00:00MV Dara, a ship owned by British India Steamship Company, started sailing in mid-fifties, taking
00:08round trips between the Arabian Gulf and the Indian subcontinent, starting from the north
00:13of the Gulf in Basra, Iraq, cruising through Bahrain, Dubai, Muscat, all the way to Karachi
00:21and Mumbai. The 120-metre-long, four-deck ship used to carry passengers who were either
00:30employed or living in these countries. Well, what happened to Dara and where it is now
00:36and why it was called the Titanic of the Gulf? The 61-year-old Dara incident remains the
00:45worst maritime disaster in the modern history of the Gulf. Despite all the tragedies associated
00:52with Dara, here are some positive sides of the laying wreck.
01:03So we are here in Amal Kawain and the Dara wreck is about seven kilometres from here
01:10on the beach. And these are the coordinates which show exact location of the wreck. Again,
01:16it's around seven kilometres from this place. The most important portion of the wreck still
01:23exists as it was, is the front end of the ship. And the middle portion of the ship is
01:30still there and the last portion of the ship is still there. So the ship wreck remains
01:39within 120 metres in about four main parts. The story of Dara's ending started on 7th
01:49April 1961 when she arrived at Dubai port. While embarking and disembarking passengers
01:57and unloading cargo, a sudden severe storm developed which prevented further work. At
02:03that time, Captain Charles Elson, the Dara's master, decided to take the ship out of harbour
02:10and sail for a few hours to get out of the stormy conditions. And when the storm became
02:16less intense, Captain Elson sailed back towards Dubai. On the way returning around 4.30am
02:26on 8th April, a massive explosion occurred on board. Because of the powerful explosion,
02:34238 passengers and crew tragically died in the disaster. Among them were 20 from the
02:42Emirates. The number of survivors were 565. Many of them suffered severe burns and injuries.
02:51On the next day, early morning, three British and American vessels managed to get firefighting
02:57parties on board to bring the fires under control. On the following day, 10th April
03:031961, Dara capsized, overturned upside down and sank here some seven kilometres off the
03:13Um Al Quwain beaches. The 61-year-old Dara incident remains the worst maritime disaster
03:21in the modern history of the Gulf. A voluntary diving team has worked with the Department
03:26of Tourism and Archaeology in Um Al Quwain over 10 months to complete the excavation
03:32of Dara by cleaning debris from the location where the ship sank.
04:02you
Comments