1959: ‘Unsinkable’ Danish ship sinks, killing all on board
MS Hans Hedtoft was a Danish liner that struck an iceberg and sank on January 30, 1959 on her maiden voyage off the coast of Western Greenland. Hans Hedtoft sailed from Copenhagen on her maiden voyage on 7 January 1959. Her voyage to Julianehaab, Greenland, was made in record time. Hans Hedtoft called at Nuuk, Sisimiut and Maniitsoq before returning to Julianehaab. On January 29, she began her return journey. The ship had 40 crew, 55 passengers and a cargo of frozen fish on board – and in addition to that 3.25 tons of archives concerning Greenlandic history. One of her passengers was the Danish parliament (Folketing) member Augo Lynge. The next day, Hans Hedtoft collided with an iceberg about 35 miles (56 km) south of Cape Farewell, the southernmost point of Greenland. A distress call was given at 13.56 (local time) stating that the ship had hit an iceberg. The call was answered by the USCGC Campbell, the West German trawler Johannes Krüss of Bremerhaven and another West German trawler. Within an hour, another message was sent stating that the engine room was flooded. At 15.12, it was announced that the ship was sinking. A final message was sent at 17.41 stating the ship was slowly sinking and requesting immediate assistance.
Aircraft in Newfoundland were grounded by the weather and unable to assist in the search for Hans Hedtoft. The beginning of an SOS was received by Johannes Krüss at 17.41 after which communication with Hans Hedtoft was lost. On January 31, USCGC Campbell reported that conditions were the worst seen and there was no sign of Hans Hedtoft or her passengers and crew. The search was called off on February 7. The only piece of wreckage ever recovered was a lifebuoy which washed ashore on Iceland and discovered on October 7, 1959, some nine months after the ship sank. The ship sank with parish registers from parishes of Greenland, which were meant to be deposited in archives in Denmark, causing a major loss for Greenlandic genealogy.
As a result of the sinking, the airfield at Narsarsuaq, Greenland, which had closed in November 1958, was reopened. An appeal fund for the relatives of the victims was opened. Kr40 000 (then £2 000) was raised amongst ten countries in two months. Compensation for the relatives amounted to Kr1184 936 (then £59 000). Like the RMS Titanic, Hans Hedtoft was said to be the safest ship afloat, being described as ‘unsinkable’ by some.
Most notable historic snippets or facts extracted from the book ‘On This Day’ first published in 1992 by Octopus Publishing Group Ltd, London, as well as additional supplementary information extracted from Wikipedia.
HAVE YOUR SAY
Like the South Coast Herald’s Facebook page, follow us on Twitter and Instagram
To receive our FREE email newsletter, click HERE
