Rescue from ms Herald of Free Enterprise

The Townsend Thoreson Spirit class freight ferry Herald of Free Enterprise sailed from Zeebrugge just after high tide on the night of 6 Mar 1997 with 459 passengers, 80 crew and more than 100 vehicles embarked. Minutes later, water swept through the still open bow doors and at least 150 passengers and 38 crew were lost. The ship flooded rapidly and settled on the bottom on its side in the cold water with much of her starboard side exposed.

The rescue attempt was quick to start; in addition to nearby maritime traffic, a number of minesweepers and tugs from European Navies were also in the area. Belgian Air Force 40 Squadron Sea Kings were on the scene within 40 minutes but despite its magnificent work, the UK Board of Enquiry found that a combination of downdraught, rotor noise, bright lights and difficulty with radio communication made it less effective than it could have been.