| On 11 September 1968 a fire broke out in the cargo hold. This was followed by an explosion and the ship put into Mozambique. The blaze spread and gutted the freighter which was taking the long way around Africa from Assab, Ethiopia to Rotterdam, Holland due to the closure of the Suez Canal. On the 13th a violent explosion occurred in her #3 hold sufficient in force to blow her hatch covers and tarpaulins completely off the ship's deck. Attempts to extinguish the fire which had completely engulfed the cargo of bagged seeds as well as the entire ship were abandoned. The fire continued to ravage the ship and finally on the 13th she capsized and sank. She was declared a constructive total loss and abandoned where she sank. Thanks to Skip Gillham's book "Fjell Line".. |