Ninety Seconds at Zeebrugge: The Herald of Free Enterprise Story

by Iain Yardley

The Herald of Free Enterprise car ferry set sail on a routine voyage to Dover in March 1987, carrying hundreds of passengers, including British army personnel, day-trippers and truck drivers. Minutes after leaving the Belgian port of Zeebrugge, the ferry began to capsize. Terrified passengers were separated from loved ones in a seething mass of humanity, in freezing cold water and had to fight for their lives. This is the minute-by-minute account of those who lived through the disaster, from the event to rescue, reunion and repatriation. The Belgian people are also remembered for the care and comfort they gave to the bewildered and grief-stricken survivors.

Including plans, photographs and records considering how this disaster impacted ferry operating procedures forever, Iain Yardley's thoughtful study covers every aspect of this tragedy. Many survivors, relatives and rescue workers have contributed to make this a fitting tribute to all involved from that night to the present day.

Genres: Nonfiction, History

437 pages, Kindle Edition

First published July 1, 2014

Reviews

[Graham Connors · Rating 3 out of 5]

A harrowing story, one I remember vaguely from my childhood. The subject matter was riveting, but the telling of the events was not, unfortunately.

I'm not arguing that a disaster, such as what happened at Zeebrugge, should be entertaining, but there was something lacking in how this story was told. There was no connection to the passengers and the victims. Events were recounted but not made real, if that makes sense. As sad as it was, I didn't connect with the victims and the survivors.

Would I recommend this book? Only for those with an interest in the Zeebrugge disaster itself.

[Mrs S J Patey · Rating 4 out of 5]

I would have given this book 5 stars but the style of writing made it difficult to read and sometimes follow the sequence of events and people involved. This was a pity as I was very interested in finding out in more detail what had happened and the events that followed. I persevered and finally finished it.
There is a wealth of information in the book but I found myself rereading sections several times (which I don’t usually need to do).
It’s worth staying with ultimately.

[Steve Parcell · Rating 3 out of 5]

A truly harrowing tale of incompetence and corner cutting which unfortunately led to the deaths of 194 people in Zeebrugge harbour.

A really fascinating and heartwrenching book unfortunately let down by spelling mistakes.

[Dr J Currie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Interesting subject, poorly written

Lots of facts, presented without much editing or thought to narrative, beyond the chronology. Interesting subject matter - documents a sad, tragic, real-life disaster. Certainly covers the event in (too much?) detail. Not an easy read though.

[Soo · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was let down badly by the poor writing skills of the author. A good editor could have turned this into a highly engaging account of the horrific disaster at Zeebrugge. This author did not do justice to the victims and survivors’ stories.

[Dawn Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

It is very difficult to read when it goes through all of the inquiries as you lose track of people

[Sophie Swift · Rating 3 out of 5]

Kind of dragged on a little longer than needed.

[Rik Bolt · Rating 2 out of 5]

Laten we zeggen dat er geen detail gemist wordt.

[Andrew Purvis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gripping story that put across the horror well, dragged a bit by the end but worth reading

[Emma Swan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This wasn't the easiest book to read and it took me forever to get through as i would generally read a chapter between other books but it was very informative and gave me much more of an insight into the disaster.