Estonia Litigation Association - Estonia Protsessi Ühing

Synopsis

In September 1994, the passenger ferry Estonia set out on an overnight cruise from Tallinn, Estonia to Stockholm, Sweden and sank in the Baltic Sea, killing nearly 1000 people in 35 minutes.

It was the worst peacetime sea catastrophe in European waters in the 20th century. A controversial government investigation blamed the ship's design and high waves.

But Estonia was the only intact ship in maritime history to sink in less than one hour -- faster than some torpedoed ships. This disturbing fact is the core of the tragedy and was left unexplained.

The victims still remain in the shipwreck in shallow depth just off the coast of Finland, a spot militarily guarded by Sweden.

"The Hole: Another look at the sinking of the Estonia ferry on September 28, 1994" examines alternative explanations in view of post-Soviet chaos, proceeding from the theory that Estonia had a hole -- from a collision or an explosion.

Excerpts from the book:

"The Joint Accident Investigation Commission's Final Report on the sinking, which took three years to complete and involved Sweden, Estonia and Finland, gave no explanation on how the Estonia could go under in 35 minutes without a hole in the hull.

In fact, no definitive explanation for the disaster exists - including the Final Report. The answer is about 60 meters deep in the Baltic Sea, the spot where the ferry rests, a spot militarily guarded by Sweden [although the wreck lies in the international waters - ed.]. An impartial examination is forbidden.

The premise of the book is simple: The hull of Estonia had a breach of integrity below the waterline that facilitated the rapid fall to the bottom of the Baltic Sea. The Estonia had a hole.

Challenging the government's Final Report, the book highlights the ignored issues and inconsistencies of the official findings. It puts the disaster back into its historical context - the cynical world immediately following the collapse of the U.S.S.R., when state priorities shifted and law became elastic or was thrown aside.

The broader aim of this book is to fan the embers of public debate over the 20th century's worst peacetime disaster in European waters, which Sweden has worked hard to smother."

Drew Wilson does not explore technical or regulatory issues such as ferry stability or ferry safety, topics that have been analyzed in other books and reports by highly-qualified authorities.

Reader's comment:

I was very favorably impressed with the detail and accuracy of the author. I was living in Tallinn, teaching at the Estonian Business School and had two students killed in the disaster. I also felt the author did an excellent job touching on the human and political issues involved at the time.

The sinking of the Estonia was a terrible event but to me what is even worse is the unbelieveable coverup of the governments of Sweden, Finland, and Estonia.

Congratulations to Drew Wilson for a fine job telling the story and maintaining the dignity of those killed in the sinking.

PART TWO: Explanations
2. Governments Version of the Disaster
3. The Logic of the Hole

PART THREE: Three Events that Shaped the Investigation
4. Cult of the Visor
5. The Dive to the Shipwreck
6. Concrete Blanket

PART FOUR: The Backdrop
7. 1994: Chaos Unleashed
     Collapse
     Sources of Conflict
     Ichkeriya 1992-1994
     NATO
     Narva Power Keg
     The Bandits
     De-occupation, August 1994
     Assertive Sweden

PART FIVE: Alternative Scenarios
7. Alternative Scenarios
8. Hit and Run
     Scrapes
     Damage Control
     Seafloor Antics
     Unaccountable Incidents
9. Dark Signature
     Splinters and Fragments
10. Baltic Drainpipe
11. The Consignment
12. Cocktail Effect

PART SIX: Hidden Agendas
13. Detours
      The FelixReport
      The Felix Group
      The Submarine Fax
14. Strategic Compassion
      The Re-established Europeans
      Salvage Realities
      No
      Yes - No
15. Conclusion: A Work on Progress

POSTSCRIPTS
A. The Struggle to Explain the Swift Sinking
     Cardeck and Ramp
     Water Below
     Deck 1
     The leaky Roof Theory
B. The Historical Spotlight

APPENDICES
Appendix I: Recovery Charts
Nationalities of passangers and crew
Appendix II: The Kalmar Chart
Appendix III: The Felix Report Excerpts
Appendix IV: The Submarine Fax
Appendix V: FOIA Response
Appendix VI: Timeline of Key Events
Appendix VII: Glossary of Abbreviations and Terms

List of Illustrations
Sources
Notes (67 pages)

The book can be ordered from Diggory Press:

Bombhole in M.S. Estonia

M.S. Wilhelm Gustloff