The Hole: Another look at the sinking of the Estonia ferry on September 28, 1994

by Drew Wilson

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 the 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 the Estonia had a hole -- from a collision or an explosion.

Genres: History, Nonfiction

406 pages, Paperback

First published April 12, 2006

Reviews

[Andres "Ande" Jakovlev · Rating 5 out of 5]

Kui aus olla, siis olin seda raamatut kätte võttes üsna skeptiline. Vandenõuteooriad ei pane mind just pimesi uskuma. Enam kui korra olen juhtunud lugema raamatuid, kus on küll palju viiteid, ent neist enamus autori teistele raamatutele.

Sedapuhku üllatusin aga positiivselt.

Kindlasti ei ole tegu klassikalise vandenõuteooriaga. Tõsi - esitatakse hüpotees, et selliseks (nii kiireks) uppumiseks pidi vesi tungima laeva ka veeliinist madalamalt. Ning seda ka tõestatakse, kuigi mitte väga põhjalikult.

Enamus raamatu võtab enda alla hoopis 1994. aasta (ning lähiaastate) poliitilise olukorra kirjeldus. Miks mõni stsenaarium (näiteks kokkupõrge Vene allveelaevaga) oleks üldse usutav või milline huvi oleks (Rootsi riigil) see kinni mätsida. Ning see osa on tõesti põhjalik ja põnev.

Ka viiteid ning materjali, mida antud raamatu koostamiseks on kasutatud, on rohkem kui küll. Pea iga teise lõigu järel oli märkus täiendava info või viidetega.

[Graham · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book concerns the sinking of the passenger ferry Estonia on September 28th, 1994, en route from Estonia to Sweden. The ferry sank in record time and took many of the passengers with it. Secrecy has surrounded the incident ever since. The author examines the disaster from every possible angle and the book provides a painstaking, no-nonsense analysis of the incident.

The most impressive thing about this book is the level of research that has gone into writing and compiling all of the information. Drew Wilson interviewed dozens of people in authority and read through a minefield of official documents before writing this account. The level of clarity this research brings is evident in his writing. Despite the wealth of information in the book, the investigation is never boring, and the text is laid out well.

The book begins with first-hand accounts from survivors before moving on to a technical analysis examining the actual sinking, complete with diagrams to aid understanding. The book goes on to look at possible explanations, which range from a collision with a Russian submarine to a terrorist bombing. The cover-up surrounding the bodies still trapped inside the wreckage is a particularly controversial point.

This book is well presented with minimal errors in the text. The only negatives are the somewhat generic title and an off-putting cover design; however, readers looking past these will be in for a book that never ceases to ask questions about one of the worst disasters in peacetime history.

This review was first published in Reader's Review magazine.