Newsreel footage of SS Flying Enterprise when she sank on 10 January 1952. A newsreel is a Documentary film that is regularly released in a public presentation place containing filmed News stories

Flying Enterprise was a 6,711 ton Type C1 ship. Type C1 was a designation for small Cargo ships built for the U She was built in 1944 and commissioned as the SS Cape Kumukaki (C1-B). She operated as a tramp steamer. A Ship engaged in the tramp trade is one which does not have a fixed schedule or published ports of call

After World War II, she was sold in 1947 to Isbrandtsen Company. American Export-Isbrandtsen Lines, New York was the leading US-flag Shipping company between the US east coast and the Mediterranean from 1919 to 1977 offering both At this time her name was changed to the Flying Enterprise. She was used for the next 5 years as a general cargo freighter in the North Atlantic.

In December 1951, she left England for New York with a cargo of Volkswagen cars, pig iron, grass seed, Stradivarius violins, paintings and an undisclosed amount of cash. A Stradivarius is a Stringed instrument built by members of the Stradivari family particularly Antonio Stradivari. During rough seas on December 25 the stacked pig iron fell over causing the ship to list to port. At some point the cars rolled causing the ship to list more. The ship cracked just rearward of the superstructure. This was a known problem with ships of this era, so the crew lashed the hull together and attempted to continue their journey. The lifeboats on the Flying Enterprise were lost.

The next morning, the ship started to list badly, and the decision was made to abandon ship. A distress call was issued, and the USNS General A. W. Greely responded. Operational history The C4 type transport laid down under Maritime Commission contract 18 July 1944 by Kaiser Co The crew and passengers were evacuated, with the loss of only 1 life. The procedure was to send a lifeboat close but not so close that it would be smashed against the listing ship. For the first rescue the crew of the lifeboat threw a rope to the ship but later jumpers had to jump in pairs and swim to the lifeboat without a rope. Sometimes passenger were swept back onto the Flying Enterprise. However, the ship's master, Captain Henrik Kurt Carlsen, chose to remain aboard, along with the mate of the salvage tug Turmoil, Kenneth Dancy. For the Danish composer see Henrik Carlsen Henrik Kurt Carlsen (1914 ? - 7 October 1989) was a Danish

Captain Carlsen refused to abandon ship until it either sank or was towed to a safe harbor. Towing efforts were attempted, and succeeded in towing the ship until it was only 40 miles from Falmouth, United Kingdom. Falmouth (Aberfal is a town Civil parish and Port on the River Fal on the south coast of Cornwall, England, UK. At this time, the tow line snapped. Attempts were made to continue, but the ship listed more heavily, and Captain Carlsen finally abandoned ship along with Dancy, choosing to leave via the funnel as the ship listed further. The salvage attempts were criticised as the ship might have been saved by heading for the nearest safe harbour, Cork, instead of attempting to maintain the tow all the way to Falmouth. Cork (Corcaigh is the second largest city in the Republic of Ireland and the island of Ireland 's third most populous city after Dublin and Belfast

A public house in Cork is named the "Flying Enterprise" after the ship. Cork (Corcaigh is the second largest city in the Republic of Ireland and the island of Ireland 's third most populous city after Dublin and Belfast

She sank on January 10, 1952. Events 49 BC - Julius Caesar crosses the Rubicon, signaling the start of civil war. Year 1952 ( MCMLII) was a Leap year starting on Tuesday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar.

Speculation into the Sinking, and Cargo

Immediately after the sinking, there was much speculation into why the ship sank as well as why the captain remained on board.

The most common speculation is that the ore in the forward hull was poorly loaded and therefore shifted to the side during the swells. The shifting of cargo would account for the 60 degree list to Port.

Captain Carlsen may have remained aboard in order to protect the cargo. Among the holds was a shipment of $600,000 being sent from Europe to America. There was another shipment of cash totaling over $200,000 in the mail room. Under International Salvage Laws, if the Captain had abandoned the ship with no intention of return, then any salvage company could have grabbed the ship as "Open Water Salvage" and claim 50% of the value. By remaining on board, Captain Carlsen prevented that from happening.

In 1960, the Italian salvage company Sorima conducted Salvage operations, recovering over $210,000 in cash. But because of a Confidentially Agreement, they have been unable to disclose who paid for the salvage and the exact description of the cargo recovered. Most investigations point to a consortium of Swiss Bankers being responsible for the salvage operations.

Speculations about a shipment of zirconium, intended for use in the first nuclear submarine USS Nautilus (SSN-571), but registered as pig iron, were discussed in a a 2002 Danish television documentary Det Skæve skib (English title: The Mystery of Flying Enterprise). Zirconium (zɚˈkoʊniəm /ˌzɝˈkoʊniəm/ is a Chemical element with the symbol Zr and Atomic number 40 "Underway on nuclear power" Following her commissioning Nautilus remained dockside for further construction and testing Pig iron is the intermediate product of Smelting Iron ore with coke, usually with Limestone as a flux The Kingdom of Denmark ( ˈd̥ænmɑɡ̊ (archaic ˈd̥anmɑːɡ̊ commonly known as Denmark, is a country in the Scandinavian region of northern Europe English is a West Germanic language originating in England and is the First language for most people in the United Kingdom, the United States ^[1]

In 2005, the story of the Flying Enterprise was featured on the History Channel show Deep Sea Detectives, which did a dive on the wreck of the ill-fated ship. History, formerly known as The History Channel, is a Satellite and Cable TV channel, with shows on historical events and persons&mdashoften Deep Sea Detectives is a Television show on The History Channel.

References

External links

• Photo of listing Flying Enterprise from the U. S. Navy Historical Center
• Site about the sinking, with timeline
• Story about the wreck, and underwater photographs of it today