Background
The MV Estonia was a beautiful passenger and vehicle ferry that operated in the Baltic Sea. Built at the Meyer-Werft shipyard in Papenburg, Germany in 1980, she was originally named the Viking Sally. After changing ownership, she was purchased in 1993 by the Estonian company Estline and renamed the Estonia.
Murderous Beginnings
In 1986, a Finnish businessman by the name of Antti Eljaala was found dead on board, having been strangled and stabbed to death by his business partner, Reijo Hammar. Mr. Hammar had apparently caught Mr. Eljaala stealing money out of his wallet. Another brutal murder took place on board in 1987, when West German man, Klaus Schelke and his girlfriend Bettina Taxis were viciously attacked while enjoying a nice night on the open air deck. Schelke was killed, and Taxis was left with permanent injuries. The case remains unsolved to this day.
Tragedy Strikes
In the early morning hours of September 28, 1994, the Estonia was traveling from Tallin, Estonia to Stockholm, Sweden through rough seas, while carrying 989 people, including 186 crew. Suddenly, a loud metallic bang was heard, and soon chaos ensued and alerts began blaring on the ship. The bow visor of the ship had detached and water was flooding the vehicle deck with water, causing it to list badly.
The crew of the Estonia was able to send MayDay messages which were picked up by nearby ships, most notably by radio operator Teijo Seppelin of the Silja Europa, and a land station in Finland. the Mariella was the first ship to arrive at the site, but the Estonia had disappeared. Only people in the water and lifeboats could be seen. Soon, other ships and helicopters arrived and began plucking survivors out of the water. Out of the 989 people on board, 852 lost their lives.
Controversy
Controversy soon swirled about the cause of the sinking. Some say the ship collided with a submarine. Others say there must have been an explosion. There are even reports that the ship was carrying stolen Russian military equipment and was sabotaged. In 2019, Swedish filmmakers Henrik Evertsson and Linus Andersson captured underwater footage of the wreck, revealing a large gaping hole in the hull of the Estonia, fueling additional speculation. In September of 2022, the two filmmakers were found guilty of disturbing a grave site and were fined.
The loss of life makes the Estonia one of the worst maritime disasters in history. The mystery surrounding the sinking of the “Pride of Estonia” contributes to this tragic tale.
Recommended Reading
Sources
“MV ESTONIA – Final Report.” Onse.fi, 2022, onse.fi/estonia/. Accessed 24 Apr. 2022.
Henley, Jon. “Tell Us the Truth”: Hole Found in Sunken Ship’s Hull Proves Us Right, Say Families.” The Guardian, The Guardian, 4 Oct. 2020, www.theguardian.com/world/2020/oct/04/maybe-now-well-get-some-answers-film-maker-challenges-official-story-of-estonia-ferry-disaster. Accessed 24 Apr. 2022.
“21.3.5 Reports from Deck 7.” Estoniaferrydisaster.net, 2022, www.estoniaferrydisaster.net/estonia%20final%20report/21.3.5.htm. Accessed 26 Apr. 2022.
Wells, Chloe. “Cursed Ship. The Sinking of the “Estonia” – Chloe Wells – Medium.” Medium, Medium, 15 Aug. 2021, chloewells.medium.com/cursed-ship-the-sinking-of-the-estonia-42c8aa40079f. Accessed 27 Apr. 2022.
“Mr Skylight to Number One and Two by AneurysmGuy on DeviantArt.” Deviantart.com, DeviantArt, 27 Sept. 2019, www.deviantart.com/aneurysmguy/art/Mr-Skylight-to-Number-One-And-Two-814704047. Accessed 27 Apr. 2022.
“MS Estonia.” The Ferry Wiki, 2022, theferry.fandom.com/wiki/MS_Estonia. Accessed 27 Apr. 2022.Tambur, Silver. “MS Estonia Damage Much Greater Than Previously Thought.” estoniaworld.com, 2022, https://estonianworld.com/life/ms-estonias-damage-much-greater-than-previously-thought/. Accessed 28 Aug 2022.