At 22:36 hours,
Saturday July, 10th-2004,
the MARTHA asked Lyngby Radio to provide pumping material as the skip was
taking on water. Two rescue-vessels with portable pumps left Anholt and Grenaa.
At 22:54 the first pump reached MARTHA. At 00:11, Sunday, there were three
rescue vessels standing by the MARTHA, the skipper told Lyngby Radio that the
situation was now under control, and preparations were afoot to take the ship
in tow. Still another portable pump was put aboard.
At 00:30 hours
the main engine stopped, probably because of the amount of seawater in the
engine room. The crew was ordered to abandon ship, using the life rafts. Few
minutes later the MARTHA had sunk. Depth on the position was 45 feet.
15 crewmembers
were picked up by two rescue vessels, taken to Grenaa and from there to the
Randers Sygehus for medical examination and psychological first aid. Two
members of the crew were missing.
In the
afternoon on July 11th Royal Danish Navy divers found the two
missing persons both dead in the after cabin and chart room, the skipper Hans
“Hibiscus” Jensen and the young crewmember Sara Oksbjerre Mortensen. All
honour to their memory.
The two bodies
were taken to Grenaa Sunday evening.
The Schooner
Martha Society wants very
much to express its gratitude to every crew
member
of the rescue vessels. Not
only were the lives of those on board the MARTHA in danger. On every such an
occasion the rescue men do their work knowing their own life are at stake.
