Forty seven years ago, passengers on the cruise ship Laconia were promised ”a marvelous Christmas cruise to sunny Madeira and the Canary Islands.” The brochure read – ”Have your holiday with all risk eliminated. Enjoy a holiday you will remember for the rest of your life.” When the fire broke out on December 22, 1963, the promise of a risk-free holiday proved tragically ironic, though the promise of a unforgettable holiday, no doubt, became regrettably too true. One hundred twenty eight 128 people died in the Lakonia fire and its aftermath, of which 95 were passengers and 33 were crew members. Given the recent news that the CO2 firefighting system on the Carnival Splendor failed during the fire aboard the ship in November, the story of the Lakonia remains timely. Notably, AMVER, which we posted about recently, coordinated the rescue by directing five merchant ships to the burning ship. The first ship arrived within four hours of the first distress call. As reported by Time magazine on January 3, 1963:
High Seas: The Last Voyage of the Lakonia
Two nights before Christmas, the ship was in a festive mood. In the main lounge, Captain Zarbis was judging costumed contestants at a Tramps’ Ball; first prize—a bottle of white wine—had just been awarded to a 13-year-old girl in beatnik tights when alarm bells started to ring. In the ship’s cinema, where Bob Hope was cavorting on the screen with Anita Ekberg in Call Me Bwana, the audience at first thought that the ringing bells were part of the film’s plot. But the smell of smoke soon convinced them that something was amiss. Other passengers who had gone to bed early were not yet fully aware of the danger. No fire instructions were issued over the loudspeaker, and the alarm bells stopped ringing so quickly that many people thought it was only a drill.
At 12:22, shortly after Captain Zarbis gave the order to abandon ship, the last mayday message was flashed: “S O S from Lakonia. Last time. I cannot stay any more in the wireless cabin. We are leaving the ship. Please help immediately.”
More than 3,000 miles away, the distress signals were picked up by a U.S. Coast Guard station. The Lakonia’s position was immediately fed into an AMVER (Atlantic Merchant Vessel Report) computer, which plots the location, course and speed—and records such information as whether a doctor is on board—of some 850 merchant ships in the North Atlantic. Within moments, the computer’s memory drums typed out the names of five vessels within 100 miles of the Lakonia, and urgent messages were flashed to them to proceed to the stricken liner. The five were the Argentine passenger liner Salfa, the Belgian merchant ship Charlesville, the British freighters Montcalm and Stratheden, and the Brazilian freighter Rio Grande. Some were already on the way, having picked up the S O S on their own radios. The R.A.F. at Gibraltar hurriedly organized a flight of rescue planes.
Screams in the Air. At Lajes Air Force Base in the Azores, the U.S.’s 57th Air Rescue Squadron also swung into action. Shortly after the Lakonia’s last message was received, four C-54 rescue planes swung out over the Atlantic toward the flaming vessel, 3 hr. 30 min. flying time away. The planes were loaded with 42 life rafts that could carry 600 persons, 400 blankets, food and survival packages, flares of 300,000 candlepower, and six paramedics who could jump into the ocean to help passengers, if necessary.
On board the Lakonia, the nightmare was all too real. With the loudspeaker system not operating, there was near-anarchy on deck. Officers issued contradictory instructions, and crewmen milled around unsure of what to do. Screams filled the air in half a dozen different languages. Unable to comprehend the crew’s cries, passengers took charge of small groups and tried to lead them through the thick smoke to their boat stations. Pressed against the rail were scores of passengers in every variety of dress—nightgowns, pajamas, tramp costumes and evening clothes.
The water was 64°, but many of the children and the elderly passengers were soon dead nevertheless. As dawn broke, the rescue fleet, now swollen to some 20 vessels, looked out on a vast scene of lifeboat debris and bobbing bodies. Despite the calm seas, it was not easy to pick them up. The rafts and lifeboats kept banging into the windward side of the waiting merchantmen; hour after hour the arduous task continued, until at last all the living and dead were hauled aboard. On the Salta, which picked up 478 people from the sea, cognac and blankets were passed out to the shivering survivors, but the crush was so great that soon there was not enough of either to go around. The British aircraft carrier Centaur picked up 55 bodies, then dispatched a helicopter to the Lakonia to see if anyone was still on board; from the vessel, a British officer reported that the liner was a burnt-out hulk. As the rescue ships sped from the scene toward the port of Funchal in Madeira, the ruined liner was taken into tow by the Norwegian salvage tug Herkules.
Thanks to James Walker at CruiseLaw for tweeting about the Lakonia tragedy.
This is an excellent reminder of the risks of seagoing. It should be sent to the propaganda – oh Marketing – Departments of ALL Cruise Lines, the CLIA, USCG Marine Safety Offices and NTSB. It is beyond time to a standard for correct and truthful advertising in the cruise industry. Disasters are a series of small incidents which combine and grow to the major event. We are seeing a very troublesome series of incidents in vessels increasing in size, complexity and the number of persons on board, now nearing 5000. Crew standards are NOT improving at the same rate according. Presently serving Officers who are greatly concerned and are contacting me more and more. NAUTICAL LOG is going to take a highly active role and will be posting on this subject during the coming year of 2011. Speculation is not a bad thing when applied logically and aimed at preventing these incidents. Sadly one fears that the major incident is about to happen most likely on one of these floating resorts with 4000-5000 persons aboard.
Good Watch.
My grandparents survived this tragedy despite the fact that they floated around in life jackets for hours before they were rescued. The few lifeboats available were immediately picked up by the Greek crew who deserted the scene immediately. The fire started in the kitchen,and passengers were informed quite a long time after the fire began. There were many elderly people on board since it was a winter cruise, and many children since it was the Christmas holidays. Many people were rescued too late and died in the freezing water. My father flew out from London to Madeira, thankful that his parents had survived although they were very ill and in a hospital in Funchal. A lawsuit ensued for many years afterwards as surviving passengers and relatives of those who died fought for compensation. Most of the elderly passengers who survived, including my grandparents, continued to have health problems til the end of their lives.
Sometime about 1967 – 68 I met a man and his wife who were aboard the Lakonia on that fateful cruise.
They recounted that they met a survivor of the Titanic sinking who was also
on the Lakonia and who ended up in the same Lakonia lifeboat as they.
This gentleman was a child in 1912 and is understood to have participated in the BBC 1962 commemorative programme featuring Titanic survivors.
I have endevoured to find some record of a Titanic survivor being on the Lakonia but without success and I wonder whether anyone else has heard anything of this incredible coincidence.
I started working in Thos Cook in Berkeley Street in 1964 as a junior shorthand-typist. At that time travellers cheques were very popular as credit/debit cards were non-existent. My office dealt with those cheques belonging to both the survivors and deceased of this tragedy. I can remember each cheque being cellophaned for handling. The serial numbers were checked for ownership and then I helped prepare correspondence to customers and solicitors. Reading this article brought back many memories.
there were quite a few of my family on the Lakonia that day my auntie was never found. I have been searching for a passenger list but upto now have never found one. thanks for information. JAN
My Uncle was on the Lakonia. He was born in the North East of England. He met and married a Guernsey girl and they ran a smalll hotel in Guernsey established by her father. As they were in the hotel nudiness holidays were taken off season, he was travelling alone his body was washed ashore, I cannot remember where.
Fascinating to still read comments about this disaster as recently as just a few weeks ago.
My grandparents were aboard and survived and my only recollections as a seven year old were of a photographer and journalist arriving at my parents house in Glasgow to do an article with my father about his parents being found safe and well and taken to Madeira to recuperate.
Some years later we found a diary my grandfather had kept of the cruise where he alleged that many of the crew fended for themselves and had no thought at all for the passengers.
I remember that night very clearly, I was sitting at the captains table at the tramps ball with my family when an officer came to the table to report the problem, we knew there was a problem as smoke was drifting in as he came through the door.
I was then 21 years old and on holiday with my parents ,sister & aunt. We were the only large party to survive intact!
My father ( ex regimental sgt major& Dunkirk surviver) said ” give me a hand and we will be fine – this lot haven’t a clue” He insisted on making sure that all the woman were on the lifeboats first.
He and I left the ship on the last lifeboat when the flames were leaping 50 feet or more into the sky. He gave away our life jackets as we could swim , my mother gave him a hard time about this for years.
The life boat my mother sister, & aunt was on drifted under the bilge pumps and filled with water,my sister was hit with an oar in the confusion and was knocked out. There is no doubt that she would have drowned if my mother & aunt hadn’t held her head out of the water until she recovered her senses.
Our boat had the wireless, however the W /O forgot to bring the morse key! We also had an engine, however the officer in charge was useless , he did not stop crying. My father threatened to kick him in the nuts at one stage as he kept holding on to him and sobbing.
The 3-4 crew members did nothing to assist, the german stewards and the passengers on the other hand were great. I rowed most of the night with one of the stewards sharing an oar , my father was also rowing with another steward, some of the row locks were missing so we could not use all the oars. If you we’re there that night you may remember the parachute flares that were sent up ( that was me) I broke open the flair locker and thankfully the instructions were in English. I do believe that there were no other flares sent up that night.
We were amazed when we could suddenly see in the light of the flares dozens of people in the water, however we could not get to them – I think about that to this day – most of those people must have died that night!
At daylight we were picked up by the Salta, suddenly the crew came to life and scrambled up the ladders ahead of the passengers pThe officers of the Salta had to restrain their crew who wanted to throw them off the ship. I heard one shouting ” real sailors don’t behave like that.
I remember being given cognac and a blanket by a nun who also stuck a lighted cigarette in my mouth! ( I was no t a smoker – but it seemed impolite not to accept it).
The Salta was taking immigrants to South America, the passengers were not wealthy People ,but they and the crew .were so generous we had the best possible treatment they could under the circumstances.
My mother’s boat was picked up several hours later, she. Yelled out “get the kettle on” as she was being pulled up – as tough as nails , her sense of humour still intact.
We circled the area for a two days,picking up survivors and bodies, we ended up in Madeira. We were taken to Reid’s Hotel and stayed there for a few days including New Years Eve, t he party at Reid’s was bizarre – we were excused evening dress – Sandy Gaul the ITN reporter who was there was three sheets to the wind and kept us amused by using the rolls of film as party streamers!
Almost 50 years have passed since the incident now and this is the 1st time I have written about it, I have all the. Press cuttings and around Christmas time each year I look a t them and count our blessings.
Norman Geller
I was crew member of SS Stratheden which steamed to help the rescue of
passengers but we understood that wrong ships position was provided, hence we arrived after all other vessels. The public room I worked in was stripped of all furniture and replaced with camp-beds. Our grand piano we were given to believe would be used as operating table (we had a surgeon on-board), but non of this was used due to the late arrival. Just a few seriously injured were
taken aboard.
My Grandad was on the Lakonia. He was picked up from the water. He was 75 years old. He had a knee injury and always walked with a limp after that. I was 9 years old at the time and i always remember my father saying they found out he was still alive on Christmas Day.