MV Jupiter (1961)
| History | |
|---|---|
 Israel
|
|
| Name: | Moledet |
| Owner: | ZIM Israel Navigation Company Ltd., Haifa |
| Port of registry: | Haifa |
| Route: | Haifa–Marseille |
| Builder: | Ateliers et Chantiers de Bretagne, Nantes, France |
| Launched: | 1961 |
| Identification: | Call sign: 4XXN |
| Fate: | Sold, 28 September 1970 |
 Greece
|
|
| Name: | Jupiter |
| Owner: | Epirotiki Line |
| Acquired: | 28 September 1970 |
| In service: | 7 May 1971 |
| Fate: | Sank, 21 October 1988 |
| General characteristics (as built) | |
| Type: | Passenger-cargo ship |
| Tonnage: | |
| Length: | 126.65 m (415 ft 6 in) o/a |
| Beam: | 19.89 m (65 ft 3 in) |
| Draft: | 6.45 m (21 ft 2 in) |
| Propulsion: |
|
| Speed: | 17 knots (31 km/h; 20 mph) |
MV Jupiter was a Greek-registered cruise ship that sank on 21 October 1988, within 40 minutes of leaving the Greek port of Piraeus. On board were 391 British schoolchildren and 84 adults on a study cruise and 110 crew. The disaster claimed the lives of one pupil, one teacher and two Greek crew members.
Jupiter was originally known as Moledet ("Fatherland") and was a passenger ship registered in the port of Haifa in 1961. The 7,810-tonne vessel was built for Zim (Israel Navigation Company Ltd) and sailed regular voyages around the Mediterranean. In September 1970, Moledet was sold to Epirotiki Line, a Greek shipping company, and renamed Jupiter.
On 21 October 1988, 391 schoolchildren aged 13–15 and their teachers boarded Jupiter at the Greek port of Piraeus at the start of a week-long educational cruise around the Mediterranean.
Just 15 minutes after leaving port, the Jupiter was struck by an Italian freight ship, the Adige, that was entering port. The collision tore a 4.5 metres (15 ft) by 12 metres (39 ft) hole in Jupiter's port side. Within 40 minutes (at 6.55pm), the ship had sunk vertically and stern first in 82 metres (269 ft) of water.
The lives of two passengers (a pupil and a teacher from the West Midlands) and two Greek crew members were lost. Around 70 people sustained injuries.
In the immediate aftermath of the incident, the captain of the Italian ship was detained and Greek and Italian authorities each blamed the other party. The subsequent court cases lasted almost eight years.
The ship remained where she sank, 1.2 nautical miles from the port entrance at Piraeus. A significant oil leakage occurred in 1999, possibly following disturbance of the seabed by an earthquake, and was removed in a 43-day operation to protect the local marine environment.
An Institute of Psychiatry report in 1999 focused on the experiences of the children and formed one of the largest studies of adolescent survivors of disasters when it was published.
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Wikipedia