50 years ago, the Hamburg general cargo ship MS "Brandenburg" sank in the English Channel within a few minutes. The ship had collided with a wreck. 20 men and women of the crew die.
by Kerstin von Stürmer and Jan Wulf
Eleven crew members survive the shipwreck, which is one of the worst in the post-war period. Among them is Jens Heesch from Rosengarten near Hamburg. He is third officer on the MS "Brandenburg" when the ship sinks in the English Channel on January 12, 1971. The last voyage of the "Brandenburg" begins on January 11, 1971 in Antwerp. From here it should go towards the Caribbean. At 6 p.m. on this mild, calm winter's day, the general cargo ship casts off and sets course for the English Channel.
A bloodcurdling sound goes through the whole ship
Jens Heesch, here with a model of the "MS Brandenburg", is one of the eleven survivors of the accident.Heesch's watch that day ends at midnight. The next morning he is woken up at 7.15 a.m. by the officer cadet. His watch is scheduled to begin at 8 a.m. A few minutes later, a bloodcurdling noise goes through the whole ship. Heesch knows immediately that something is wrong. He puts on another coat, takes his life jacket with him and goes to the bridge.
No more time for an emergency call
The "Brandenburg" had rammed a large part of the wreckage of the tanker "Texaco Caribbean", which broke apart the day before. The hull of the ship was torn open across a wide front. When Heesch reaches the bridge, it is dark and the power has already gone out. The ship leans forward faster and faster. The men on the bridge don't have time to make an emergency call. It's also too late for the lifeboats. The "Brandenburg" sinks within three minutes. Thanks to his life jacket, Heesch manages to stay on the water surface. After a long two and a half hours in the freezing water, he is finally rescued by British fishermen. Ten other crew members can also save the fishermen from drowning.
Question of guilt remains unresolved
An old newspaper clipping shows survivors of the "Brandenburg".The subsequent hearing by the Maritime Authority dealt with the question of whether and why the crew of the Hapag-Lloyd freighter apparently had no knowledge of the location of the wreck. There were numerous radio messages with precise information on the location of the wreck. However, it cannot be clarified whether and which radio message reached the ship:dives aimed at recovering the radio log failed. The maritime authority states that the sinking of the "Brandenburg" happened as a result of a combination of a number of unusual circumstances. At the same time, the maritime authority recommends new safety measures, including equipping all ships with easy-to-use, inflatable life rafts that float up themselves in the event of a sinking. Today this is the international standard.