{"id":264,"date":"2015-12-23T22:32:17","date_gmt":"2015-12-24T03:32:17","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/oceanweatherservices.com\/blog\/?p=264"},"modified":"2019-05-29T23:33:59","modified_gmt":"2019-05-30T04:33:59","slug":"the-story-of-the-flying-enterprise","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/oceanweatherservices.com\/blog\/2015\/12\/23\/the-story-of-the-flying-enterprise\/","title":{"rendered":"The Flying Enterprise story of Man vs. the Sea"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Flying Enterprise Image Credit Leigh Bishop www.deepimage.co.uk<\/p><\/div>\n

During Christmas Week, 1951, began an incredible sea story involving a WWII era cargo vessel named the Flying Enterprise and her captain, Kurt Carlsen. \u00a0Captain Carlsen was a Danish-born seaman that began his sea career at the age of 14. He became master of his first ship at the age of 22 with the Danish-American company\u00a0American Export-Isbrandtsen Lines\u00a0<\/a>which was\u00a0a New York based US-flag shipping company from 1919 to 1977, offering both cargo and passenger ship services. In 1977 it declared bankruptcy and was acquired by\u00a0Farrell Lines.<\/a><\/p>\n

The SS\u00a0Flying Enterprise<\/em>\u00a0was a 6,711 ton\u00a0Type C1-B ship<\/a>. She was built in 1944 as\u00a0SS\u00a0Cape Kumukaki<\/em>\u00a0for the\u00a0United States Maritime Commission<\/a>\u00a0for use in\u00a0World War II<\/a>. The ship was sold in 1947 and then operated in scheduled service under the name\u00a0Flying Enterprise<\/em>.<\/p>\n

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UK Met Office Surface Analysis 06Z Sunday 23 Dec 1951<\/p><\/div>\n

The Storm<\/h2>\n

On December 21, 1951, The\u00a0Flying Enterprise\u00a0<\/em>departed Hamburg, Germany bound for New York with a cargo that included\u00a01,300 tons of\u00a0pig iron<\/a>, 900 tons of coffee and 10 passengers. From the departure out of Hamburg through the English channel the vessel encountered heavy fog.<\/p>\n

Late\u00a0on the 23rd<\/sup>\u00a0of December, as the\u00a0Flying Enterprise<\/em>\u00a0was steaming southward in fog towards the English Channel, a weak surface low of 1016 mb was noted over Michigan.<\/p>\n

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US Sfc Analysis 1330EST Dec 23 1951 NOAA<\/p><\/div>\n

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UK Met Office Surface Analysis 06Z Monday 24 Dec 1952 Christmas Eve<\/p><\/div>\n

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As the vessel steamed though the English Channel\u00a0on Christmas Eve, the\u00a0Flying Enterprise<\/em>\u00a0first encountered heavy weather due to a strong low pressure area that was moving well northward of Ireland and Scotland. \u00a0The heavy weather continued through Christmas Day and the day after Christmas as the vessel passed out of the Channel and into the North Atlantic as gale force winds increased to storm force 10.\u00a0 During the night of Dec. 26, Capt. Carlsen decided to heave the vessel to as winds continued to increase and approach force 12 (hurricane).\u00a0 At the same time the weak disturbance far to the west moved out over the western North Atlantic and began to deepen reaching 1006 mb by 12Z Christmas Day as it passed southward of Cape Race, Newfoundland.\u00a0 Twenty-four\u00a0hours later, at 12Z on December 26th<\/sup>, the western low was rapidly deepening into a 974mb storm low and was racing east-northeastward near 50N 24W.<\/p>\n

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NOAA Reanalysis Dec 26 1951 12z<\/p><\/div>\n

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UK Met Sfc Analysis 06Z-Thursday-27-Dec-1951<\/p><\/div>\n

Rapid deepening continued through the 26th<\/sup>\u00a0and by 06Z on Dec. 27th<\/sup>\u00a0the now violent storm low had reached 944 mb near 55N 12W, \u00a0just as it passed to the north of the\u00a0Flying Enterprise\u00a0<\/em>position.\u00a0 \u00a0Note:\u00a0 Between Dec 25\/12z to Dec 27\/06z the storm had deepened 62mb in just 42 hours!.<\/p>\n

The Flying Enterprise Encounters the Storm<\/h2>\n

As the storm center passed north of the\u00a0Flying Enterprise\u00a0<\/em>that morning, the vessel encountered what was described as \u201ca very high sea\u201d at position 50-41N 15-26W (about 400 miles west of Lands End). Several load bangs where heard (like the firing of a gun) throughout the ship and an examination determined that the vessel had suffered two main fractures.\u00a0 The first began at the after port corner of #3 hatch and ran across the deck and back to the accommodation ladder opening at the side and ran down the side to the longitudinal riveting at the base of the\u00a0sheer strake<\/a>.<\/p>\n

On the starboard side the crack ran from the forward corner of the deck house straight across to the accommodation opening and from there down to the riveting on the opposite side. The cracks were estimated to be between 1\/8 and 3\/8 inches in width.\u00a0 A smaller crack ran from the after starboard corner of the #3 hatch toward the side of the ship and was estimated to be 18 inches long.\u00a0 At the time, Capt. Carlsen reported force 12 winds and 40ft seas.\u00a0 A measurement of the pressure gradient near the vessel suggests winds were at least 60kts which would be consistent with a violent storm BF 11 (56-63 kt wind and 30-45 ft waves) and could have easily reached force 12 at times.<\/p>\n

Given the ship\u2019s position it is apparent that the captain had set out on a minimum distance\u00a0great circle\u00a0<\/a>route from Bishop Rock towards Nantucket.\u00a0 Had Carlsen\u00a0chosen a more southerly wintertime track, perhaps the vessel would not have encountered conditions that severe.<\/p>\n

In an effort to reduce the strain on the now damaged vessel, Capt. Carlsen turned the ship southwestward so that the wind and sea were broad on the bow and later more southerly bringing the wind almost abeam.\u00a0 During this time period, Carlsen had the crew fill the cracks with cement then run cable from the bitts at #3 hold to bitts aft in order to bind the deck together.<\/p>\n

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UK Met Sfc Analysis 06Z Friday 28 Dec 1951<\/p><\/div>\n

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Flying Enterprise Listing Heavily – Image Credit Leigh Bishop www.deepimage.co.uk<\/p><\/div>\n

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As the Flying\u00a0Enterprise proceeded south keeping the seas on the starboard beam, Capt. Carlsen concluded that he must put in at either an English or French port or head to the Azores for repairs. During the night of the 27th<\/sup>\u00a0into the morning of the 28th<\/sup>\u00a0as yet another storm passed to the north, the vessel experienced rolling of up to 20 degrees. At about 1130 on the morning of the 28th\u00a0<\/sup>the vessel was hit broadside by another high wave which rolled the vessel between 50-70 degrees to port shifting the cargo and causing the vessel to return to a permanent list of about 25 degrees.\u00a0 The list increased gradually and eventually the engine lost lubrication oil due to the list which resulted in the loss of both boilers forcing Capt. Carlsen to have his radio operator send out an SOS.<\/p>\n

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Flying Enterprise just prior to sinking – Image Credit Leigh Bishop www.deepimage.co.uk<\/p><\/div>\n

The Rescue Attempt<\/h2>\n

The SOS was answered by several ships and the passengers and crew were rescued in heavy seas by lifeboats from the US Navy troop ship\u00a0USS\u00a0General A W Greely<\/em>\u00a0<\/a>and the steamerSouthland<\/em>\u00a0on Dec. 29th<\/sup>.\u00a0 Because of the heavy list, the lifeboats on board the\u00a0Flying Enterprise<\/em>could not be launched and both passengers and crew were forced to jump into the cold North Atlantic before being recovered by the lifeboats. One middle-age passenger drowned during this operation, otherwise, all of the remaining passengers and crew were successfully rescued.<\/p>\n

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Capt Carlsen<\/p><\/div>\n

Captain Carlsen chose to remain with his ship in order to wait for the arrival of a salvage tug.\u00a0 The salvage tug\u00a0Turmoil<\/a><\/em>\u00a0finally arrived on January 3rd<\/sup>\u00a0some 5 days after the passengers and crew were rescued but it quickly became evident that it would be impossible for Capt.\u00a0Carlsen, alone aboard a heavily listing vessel (now listing at 60 degrees), to secure a tow line himself.<\/p>\n

After several unsuccessful attempts to secure the tow line, the 27-year-old chief mate on the Tug\u00a0Turmoil,<\/em>\u00a0Kenneth Dancy<\/a>, leaped from the deck of the tug onto the railing of the\u00a0Flying Enterprise<\/em>\u00a0on one of the very close approaches made by Capt. Dan Parker of the\u00a0Turmoil<\/em>during one of the failed attempts to secure the tow line.\u00a0 With Dancy\u2019s help, however, a tow line was secured and the long tow back towards Falmouth England began.<\/p>\n

While the tug and tow approached the English coast on January 8th<\/sup>\u00a0the weather started to deteriorate.\u00a0 On January 9th<\/sup>, just 45 miles from Falmouth, heavy seas parted the towline.\u00a0 The\u00a0Flying Enterprise<\/em>\u00a0drifted eastward while several attempts were made to re-secure another towline but all attempts were unsuccessful.\u00a0\u00a0 At 1536 on the afternoon of January 10, 1952 as the\u00a0Flying Enterprise<\/em>, now listing at 90 degrees and taking water down the stack.\u00a0 Both Dancy and Carlsen jumped into the sea from off the stack and were taken aboard the\u00a0Turmoil\u00a0<\/em>where they watched the\u00a0Flying Enterprise<\/em>\u00a0sink under the waves, stern first at 1609.<\/p>\n

By now this ongoing sea drama was being reported around the world and Capt. Carlsen had become world-famous for staying on his crippled freighter. Captain Carlsen received a hero\u2019s welcome when he came ashore at Falmouth and later was awarded the Lloyd\u2019s Silver Medal for meritorious service in recognition for his attempts to save his ship.<\/p>\n

Carlsen received a ticker-tape parade in New York City on January 17th.\u00a0 <\/sup>\u00a0A few months later he took command of the\u00a0Flying Enterprise II<\/em>, passing up several lucrative offers from Hollywood for his story.\u00a0 Carlsen, and his ordeal aboard the Flying Enterprise, is the subject of \u00a0an excellent the book \u201cSimple Courage: a True Story of Peril on the Sea\u201d by\u00a0Frank Delaney<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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NYC ticker tape parade<\/p><\/div>\n

Coast Guard Report<\/h2>\n

The US Coast Guard inquiry found that the damage, abandonment and loss of the vessel were caused by circumstances beyond the control of the master and crew.\u00a0 The fracture sustained while hove to in head seas was not a direct cause of the vessel\u2019s loss but merely an indirect contribution to the loss.<\/p>\n

The Coast Guard did remark about the stowage of the pig iron cargo in #2 hold and noted that it was not leveled out as was the pig iron in #4 hold but was stacked in a pyrimid shape.\u00a0\u00a0 The report stated that this did constitute a certain hazard as to shifting, however, this type of stowage\u00a0 was a common practice at the time and had been sanctioned by the shipper, underwriter, owner and the master. \u00a0\u00a0It was also believed that the empty condition of the double bottoms aft and the deep tanks in #4 hold had an appreciable effect on the great degree of list which the vessel took.<\/p>\n

References and Links<\/strong><\/p>\n


\n<\/strong>Wikipedia article <\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

Wikipedia article on Henrik Kurt Carlsen<\/a>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

Wikipedia article on American Export Lines\u00a0<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

Wikipedia article on Type C1 Ships\u00a0<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

Frank Delaney, Simple Courage \u2013 A True Story of Peril on the Sea\u00a0<\/a>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

Beaufort Wind Scale: NOAA<\/a>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

UK Met Office<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

US Coast Guard Marine Board of Investigation: Flying Enterprise<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

News Reels<\/p>\n

British PATHE Newsreels 1952 \u2013 Flying Enterprise<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

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During Christmas Week, 1951, began an incredible sea story involving a WWII era cargo vessel named the Flying Enterprise and her captain, Kurt Carlsen. \u00a0Captain Carlsen was a Danish-born seaman that began his sea career at the age of 14. … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[4,3,15],"tags":[95,26,16,96,94,9,5,6],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/oceanweatherservices.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/264"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/oceanweatherservices.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/oceanweatherservices.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/oceanweatherservices.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/oceanweatherservices.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=264"}],"version-history":[{"count":65,"href":"https:\/\/oceanweatherservices.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/264\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2195,"href":"https:\/\/oceanweatherservices.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/264\/revisions\/2195"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/oceanweatherservices.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=264"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/oceanweatherservices.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=264"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/oceanweatherservices.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=264"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}