Outside the UK, few have probably heard of the ferry “Herald of Free Enterprise” which sank on 6th March 1987 minutes after leaving Zeebrugge in Belgium bound for Dover in England with the loss of 193 lives. It was one of the worst peacetime maritime disasters of the 20th century, as well as the cause of some remarkable feats of heroism, a number of bravery awards (including a posthumous George Medal) being given.

The cause of the sinking was found to be that the ferry had left the dock with its bow doors still open (a common practice to allow a faster turnaround), causing the car deck – which had no water-tight compartments - to become flooded and causing the ship to capsize within the harbour itself.

This documentary, broadcast on the 25th anniversary of the accident - speaks to one man who lost his family that day and does not make for easy listening (I found myself quite "emotional" ), but is of great historical interest.

For more about the disaster, see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MS_Herald_of_Free_Enterprise