Pamir was one of the famous Flying P-Liner sailing ships of the German shipping company F. Laeisz. She was the last commercial sailing ship to round Cape Horn, in 1949. On 21 September 1957 she was caught in Hurricane Carrie and sank off the Azores, with only six survivors recovered after an extensive rescue effort. The disaster received international media attention. On August 10, 1957 the Pamir left Buenos Aires for Hamburg with a crew of 86, including 52 cadets. Her cargo of 3,780 tons of barley was stored loose in the holds and ballast tanks, secured by 255 tons in sacks stacked on top of the loose grain. On the morning of September 21, 1957, the ship was caught in Hurricane Carrie before having shortened sails. Pamir soon listed severely to port. As hatchways and other openings were not closed at once, they probably allowed considerable amounts of water to enter the ship, as found by the commission who later examined the causes of the following wreckage. Another view has been suggested by the shipping company's lawyer in the subsequent investigation, who claims that the water entered the ship instead due to a leak. According to the commission, the water caused both Pamir to list further and the grain cargo to shift, which in turn aggravated the list. For some reason the captain did not order to flood Pamir's grain-filled ballast tanks, which would have helped the ship to right herself again. Once Pamir listed severely, no lifeboats could be deployed because her port was already under water, and her starboard side was raised in an angle that did not allow to deploy boats. Pamir was able to send distress signals before capsizing at 13:03 local time and sinking within 30 minutes in the middle of the Atlantic 600 sea miles west-southwest of the Azores at position 35°57′N, 40°20′W. Three damaged lifeboats, which had gotten loose before or during the capsizing, and the only liferaft that had been deployed, did not contain any provisions or working distress signal rockets, were drifting nearby. Many sharks were later seen near the position. A nine-day search for survivors was organized by the United States Coast Guard cutter Absecon, but only four crewmen and two cadets were rescued alive from two of the lifeboats. As none of the officers nor the captain survived, the reasons for the capsizing remained uncertain. Another member of the original crew who was aboard on the outward journey to Argentina, cadet Eckart Roch, survived because a severe fall forced him behind in a Buenos Aires hospital. http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pamir_%28Schiff%29 In remembrance of the 80 Sailors of the Pamir and the other Seamen of the civil seafaring , who remained on the Sea. Regards, Che.
