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After World War II, she was sold in 1947 to Isbrandtsen Company. At this time her name was changed to the SS ''Flying Enterprise''. She was used for the next 5 years as a general cargo freighter in the North Atlantic. In December 1952 she left England for New York with a cargo of cars, pig iron, and an undisclosed amount of cash. During rough seas on December 28, the ship cracked just rearward of the superstructure. This was a known problem with the Liberty Ships, so the crew lashed the hull together and attempted to continue their journey. 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. The crew and passengers were evacuated, with the loss of only 1 life. However, the ship's master, Captain Henrik Kurt Carlsen , choose to remain aboard. 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, England. At this time, the tow line snapped. Attempts were made to continue, but the ship listed more heavily, and Captain Carlsen finally abandoned ship. She sank on 10 January 1952. THE CARGO There are some speculations about what the cargo onboard Flying Enterprise was. Official documents state that it was just old iron, but a salvage operation was initiated, and eye-witness reports state that something hidden under the old iron, was brought up to the surface and loaded onto foreign ships. A Danish television program requested files about the Flying Enterprise from the CIA , but was told that the CIA documents about the Flying Enterprise was classified "Operational", and thus confidential. Some speculates, that the secret cargo was Zirconium . EXTERNAL LINKS |
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