1. Bengt Nilsson - cabin 1026 - 35 years old
- the vessel left the berth when they entered the restaurant, i.e. at 19.30 hours board time or later (because restaurant only opens at 19.30 hours);
- went at 22.00 hours on deck also to forward of deck 7 - could not see anything abnormal - it was very dark;
- was there twice again later - no change except increasing storm and higher seas;
-
at ca. 23.00 hours - must be Swedish time - he went to bed, but could not sleep due to heavy labouring of the vessel and something beating frequently against the hull very heavily;
- he noted after an hour or so that it began to roar (scream, howl), squeak, shriek, scrape and finally he heard a sharp metallic breaking noise at the starboard side and aft of him, and formed the opinion that something was wrong;
http://web.archive.org/web/200403281952 ... 20.238.htm
2. Martin Nilsson - cabin 1028 - 22 years
Martin had told the police that his cabin no. was 1027, however, according to the drawing he made showing his way up, it was cabin no. 1028. The drawing is attached to his statement, which can be summarized as follows: - He went to bed at 23.00-23.30 hours, noticed heavy movements of the vessel and lots of cracking noises.
He also heard that something was frequently heavily beating against the vessel;
- About 10-15 minutes before the accident became a fact, i.e. before the big heel, he woke up from the heavy movements of the vessel, heard a scraping noise, i.e. it was cracking and scraping very close to him on the deck above him. This was (for him) the introduction to the developments which ended in the catastrophe;
- A little later Martin felt that the noises were connected to the shaking of the vessel, and then the vessel began to heel noticeably. He and his bed moved upwards while the others in their beds on the opposite side of the cabin moved downwards. He is unable to explain this in more detail. Simultaneously the strong scraping noise was being continuously heard and then Jan Gustavsson said: "Now we have run aground." So clear and distinct was this noise;
Note: Since noises associated with "running aground" cannot originate from above but must have come from below, this was probably a wrong description or memory of Martin Nilsson. Below him were the starboard heeling tank and the pocket of the starboard stabiliser.
- He left the cabin and jumped up one flight of stairs to the next deck (car deck), where he noted several centimetres of water on the floor;
- When he had reached the boat deck he observed two crew members talking into walkie-talkies;
- A search light was shining from vessel's side into the water; the lights went out/on several times;
- He saw the lights of a ferry far away.
http://web.archive.org/web/200401190633 ... .1.294.htm
3. Ants Nadar - cabin 1025 - 46 years old
- was in bed -
woke up due to hard banging noises, started to climb up to deck when the vessel suddenly heeled to starboard.
http://web.archive.org/web/200401190651 ... .1.298.htm
4. Mikael Öun - cabin 4217 - port inside, middle.
- was in bed but could not sleep;
- close to 01.00 hours he noted that the vessel's movements changed, i.e. whilst the vessel had so far been pitching, she now started to roll 3°-5°;
- after a heavy wave impact he heard 2-3 severe scraping noises from forward - this was at 01.01 hours - followed by a slight listing to starboard and some things fell down;
- directly thereafter followed a very severe heeling and now everything loose was sliding to starboard.
-
was in bed and continuously heard banging noises which he believed to be caused by the waves hitting against the bow;
- he slept a bit and woke up again and finally was fully awake when he heard a particularly loud bang and because the vessel started to behave differently in the sea state;
- he noticed that the vessel started to roll from side to side instead of pitching against the sea;
- he also heard 3 heavy scraping noises which followed straight one after the other with some seconds in between and after these scraping noises the vessel heeled severely to starboard;
- at first there was heavy movement of the vessel and a slight list remained and the vessel remained with that list for a while;
- a little later the heel suddenly increased severely and everything loose moved toward the cabin door whereafter the vessel righted again;
- he got out of his bed, put on some clothes and removed the loose objects from the door in order to open it, thereby he put his camera and the alarm clock in his pocket;
- after his survival he realised that the alarm clock had stopped at 00.02 hours (Swedish time) because the moment it fell from the table, due to the sudden heeling, the batteries had become disengaged and the clock stopped.
- Consequently the time of the 1st heavy heeling to starboard was 00.02 hours Swedish time = 01.02 hours ship's time.
Antoi kaksi lausuntoa.
Ensimmäinen:
http://web.archive.org/web/201808300221 ... .2.224.htm
Toinen:
http://web.archive.org/web/201808300221 ... .2.225.htm
5. Carl Övberg - cabin 1049:
Övberg has made statements on 29.09.94 and on 10.10.94, he was interviewed by Jutta Rabe of Spiegel TV on 13.03.96 and frequently by members of this 'Group of Experts' in the course of 1997, the results of which are summarised in his statement dated 09.09.97. The most relevant parts of this statement in connection with the casualty scenario shall be quoted as follows:
- at about 22.30 hours (Swedish time) down to the cabin and to bed;
- he woke up suddenly from the strong noise of rushing water which he could hear from both sides, but loudest from starboard side; these noises alarmed him;
-
in addition he heard quite strong metallic banging noises which definitely had not been there before; he sat up in bed and put his feet on the floor, since the bed was athwartships he was facing the door looking aft;
- he lit a cigarette and listened intently to the strange and frightening noise scenario;
-
after a little while he suddenly heard the starting up noise of an hydraulic pump or pumps followed by the clicking of valves and then the typical noise created by an hydraulic system under load;
-
simultaneously he heard the banging of sledge hammers;
- the noises came probably from forward;
-
the hydraulic under load noise faded away and came back again whilst the sledge-hammer banging noise more or less continued. Both the hydraulic noise and the sledge-hammer banging noise continued for ca. 10-15 minutes whilst the other banging noises, then heard already for some 20-25 minutes, also continued;
-
the hydraulic noise and the sledge-hammer noise stopped with a short, sharp metallic crash which gave him the impression that something heavy, metallic had broken;
- after a 'silence' of 30-40 seconds the next really extreme crash followed in connection with an abrupt stopping of the ferry which was so 'sudden' that he was thrown against the front wall of his bed;
it was a short, sharp intense crash as if the ship had struck against something;
- he jumped out of his bed and put his clothes on very quickly when he realised that all the engine noises had stopped and that the ferry was now making much softer pitch movements; this must have been at about 01.00 hours.
- he rushed out of his cabin, turned right towards the stairway, around the aft part of it, through the open WT-door (watertight) towards aft, but turned around after some meters and headed forward, by now the vessel had started making sideway movements (rolling), the door at the port side of the stairway was either open or missing, and he rushed through it;
- he turned right up the stairs when his coat got caught at the beginning of the right handrail, he turned round to his right and looked over his right shoulder out through the door opening into the alleyway;
- he saw 2 goosenecks next to the cabin wall, as indicated on the drawing on the pages 517/518;
- out of these goosenecks water was streaming under great pressure, he also saw water penetrating the door forward of these goosenecks in the 3rd compartment which belonged to a cleaning room;
- he saw the water running over the floors;
- he had freed his jacket and he rushed up the stairs;
- when he was about half way up to the car deck the vessel heeled suddenly and abruptly more than 45°, probably 50° or 60°;
Note: The reason for Övberg estimating this large angle of heel is the fact that he was standing on the wall, as shown by the drawing below to his statement and on the following paragraph.
Tämä todistajanlausunto löytyy englanniksi:
http://web.archive.org/web/201809131748 ... .2.151.htm
6. Thure Palmgrén cabin 4th deck about midships
- vessel's movements became worse towards midnight, went to cabin
-
after 00.00 hrs. metallic banging noises from forward began, rang the alarm, nothing, wife changed from bed to sofa, ca. 00.45 hrs. vessel shaking, vibrating and noise as if running aground or plates smashed in
http://web.archive.org/web/200403311535 ... .5.356.htm
7. Dainis Sleiners - cabin 1015
- went to the cabin at 22.00 hours, there was no water in the alleyway;
- was in bed and woke up, a heavy bang followed by the heeling, the whole vessel was shaking - he believes it was 01.30 hours - he did not hear the engines anymore - which he had done before;
-
he remembers having heard low indefinable strange noises when he was still dozing before he was awakened by the heavy bang;
- on his way up he passed the 2nd deck, i.e. the first car deck and saw water in the alleyway.
http://web.archive.org/web/200403292135 ... .1.302.htm
8. Tony Spuhl - cabin 4313 - 2nd cabin starboard forward outside
- could not sleep due to labouring of vessel;
- looked frequently out of the window;
-
listened for the noises which the bow created when smashing into the waves and thought spontaneously that the vessel should not be going so fast against such waves;
- he noted after a while that the engine noises became different and he got the impression that the vessel reduced the speed;
- he was lying there and continued to listen to the noises and the
roaring was quite severe when the waves slammed against the bow;
- after a while he heard an enormous crash and the whole vessel was shaking/vibrating;
- he looked out of the window and is not really sure whether the vessel was proceeding ahead or was lying still (did not move);
- the normal roaring noises remained when the bow was slamming into the waves, but then came "2 metallic noises", which sounded like "klonk-klonk" directly after the bow was setting into the sea;
- when the next wave hit the bow Tony Spuhl heard something which sounded like "klonk-klonk-klonk", 3 times. Directly thereafter he heard a rushing noise below his cabin. The noise came from the car deck.
- he was still lying in his bed and heard this rushing sound once more;
- his partner René by then was also awake and he said: "Something is wrong, we must get out of the cabin."
- Whilst Spuhl was jumping out of his bed, he saw René opening the door, at this very moment the vessel heeled suddenly to starboard.
http://web.archive.org/web/201502030304 ... .2.228.htm
9. Ulla Marianne Tenman - outside on deck 7 - starboard side
- from her cabin 1098 she went up to deck 7 and waited, suddenly heavy bang and the vessel heeled;
-
some time before casualty heard heavy bangs and something beating against the hull.
http://web.archive.org/web/200403292132 ... .1.288.htm
10. Ainus Toobal - cabin 4224 - starboard inside
- heard at 00.30 hours strange bangs and metal bearing against metal - heavy heel to starboard and vessel did not right up;
- heard subsequently from crew members that water had penetrated the bow ramp.
http://web.archive.org/web/201502030304 ... .2.229.htm
11. Jasmina Waidinger - cabin 1027
- went to bed ca. 23.30 hours (Swedish time) and changed beds shortly afterwards with Daniel Svensson;
-
both heard strange noises "as if the sea was striking against the vessel's bow";
- they discussed the situation when Daniel's alarm clock rang at midnight;
- she dozed for some minutes - she believes ca. 5 - when there was a "hard bang" from the car deck;
- at the same time the vessel heeled over to starboard and Daniel Svensson rushed out of the cabin while she dressed and followed;
- when she jumped out of her cabin door she saw water in the alleyway which trickled from somewhere;
- she estimates the time from hearing the "hard bang" to being washed overboard when the vessel was on the side at about 1/2 hour.
Statement made on 04.10.94
Ensimmäinen lausunto:
http://web.archive.org/web/200403292131 ... .1.297.htm
- went to the cabin ca. 23.15 - 23.20 hours (Swedish time);
- at ca. 23.30 hours went to another cabin to ask for pills, noticed nothing abnormal then;
-
when she was in her bed she heard banging noises which she and Daniel Svensson did not consider to be normal; - they discussed this and she thought of the stabilisers, how they might function, etc. when she heard a rushing sound, which was low in its intensity and which she had not heard before;
- it seemed to her that the rushing sound came from above and appeared to her like water running rather slowly;
- they heard the sound of Daniel's clock indicating midnight which was confirmed when she looked at her watch;
- she was lying in her bed dozing a bit, but did not sleep when she suddenly heard the strong noise above her cabin ceiling which appeared to her to be "something big and strong moving from one place to another";
- immediately after this noise the vessel heeled over and Daniel shouted that they had to get out at once;
- at the same time when Daniel jumped out of the cabin door he shouted that "there was water in the alleyway";
- outside the cabin she was able to lean against a wall and pull up her jeans when she saw water penetrating the floor in front of the cabin.
Note: This area was directly above the allegedly empty starboard heeling tank which apparently was now full. This could have been affected by the opened cross-flooding valve between the full port and the allegedly empty starboard heeling tank. On the other hand the starboard heeling tank could have been full all the time.
Toinen lausunto:
http://web.archive.org/web/200403292131 ... .1.297.htm
12. Daniel Svensson - cabin 1027
- was in this cabin with Jasmina Waidinger, but has mixed up port/ starboard, forward/aft and decks 6/7;
- vessel was pitching and rolling, at each pitch movement something was beating against the hull -
"as if someone were hammering with a big stone".
http://web.archive.org/web/200403292132 ... .1.295.htm