Stephen Davis
Monday 23rd May 2005
http://www.yorkshire-divers.co.uk/forums/archive/index.php/t-20467.html
http://www.newstatesman.com/200505230019
Nearly 900 people perished when the Estonia ferry sank in 1994. In this exclusive investigation, Stephen Davis reveals that the ship was carrying a secret cargo of military equipment smuggled from the Russians by the British
The Baltic ferry Estonia had 989 people on board when it set sail from the Estonian capital, Tallinn, bound for Stockholm on the evening of 27 September 1994. In the early hours the next day, seaman Silva Linde, standing near the bow door of the car deck on routine watch, was struggling to keep his feet in the stormy seas. Then he heard a loud bang, which seemed to come from the port side. He reported the noise to the bridge but, hearing no other sounds, he continued on his rounds.
Shortly afterwards, as he stood by the information kiosk, the ship started rolling violently. All the money from the kiosk, which provided change for the casino, fell to the floor. Linde hurried towards the foredeck, where he found passengers running up the stairs. There was water on the car deck, they were shouting.
The Estonia capsized and sank in 45 minutes, going to the bottom in 250 feet of water, 20 miles south of the coast of Fin- land, at 1.48am. The 852 deaths made it one of the worst maritime disasters of the 20th century; there were just 137 survivors.
The Swedish government at first promised to raise the wreck and to spare no cost in finding the cause of the disaster. But then it changed its mind, refusing all pleas from the bereaved relatives to bring the Estonia to the surface, even though it lay in shallow waters. The subsequent Estonia Agreement 1995 sought to prevent any exploration of the wreck, which lies in international waters. The agreement was signed by Sweden, Finland, Estonia, Latvia, Denmark, Russia and, strangely, Britain, which has no obvious connection to the Baltic. One Briton, John Manning, died in the disaster; a second, Paul Barney of Pangbourne, Berkshire, survived after swimming to an upturned raft and clinging on in stormy seas until he was rescued.
