Like a mysterious and invisible curse sometimes hangs on some ships. For example, the captain of a tanker, the naval forces of the United States V. Scott, after retirement, told the tragic fate of his ship.
One day, transporting diesel fuel in Europe, the tanker went empty from the English port in the Atlantic. But here it while maneuvering jammed transmission diesel engine. Included only in reverse.
Response to the request to the headquarters of the fleet was categorical: “go back Immediately in any way!” Had the ship to sail astern across the ocean. The repairs had put him in the dock on one of the bases in the Caribbean sea. At the same time decided to refresh painting.
When cleared of gray-blue and covered the side of pink dirt, from the headquarters of the order came immediately out of fuel in Germany. And had the tanker with exotic colors to go to Bremen, where his hurt dubbed the pink Panther of the sea…
After repainting in normal color with the tanker continued to experience miracles and adventures. It was struck by lightning, damaging, however, only the radio shack. Then the ship was embarrassed, taking in their tanks of crude oil instead of diesel and having made a false path 5 thousand miles.
He completed his life is sad: stepping into one of the ports near Los Angeles, rammed a cargo ship. The blow smashed the left side, but refurbishment was possible. However, from headquarters came the order to move unlucky tanker to the scrap yard.
A sad fate befell the Liberian ship “Rio Mar”. Five times getting in different emergency situations, until withdrawn from the owners did not put it in October 1983 laid up in the Greek port of Piraeus, a district which is specifically used as a paid Parking lot for unused courts.
However, misfortunes did not leave the ship. Has not passed also month as it was a fire, which was extinguished. Burned several cabins. A week later the ship was again involved in an accident: a strong wind it was drifting at anchor and collided with a Panamanian tanker “Jasmine”.
Both vessels suffered serious damage. Five days later a fire broke out, which had been eliminated, but he destroyed much of the superstructure. Without waiting for the next accident, the vessel’s owners decided to sell it for scrap.
In 1941, the English ship “Trinidad” hunted by German destroyers. Finding one of them, the Trinidad fired a torpedo. But the team has missed the influence of cold Arctic waters on the control mechanism of the projectile. Sailors, their inlets in the side, and saw with horror that the line of movement of the torpedo is rounded.
Completing the circle, the torpedo blew the engine room “Trinidad”, moving the ship out of action until the end of the war.
Ultramodern Nazi battleship “Scharnhorst” was even less lucky. Being completed just before the half, he already mysteriously turned over in the dry dock. With over hundreds of workers were crushed to death and about two hundred received severe injuries.
The “Scharnhorst” was returned to its original position, chained and reinforced beams. Every detail was checked a dozen wizards, but the latest troubles could not be avoided. Frames bent in an incredible way, beams and rigging were broken and maimed people. The managers of the shipyard were forced even to increase the cost to shipbuilders, so that they fled, and those who do not are seduced by a high salary, forced to continue at gunpoint.
On the day of the descent of the battleship on the water in the Harbor came Adolf Hitler himself. His presence on Board of “Scharnhorst” was broken symbolic bottle of champagne, the band played a rousing March, the chief engineer was already preparing to receive congratulations from the Fuhrer.
And then suddenly a seven-inch rope broke, and “Scharnhorst” failed on the two coastal barges, one of which together with the crew immediately went to the bottom, and the other died almost the entire crew gathered on the deck and watching the descent of the battleship.
Hitler, immensely believed in all kinds of signs, after this terrible tragedy would immediately give the order to send the ill-fated ship for scrap. However, less superstitious generals dissuaded him from such a hasty, in their opinion, decisions. And, as it turned out, in vain.
First, despite the excellent sailing characteristics and superviagra, “Scharnhorst” over the years managed to sink only two auxiliary English vessel. And secondly, he is desperately unlucky: misfortune pursued him literally from the devil’s constancy.
So, during the shelling from the sea Danzig to the bow of the battleship it is unclear why the explosion occurred, killed and wounded twenty people. A day later, out of order, the air supply system in the second bow tower, why in the powder gases suffocated twelve sailors.
A year later, the battleship participated in the bombardment of Oslo, came under attack and was torpedoed. Following the repairs, he, in the broad estuary of the river Elbe collided with a civilian ocean liner Bremen, which ran aground and was soon killed by British bombers.
After months of renovation, hardly the “Scharnhorst” was started to combat duty off the Norwegian coast, it has failed radar. While he was put in order, under cover of darkness Nazi battleship was surrounded by a squadron of British ships, which started to shoot “Scharnhorst” literally at point blank range.
It is amazing but true: the commander of the “Scharnhorst” have taken the fight and decided simply to escape by breaking the environment. But as a result of the attack of British torpedo bombers lost in the course and caught fire. In just a few minutes the fire reached artograph, and terrifying force of the explosion almost broke the “Scharnhorst” in half.
On 26 December 1943 one of the most powerful Nazi ships of the fleet disappeared under the waves of the North-East of North Cape. Of the two thousand of the crew survived only thirty-six people.
However, two of their number died on the banks with the most incredible circumstances. Deciding to cook dinner, they lit the stove from the emergency kit, or something not so made, whether the curse hanging over the “Scharnhorst”, was still in effect, but the device exploded, pouring gasoline both sailors, and those burned alive…
Fire “Tirpitz”
A significant part of his biography of the Nazi battleship “Tirpitz” — stood at the quay, in the dock. The reason always was one — the need to address the impact of the next fire.
For the first time “Tirpitz” caught fire shortly after his birth. July 15, 1941, the battleship was on fire with such force that he put out his ten hours straight. The official version of the incident is negligence… a projectionist. They allegedly incorrectly rewinding the film and missed the moment when it is ignited by friction.
After three months, “Tirpitz” caught fire again. This time the fire had nearly reached the stores of ammunition. The official version: some of the men smoked in the wrong place and not stubbed out his cigarette.
After a few months — the next fire, which was extinguished by nearly two days. Saved the battleship from complete burnout only that during the fire he was not at sea, and on the basis of the firefighters started to work immediately.
In the future, “Tirpitz” burned three more times. Of course, the repair after such disasters took time, and a ship designed to hunt for enemy ships, most of the time spent in repair docks and only a small — on duty
During one of repairs few men from the “Tirpitz” arrived for a short break home and immediately went to the Gestapo for telling your loved ones about the mystical “deadly celestial rays”, all the while plagued their ship.
After the war, fires on the battleship strangely ceased but frequent the numerous failures that led eventually to the fact that in the early 50-ies of XX century it was cut into pieces and went into scrap metal.
Unhappy names
“Titanic”, have not completed any travel and is one of the most.a popular and unlucky ships in the history of navigation, was the second in a series of superliner company “white star”, which made regular flights between Europe and America. The first was the “Olympic”, the third — “Britannic”.
It was supposed to be the most luxurious liners in the world. However, they became the most unlucky series of ships. “Olympic” in the first voyage was faced with a military ship and had almost a year to stand on the repair. After the sinking of the Titanic, he got back up to one year repairs to the superstructure watertight bulkheads.
In 1935 “Olympic” was released, finally, from the operation of ships. “Britannic”, was commissioned on the eve of the First world war, was turned into a floating military hospital eve 1916 hit a mine in the Mediterranean sea. Conventional mine wouldn’t do him much harm, but the ship bumped into her compartment with coal. As a result, in the left side there was a huge hole into which poured the sea water.
“Britannic” sank quickly. Killed about thirty people were in the boats that pulled into the screws banked vessel.
In the French Navy for a long time there was a tradition to name submarines in honor of Eurydice, one of the Greek heroines. While everyone knew that the fate of Eurydice was terrible. She was unable to leave the Kingdom of the dead for their bridegroom Orpheus and stayed there forever. Strange but true: all four submarines of the French Navy, which bore this name, most mysteriously died — the last of them in 1970 near Toulon.
In the Italian Navy misfortunes followed the ships that bore the name of Admiral Andre Doria — one of the most famous admirals. Killed ten sailboats with the name of the Admiral. During the First world war, died tragically, turned over in the explosion, battleship-dreadnought “Andre Doria” and in 1956 the whole world was shocked by the disaster of the ocean liner of that name, which is compared even with the death of “Titanic.” During cruise flight across the Mediterranean sea liner collided with the Swedish ship “Stockholm” and sank.
Brigantine “Amazon” was published in his first voyage in 1861. And after a couple of months, her captain Robert Mac lellan — a real “sea wolf” with twenty years of experience — suddenly caught a cold and died. The next captain of any other problems: for a short time he managed to RAM the “Amazon” fishing bot and brig. After extensive renovation, the new captain put the ship on the rocks almost opposite the repair dock.
The owner of the unfortunate Brigantine, desolate in the repair and compensate the victims, hastened to sell the ship. The new owner, considering that all the hardships associated with the name of the Brigantine, renamed it, but it is, unfortunately, nothing changed in her life. Trouble continued to pursue the ship…
National hero of Russia Admiral Pavel Stepanovich Nakhimov known fact that during the siege of Sevastopol Anglo-French troops, he sank their own ships and thus blocked the entrance to the enemy on the internal RAID of the Bay.
Perhaps this marine standards of sacrilege, though forced, was the impetus to the fact that almost all of the ships, later called the name of the great naval commanders, for one reason or another, long to serve his country.
Died Pavel Nakhimov in 1855. Soon in his honor was renamed the cargo ship of the Russian society of shipping and trade. In 1897 during a violent storm off the coast of Turkey’s first “Nakhimov” was lost with all crew.
In the 80-ies of the XIX century with the shipyards came down and armored cruiser with Eminem Nakhimov on Board. With the outbreak of the Russo-Japanese war he was included in going to the far East squadron of Vice-Admiral Rozhdestvensky.
In may 1905, the cruiser was hit by one of the Japanese ships and was sunk in Tsushima Bay.
In October, 1913, at the Nikolayev shipyard started to build another cruiser, the keel of which was laid a silver plate with the name of the ship — “Admiral Nakhimov”. A year later started the First world war and the October revolution, followed by Civil war.
During the political turmoil was not to construction, then the cruiser useless wanted to disassemble the metal, to sell, to be converted into a tanker. But in the end, in 1927, “Nakhimov” was commissioned. However, with a different name. Now he was called “red Ukraine”. However, in Kiel and was laid fourteen years ago the plate with the same name!
In the autumn of 1941 in the Bay of besieged Sevastopol “Chervona Ukraina” kept advancing on the city, Hitler’s troops. The cruiser was attacked by German bombers link and received a few serious holes, sank.
Another missile cruiser of the black sea fleet “Admiral Nakhimov” was commissioned in 1954. In 1961 he was shot in 50 km from Sevastopol rocket ship “Visionary”.
The official version: universal disarmament in the world and the downsizing of military ships. Informal: in December 1960, at Cape Meganom in Crimea under the bottom of “Nakhimov” was detonated a nuclear bomb. Thus Khrushchev’s leadership wanted to test the effect of underwater nuclear explosion on surface ships. Checked. As can be seen from the stories of old sailors on the cruiser was found extensive damage to the underwater part of the hull in the broken keel and deformation of the underwater casing.
The baton from contaminated and scrapped the cruiser took the research vessel “Admiral Nakhimov” of the Academy of Sciences of the USSR. In 1973 the ship was in the tsemes Bay, when a sudden onslaught of a hurricane that brought cold air caused a sharp glaciation corps “Nakhimov”. As a result, the ship sank right at the port pier.
Around the same time part of the Northern fleet entered another “Admiral Nakhimov”. Feedback served on him crew members, this large anti-submarine ship (MIC) with incredible consistency were setbacks. The largest of these occurred in 1985 in the Barents sea.
During the exercise “Nakhimov” collided with a submarine. The submarine then had to send in the repair dock, and BOD, because of the injuries in a scrap. But even to the place of utilization “Nakhimov” is not reached, the North aground near Durban.
Passenger liner “Berlin” came to us after the partition of defeated Germany. Even as a German, he twice was sinking, after being on the seabed for one year. Having received the Soviet citizenship, the liner has acquired a new name — “Admiral Nakhimov”.
In August 1986, he was doing a cruise for the route “Odessa—Batumi”.
In the night from August 31 to September 1, four kilometers from Novorossiysk “Nakhimov” collided with a cargo ship “Pyotr Vasev”. Blow a passenger plane was struck below the waterline in two sections: diesel and engine room.
In the formed hole approximately 90 square meters gushed a flood of water, and after eight minutes the ship sank, and became a mass grave for hundreds of people.
