SHIPS MAIL
FURTHER FERRY DISASTERS IN THE POST-WAR ERA
letter of the month
I read the most interesting article ‘Ferry Disasters in the post-war era’ by Richard Jones (SM, March). I believe there are five more similar major tragic accidents involving passenger/car ferries which are worth describing. These are, in chronological order, as follows:
HERAKLION • The converted passenger/car ferry of Typaldos Lines (ex Leicestershire) was on her way from Chania Crete to Piraeus in a heavy storm in early hours of 8 December 1966. Due to the excessive roll of the ship, a poorly secured refrigerated trailer hit the side-loading garage door, which gave way and the seas entered when the ship was near the island of Milos. She capsized within minutes and sank with more than 268Efthymiadis Line, Heleanna, with more than 1,000 passengers and crew, was on a voyage from Patras to Ancona in the early hours of 28 August 1971 when she caught fire after a gas cylinder exploded in the main galley. The fire quickly engulfed the whole ship and 24 people lost their lives. The smouldering vessel was sprayed with water from the Italian fire fighters and was towed to Brindisi.
