The heroic Captain Kurt Carlsen remained in history when he refused to abandon the cargo ship Flying Enterprise in December 1951, giving an unequal fight with the sea until the end.
In December 1951, the cargo ship Flying Enterprise set sail from Hamburg for New York loaded with pig iron, coffee and ten passengers.
As it crossed the English Channel, it encountered a severe storm with winds of force 12 on the Beaufort scale and waves over 10 meters high, resulting in a crack in its hull.
Despite the desperate efforts of Captain Kurt Carlsen and the crew to seal the cracks and keep the ship intact with cables and cement, a huge wave hit it resulting in a cargo shift.
With the ship now listing at 25 degrees and both boilers out of order, it sent an SOS. All passengers and crew were rescued the next day, except for Carlsen, who refused to leave.
Captain Carlsen remained alone on the damaged ship for five more days until the rescue tug Turmoil arrived.
After a dramatic jump onto the deck by First Officer Kenneth Dancy, the two of them managed to secure the towline, thus beginning the tow of the ship towards England.
But just 45 miles from Falmouth, a new storm broke the tow rope. On January 10, 1952, with the ship now listing at 90 degrees, Carlsen and Dancy jumped into the sea just before the Flying Enterprise sank by the stern.
Carlsen became a hero while he later refused offers from Hollywood to tell his story. He was honored in both the USA and the United Kingdom for his unparalleled bravery.
