View source for MV Flare

 
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| Ship country= Cyprus
| Ship flag= {{Shipboxflag|Cyprus|civil}}
| Ship name= M/V ''Flare''
| Ship namesake=
| Ship owner=ABTA Shipping Co. Ltd., [[Limassol]], Cyprus
| Ship operator=Trade Fortune Inc., [[Piraeus]], Greece
| Ship registry=Limassol, Cyprus
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| Ship builder=Hakodate Dock Co. Ltd., Japan
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| Ship launched=7 June 1972
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| Ship identification={{IMO Number|7220477}} 
| Ship motto=  
| Ship fate=Sank, 16 January 1998
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| Header caption=<ref name="M98N0001">{{cite web |url= http://www.tsb.gc.ca/eng/rapports-reports/marine/1998/m98n0001/m98n0001.asp |title=Marine Investigation Report M98N0001 |work=[[Transportation Safety Board of Canada]] |date=20 April 2000 |accessdate=18 August 2012}}</ref>
| Ship class= 
| Ship type=[[Bulk carrier]]
| Ship tonnage={{GT|16,398}}
| Ship displacement=  
| Ship length= {{Convert|180.8|m|ftin|abbr=on}} 
| Ship beam= {{Convert|23.1|m|ftin|abbr=on}}
| Ship height=
| Ship draught={{Convert|6.93|m|ftin|abbr=on}}
| Ship depth=  {{Convert|14.5|m|ftin|abbr=on}}
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| Ship propulsion=[[Sulzer (manufacturer)|Sulzer]]-[[IHI Corporation|IHI]] engine, {{Convert|8,827|kW|hp|abbr=on}}
| Ship speed= {{Convert|15.1|kn|lk=in}}
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'''MV ''Flare'' (P3GL2)''' was a [[Cyprus|Cypriot]]-registered [[bulk carrier]] that sank with the loss of 21 lives in the [[Gulf of St. Lawrence]] on January 16, 1998.

''Flare'' was en route from [[Rotterdam]] to [[Quebec]] when she broke in two during severe weather, approximately {{convert|20|nmi|km|abbr=on}} west of [[Saint-Pierre-et-Miquelon]] on January 16, 1998. 21 crew members perished, and four survived.<ref name="M98N0001"/> The crew was able to send one truncated 20-second distress call that was received by the [[Canadian Coast Guard]], who had to determine who and where the ship was within an area with a {{convert|40|mi|km|adj=on}} radius.<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.ccg-gcc.gc.ca/eng/CCG/MCTS_On_The_Job |title=MCTS Officers's On the Job |work=[[Canadian Coast Guard ]] |year=2012 |accessdate=18 August 2012}}</ref> Some of ''Flare'''s crewmembers on the sinking stern section saw the bow of another ship appear to approach them, only to realize that it was the separated front half of their own vessel.  The propeller on the stern section had still been turning, and had brought them back towards it.

The survivors were rescued by a [[CH-113 Labrador]] helicopter from [[CFB Greenwood]], [[Nova Scotia]], belonging to [[413 Search and Rescue Squadron]] of the [[Canadian Forces]]. The helicopter's crew consisted of aircraft commander Capt. C. Brown, co-pilot Capt. R. Gough, flight engineer/winch operator M.Cpl. R. Butler, and SAR Technicians Sgt. Tony Isaacs and M.Cpl. P. Jackman.

The lightly clothed survivors were taken to hospital in [[Saint-Pierre-et-Miquelon]] and treated for extreme [[hypothermia]]. The bodies that were recovered were collected by [[French Navy|Marine Nationale]], [[Canadian Coast Guard]], and [[Royal Canadian Navy]] ships including [[HMCS Montréal (FFH 336)|HMCS ''Montreal'']]⁠—and a [[Boeing Vertol CH-46 Sea Knight|CH-113 Labrador]] helicopter of [[103 Search and Rescue Squadron]] from [[CFB Gander]].

''Flare''{{'}}s stern sank within 30 minutes. The floating bow section drifted on the surface for several days, eventually sinking south of [[Cape Breton Island]].

The [[Transportation Safety Board of Canada]] determined that the following contributed to ''Flare''{{'}}s sinking:
# Severe weather
# The ship was traveling empty to Montreal (to pick up a load of grain), which caused her to ride high in the water. The violent waves caused the bow to hit the water hard during each swell.
# The ballast tanks, which ordinarily would be flooded to cause the ship to ride lower in the water, were not able to be completely filled as a number of them were corroded and needed to be repaired.
# The steel in the hull was found (after the sinking) to have fatigue cracks.

in addition, ''Flare'' was over 25 years old, approximately 8 years past the average lifespan of a bulk carrier.

The combination of the ship riding high on violent swells, hitting the water hard and with fatigue cracks, caused the ship to break apart.

== References ==
{{reflist}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Flare}}
[[Category:1972 ships]]
[[Category:Shipwrecks of the Newfoundland and Labrador coast]]
[[Category:Shipwrecks of the Nova Scotia coast]]
[[Category:Maritime incidents in 1998]]

== External links ==
* [https://www.originalshipster.com/blog/2019/2/9/over-the-waves-mv-flare Over the Waves: M/V Flare]

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{{1998 shipwrecks}}