Zeebrugge 1984 - Ferry to Dover - Townsend Thoresen Free Enterprise VI

[@Oakleaf700]

What was so eerie was my little boy earlier in the day asked ''do ferries ever sink?'' quite randomly, and I said ''no, they are very safe'' Then we switched on the news, and there was the awful news of this disaster.

[@zonkozonko]

I see your first picture is of a Townsend Thoresen arriving with doors open! I took my first ever new car on my first ever foreign holiday one of them before the accident. It was a very good trip we rented camping equipment from Townsend.Such a shame rushing and greed ruined what was a good company previously.

[@ajvgelder]

Great video. Happy times, happy memories. I went with my father often to UK via Zeebrugge - Dover those days. On board these vessels you were already in England as they were so pure english with their fish & chips smell inside. I liked these working boats.....thanks for sharing. Do you have more of this stuff ? Best regards, Adrian - Middelburg / Holland

[@collieultimo]

Thank you for your interresting words

[@MrAJO77]

FEVI also spent 4 years as Pride of Ailsa (still with P&O) operating Larne - Cairnryan. I was on her in 1995, and visited the bridge during the crossing. She went to Egypt in 1996. I was also on FEIV and Pride of Rathlin (ex FEVII) when they were at Larne.

[@zonkozonko]

After the Herald accident we in Britain had some documentaries on how the accident happened and as i remember they pointed out the weaknesses of "RO RO" ferries and also stated that the Belgian ferries, were manned by Belgian navy crew mainly and they were the only crews to close all water tight doors when at sea?

[@collieultimo]

@TheSlapdown Thank you for your comment. I agree with what you say of the old and new boats.

[@collieultimo]

@Mehdispino Yes, I was filming out ot the aft-balcony, when unexpected the ship made a curve and then capsized. I left the ship uninjured, but friends lost their lifes. That's why I never published that footage.

[@shannon3059]

im a survivor of the disaster and trying to find others that was on the herald that night if know of anyone can you let me know on here and will get back to you thanks

[@collieultimo]

@SuperMole666 Thank You for your comment. At 2:54 my car is the left one, a Citroen CX.

[@meerkatandpug]

Those ramps look very steep for the average driver.

[@collieultimo]

Luckily I was on the rear balcony. This was that time nearly the only place to get out to the open.

[@collieultimo]

Thank you for your comment

[@collieultimo]

@krugerfuchs No, you're wrong - the Herald sisters where build 1979/80 by Schichau Unterweser AG in Bremerhaven Germany. This one here, the "Free Enterprise VI" was build 1972 by I.C.H. Holland, Werf Gusto Yard, Netherlands. It was a series of four sisters "Free Enterprise IV-VII".

[@collieultimo]

@TheSlapdown No one said that. Mehdispino spoke of the Pride of Free Enterprise (in Film from 2:30 on), which is now the M/F Oleander

[@collieultimo]

@colinclarke1000 Bedankt voor de leuke opmerking

[@collieultimo]

At these old door construction they need to open it before docking. But the inner door should be stay closed. But after being passenger on the Herald at the disaster I hat a differnt view on ferries going in or out the harbour. And I saw a lot of ferries going in or out with wide open loading doors, Belgium, British, Danish and German.

[@collieultimo]

They changed the complete front design including double deck front doors

[@collieultimo]

Being involved in the Herald accident I had a close look at all documentaries published since then. It was a lot of rubbish among these. For instance they blamed crew men and no words of the P&O managers who reduced the crew without regulating how this should work.

[@collieultimo]

@JustFerries Danke für deinen Kommentar. Du bist es schuld daran, nach Deinen dollen Palermo-Videos habe ich in alten Aufnahmen gewühlt und diese hier gefunden.

[@collieultimo]

This boat was safe and sink because a drunken captain of old freighter crashed into it. And the Herald of free Enterprise was among the top ten of the most save ships in the world. The main reason for the disaster was terrible organisation of the 4 days old ownership.

[@collieultimo]

@Mehdispino Yes and it is mainly like the original construction. The sister Spirit of Free Enterprise was lengthened more than 30 m an ist now laid up in Piraeus as Anthi Marina and on the othe sister, the Herald, I was passenger on that cold friday evening.

[@colinclarke1000]

#ajvgelder het klopt wat je over de brits bemanning schrijft adrian. ..... Ik heb in goes gewoned en Weken lang spreekt Ik hollands..en voelen zich thuisziek...en de meestal de bemanning komt uit zuid oost England (en Ik ook) dus Ik hoord platselijk dialekt..Ik hebben ook tussen vlissingen en sheerness met olau. Varen

[@preachercasey6951]

sad about the herald. but things dont improve if bad stuff doesnt happen. shows how much arougance there is with shipping and marine laws. very sory for people who lost there family or friends

[@Spyker8921]

The travel lasted how long?

[@collieultimo]

@shannon3059 Hello, my friend. I regret very much that I not be able to help. In this disaster, I was not injured and did not lose relatives ("only" friends). Although I have a German passport. At the first annual meeting of the victims in the UK, I was sent away as a non-member of this community. So I only stayed in contact with a Belgian couple and a family from East Anglia. The Belgians died in the meantime. The English family told me, that they want to forget the nightmare of the past.

[@collieultimo]

The late night service took 4 hours 45 minutes

[@MadAndyBeckman]

Rushing? Jeesh, opening and shutting the doors would take less time than docking and lowering the vehicle ramps at the docks and would otherwise be done simultaneously so time was not an issue. The reason they left the doors open for a bit was to clear the car fumes.... but a mile out? Anyway, at a mile out on EXITING a dock clearly rushing was nothing to do with it.

[@MadAndyBeckman]

Really, it is not beyond the remit of a reduced crew to shut the doors. How many people does it take to operate a button or a switch?

[@SuperMole666]

what a good old clip 2.54 your car what is it?

[@Spyker8921]

Why,were building,the Free Enterprise VI are a bow doors (bow visor) and were become the Pride Of Sandwich,this doors are disapeer for a classic doors?