although this seems like a bad one with maybe no good outcomes.
First, the helm of a RORO should have eyes on the bow at all times, and flooding indicators on the vehicle decks.
Passengers need clearer training and signage on routes from key areas to their muster points.
Training and safety needs to be a feature seen when booking travel. Like food safety at restaurants.