Scale model of MS Estonia | |
| History | |
|---|---|
| Name |
|
| Namesake | Estonia (as Estonia) |
| Owner |
|
| Operator |
|
| Port of registry | |
| Ordered | 11 September 1979 |
| Builder | Meyer Werft, Papenburg, West Germany |
| Yard number | 590 |
| Laid down | 18 October 1979 |
| Launched | 26 April 1980 |
| Completed | 27 April 1980 |
| Acquired | 29 June 1980 |
| In service | 5 July 1980 |
| Identification |
|
| Fate | Capsized and sank on 28 September 1994 |
| General characteristics | |
| Type | Cruiseferry |
| Tonnage | |
| Length |
|
| Beam | 24.21 m (79 ft 5 in) |
| Draught | 5.60 m (18 ft 4 in) |
| Decks | 9 |
| Ice class | 1 A |
| Installed power |
|
| Speed | 21.1 knots (39.1 km/h; 24.3 mph) |
| Capacity |
|
The MS Estonia was a Finnish cruiseferry. It was built in 1980 for the Finnish company Rederi Ab Sally. The ferry was built by Meyer Werft, in Papenburg, West Germany. It was used on ferry routes between Finland and Sweden by several companies, It was first useed by Viking Line, then EffJohn. In 1993, it was sold to Nordström & Thulin for use on Estline's Tallinn–Stockholm route. The ship sank on 28 September 1994. It went down in the Baltic Sea between Sweden, Finland and Estonia. This was one of the worst maritime disasters during peacetime in the 20th century. 852 people died.
The ship sank during a storm on the Baltic Sea. The closest ship to the Esonia when it made the SOS signal was the Silja Europa. While sinking the ship capsized and sunk. Most of the passengers died in the sinking. 137 people would survive. The sinking was said to be caused by flooding.
MS Estonia has 11 decks, from the lowest (0) to the highest (10). Passengers were located on decks 6, 5, 4, and 1, the crew members were at decks 8 and 7. Decks 2 and 3 were for cargo such as cars.