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Cautionary Tales with Tim Harford — The Doors of Death: The Herald of Free Enterprise
Scout ratingSCOUT· 57%37m·2026-07-24·History

The Doors of Death: The Herald of Free Enterprise

Cautionary Tales with Tim Harford · 30

The Herald of Free Enterprise is a new class of ferry that allows cars to drive directly into the ship. The doors must be closed before every departure, or the ship sails with a gaping hole at one end. One black night in 1987, on the freezing waters off Zebrugge, Belgium, a single crew member falls asleep at the worst…

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What people are saying

“I really enjoy Cautionary Tales - well, truthfully the stories often make me feel sad, angry and even appalled, but the research and production is excellent and I think it's important to shine a light on human fallibility, in the hopes we w…”

— @magpiedee7 · YouTube comment

“I remember this tragedy too x Reminds me a little of the Marchioness on the Thames”

— @HazyWays · YouTube comment

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