HERALD OF FREE ENTERPRISE VICTIMSThe Herald of Free Enterprise, a car and passenger ferry owned by Townsend Thoresen, had just set out for Dover on the evening of March 6, 1987, when it turned on its side in Zeebrugge harbour in Belgium with the loss of 193 lives.
On board were 459 passengers, many of them readers of The Sun newspaper who had collected tokens to get a cut-price day trip to the Continent, and 80 crew.
The disaster which hit their trip home unfolded in just 90 seconds, in calm conditions and shallow water, only 100 yards from the shore.
Survivors say the boat went over in seconds and quickly began to fill with water. The only way out for many was to smash windows and clamber onto the side of the ship and hope to be lifted off.
Rescue helicopters, including two RAF Sea Kings, were on the scene within minutes. Nearby Dutch and Belgian boats were also diverted to help in the rescue operation.
Most of the victims were trapped inside the ship and quickly succumbed to hypothermia in the cold water.
The speedy rescue effort and the fact that the ferry did not sink completely meant the death toll was much lower than it could have been.
There was a public inquiry into the sinking in July 1987.
Stars from the world of music came together to record a version of the Beatles track Let It Be, under the name Ferry Aid to raise funds for the charity set-up in the aftermath of what was often simply called the Zeebrugge Disaster. The driving force behind the single was the Sun newspaper.
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