Salem Express
Encyclopedia
The Salem Express is a shipwreck
dive
located in the Red Sea
. It is controversial due to the tragic loss of life which occurred when she sank shortly after midnight on December 17, 1991.
The Salem Express was a roll on, roll off car & passenger ferry that operated between the ports of Safaga (in Egypt) and Jeddah (Saudi Arabia). On one such return journey from Jeddah, she sank after colliding with Hyndman Reef in the early hours of 17 December 1991. The impact with the reef both holed the bows and caused the bow visor to be forced open. She very quickly took on water and sank, on her starboard side within minutes. Loss of life was considerable, with the official figure being quoted as 470. Rumour suggests that there were many more on board, however this is debatable as official records list the number of passengers and crew as 690.
Many bodies were recovered after the sinking, but eventually a halt was called due to the danger involved and the wreck was sealed with plates welded across openings.
Shipwreck
A shipwreck is what remains of a ship that has wrecked, either sunk or beached. Whatever the cause, a sunken ship or a wrecked ship is a physical example of the event: this explains why the two concepts are often overlapping in English....
dive
Scuba diving
Scuba diving is a form of underwater diving in which a diver uses a scuba set to breathe underwater....
located in the Red Sea
Red Sea
The Red Sea is a seawater inlet of the Indian Ocean, lying between Africa and Asia. The connection to the ocean is in the south through the Bab el Mandeb strait and the Gulf of Aden. In the north, there is the Sinai Peninsula, the Gulf of Aqaba, and the Gulf of Suez...
. It is controversial due to the tragic loss of life which occurred when she sank shortly after midnight on December 17, 1991.
The Salem Express was a roll on, roll off car & passenger ferry that operated between the ports of Safaga (in Egypt) and Jeddah (Saudi Arabia). On one such return journey from Jeddah, she sank after colliding with Hyndman Reef in the early hours of 17 December 1991. The impact with the reef both holed the bows and caused the bow visor to be forced open. She very quickly took on water and sank, on her starboard side within minutes. Loss of life was considerable, with the official figure being quoted as 470. Rumour suggests that there were many more on board, however this is debatable as official records list the number of passengers and crew as 690.
Many bodies were recovered after the sinking, but eventually a halt was called due to the danger involved and the wreck was sealed with plates welded across openings.
External links
- GiddeonZeix Salem Photos (Photos at the Salem Express Inside and Outside)
- Salem Express Photos Dec '09 (Photos 3986-4069)
- Salem Express Panoramic View by Dani Weinberg
