Jan Heweliusz ferry wreck.

[mixmiff]

Does anybody know of a dive operator that will visit the wreck of the Jan Heweliusz in the Baltic? The ferry sank in 1993 with 10 railway carrages,vehicles and the loss of around 50 lives.

[Ron Young]

I don't think the authorities would be very happy with sport divers visiting the wreck, especially with so many deaths on it and not so long ago.
News papers would have a field day, with the diver's names paraded on the front pages

Cheers Ron

[aquaholic]

Ron,

I think you will find this is a very popular wreck dive locally on a don't touch basis.....

Mixmiff
The MV Arthur Becker visits this wreck out of Greifswald
MS Artur Becker: content_arturbecker

and the MV Fitz Reuter may also go there from Wismar
MS-Fritz-Reuter

It's a cracking dive if you can get there, though most of the diving is done on air only and very cold...

A couple of reports (sorry, in German only) with images can be found here:
Taucher.Net Onlinemagazin - Ein Stern geht unter
and

Taucher.Net Onlinemagazin - Taucher.Net Treffen 8

Good luck

Anke

[Ron Young]

Yes, that's a surprise; I would have thought relatives would have been kicking up a stink about it

Cheers Ron

[Air Guzzler]

Translation from the web site

At the 14.Januar 1993 against 05.00 o'clock sank that approx. 140m long ferry boat “January Heweliusz” during the gale Vernena (wind force 12) approx. 20 nautical miles northeast from Rügen in still to Germany belonging the economic zone. Here 55 passengers and crew members died - mostly Polish sailors and Swedish Brummifahrer. With debt also still another unsatisfactorily functioning ballast system and an allegedly insufficiently secured rear flap are to have been. Rear flaps came since then into the gossip, sank nevertheless short time in the year 1994 the Estonia under mysteriösen circumstances with those likewise a defective rear flap a role to have later played are. Only short time before the misfortune is to have made the 3000 BRT ferry for rough contact with the port dock of the Swedish port Ystadt. The damage developed thereby is to have been repaired only insufficiently. Roll-on/roll off - ferry January Heweliusz with in each case a nose and a tail gate had already some averages behind itself.
1977 did not embrace those January Heweliusz already on their young remote journey evenly tenderly the dock of fount cross-beam loading error led 1978 in Ystadt to a heeling of 45° and 1982 were again in Ystadt the ballast and pumping system to suspend. 1983 led a renewed heeling because of a failure of the charge attachment to a dangerous heeling of the ship. Finally those ramponierte January Heweliusz 1987 still another Swedish revenue cutter the too close to it came. After now January Heweliusz had sunk, first disagreement between the governments involved, whether the wreck should be lifted, prevailed or not. Only Sweden were not to be disturbed for a salvage of the Opfer.Um however the dead peace, then agreed to accomplish no salvage. A salvage would have been expensive according to estimations at that time over 50 million Marks. The fall place should become first so secured that divers cannot penetrate no more into the wreck. One feared that any gases leak out and the divers endanger could. In addition s hidden asylum-seekers should have drowned in the trucks `. This was however answered in the negative by Polish divers.

In addition it came that Eigentümer-die gave Polish shipping company up their rights at the wreck. Thus it comes that one can betauchen it today. Over the wreck is a Wracktonne, so that one can find the dipping place relatively easy. Usually now in their proximity by buoy rope a basic weight is lowered to the wreck. One hops thus now in the water can one the buoy rope as reference for the descent take. If one would like to regard this part of the dipping course by video, then one can this-here-make. One needs for it however the Realplayer. That can downloaden you with here in the form of the RealPlayer 8 basic.

At the lower end the buoy rope one meets on an almost intact trunk - which lies on its port side.

Only the separated rear flap lies in approx. 100m distance of the wreck away on the firm sand reason. One finds the upper edge of the hull starting from 10m. The maximum depth at the wreck amounts to approx. one can in-dip 26m.Als characteristic also into the wreck.

One should have experience and appropriate training however in such things. This is the case is opened the vehicle deck, those bridge and the engine room with engine (caution down-hanging wreck parts of all kinds and slipped, unstable freight) January Heweliusz, as well as the truck “Erwin” on the upper deck, the rudder and the screw
Outside the hull is already closely with mussels bewachsen - except where the Unterwasserschiff was provided with protective coating. Here the vegetation is still comparatively meager. One meets direction nose the large bow thrusters. During the dipping course one notices in some places the fact that here probably already the Schrottis on the way was and their part from the trunk gesäbelt itself: Hie and are openings at the trunk there on appropriate work to close leave. This does not contribute to in-entire stability of the ship, so that an intensified collapse danger must be considered, particularly also topside