Wreck of MS Herald of Free Enterprise
Belgium
- Position
- 51.3746° N, 3.1906° E
- Sank
- —
- Cause
- —
- Depth
- —
No protection is recorded for this wreck in the sources we hold. Position for reference only; not for navigation.
MS Herald of Free Enterprise was a roll-on/roll-off (RORO) ferry which capsized moments after leaving the Belgian port of Zeebrugge on the night of 6 March 1987, killing 193 passengers and crew. The eight-deck car and passenger ferry was owned by Townsend Thoresen, designed for rapid loading and unloading on the competitive cross-channel route between Dover and Calais. As is common with RORO ferries, it was built with watertight compartments terminating below the vehicle deck, with the doors at the end of the vehicle deck becoming vital to avoiding uncontrolled flooding. The ship left harbour with her bow door open, and the sea immediately flooded the vehicle deck; within minutes, she was lying on her side in shallow water.
History from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA.
About this wreck
MS Herald of Free Enterprise is a recorded shipwreck site at 51.3746° N, 3.1906° E. Voydar shows wreck locations alongside live ship traffic, free, from Wikidata and public hydrographic records.
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