View source for MV Dara

{{short description|British passenger & cargo liner that traded in the Indian Ocean}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2021}}
{{Use British English|date=January 2024}}
{|{{Infobox ship begin}} 
{{Infobox ship image
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|Ship caption= 
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{{Infobox ship career
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|Ship country= United Kingdom
|Ship flag= {{Shipboxflag|United Kingdom|civil}}
|Ship name= ''Dara''
|Ship namesake= [[Dara Island]]<ref name=P&OH>{{cite web |url= https://www.poheritage.com/Upload/Mimsy/Media/factsheet/93033DARA-1948pdf.pdf |title=Dara (1948) |work=P&O Heritage |date=October 2009 |access-date=26 January 2024}}</ref>
|Ship owner= [[British India Steam Navigation Company|British India SN Co]]<ref name=LR1949>{{cite book |year=1949 |title=Lloyd's Register of Shipping |volume=I. A–L |place=London |publisher=[[Lloyd's Register]] of Shipping |url= https://archive.org/details/HECROS1950AL/page/n476/mode/1up |via=[[Internet Archive]] |at=DAR}}</ref>
|Ship operator= 
|Ship registry= [[Port of London|London]]<ref name=LR1949/>
|Ship route= [[Mumbai Harbour|Bombay]] – [[Persian Gulf]]<ref name=Haws>{{cite book |last=Haws |first=Duncan |year=1987 |title=British India S.N. Co |series=Merchant Fleets |volume=11 |place=Burwash |publisher=Travel Creatours Ltd Publications |pages=160–161 |isbn=0-946378-07-X}}</ref>
|Ship ordered= 
|Ship builder= [[Barclay Curle|Barclay, Curle & Co]], [[Whiteinch]]<ref name=LR1949/>
|Ship original cost= 
|Ship yard number= 711<ref name=P&OH/>
|Ship laid down= 
|Ship launched= 17 December 1947<ref name=P&OH/>
|Ship sponsor= 
|Ship completed= June 1948<ref name=LR1949/>
|Ship maiden voyage= 
|Ship identification= *UK [[official number]] 181938<ref name=LR1949/>
*[[Maritime call sign|call sign]] GDTT<ref name=LR1949/>
*{{ICS|Golf}}{{ICS|Delta}}{{ICS|Tango}}{{ICS|Tango}}
|Ship fate= *explosion & fire 8 April 1961
*sank 10 April 1961
|Ship status= 
|Ship notes= 
}}
{{Infobox ship characteristics
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|Ship class= D-class passenger and cargo ship
|Ship tonnage= {{GRT|5030}}, {{NRT|2766}}, {{DWT|4465}}<ref name=P&OH/>
|Ship displacement= 
|Ship length= *{{cvt|398.7|ft|abbr=on}} [[Length overall|overall]]
*{{cvt|382.3|ft|abbr=on}} registered<ref name=LR1949/>
|Ship beam= {{cvt|54.8|ft|abbr=on}}<ref name=LR1949/>
|Ship draught= {{cvt|21|ft|11+3/4|in|abbr=on|2}}<ref name=LR1949/>
|Ship depth= {{cvt|23.6|ft|abbr=on}}<ref name=LR1949/>
|Ship decks= 2<ref name=LR1949/>
|Ship power= {{cvt|4200|bhp|lk=in}}<ref name=P&OH/>
|Ship propulsion= *1 × 5-cylinder [[two-stroke diesel engine|2-stroke diesel engine]]<ref name=LR1949/>
*1 × [[Propeller|screw]]<ref name=LR1949/>
|Ship speed= {{convert|14|kn|km/h}}<ref name=P&OH/>
|Ship capacity= passengers: 20 × 1st class; 30 × A 2nd class; 24 × B 2nd class; 1,377 deck class<ref name=P&OH/>
|Ship crew= 132
|Ship sensors= wireless [[direction finding]], [[echo sounding]] device, [[Marine radar|radar]]<ref name=LR1949/>
|Ship notes=[[sister ship]]s: ''Dumra'', {{MV|Dwarka||2}}, ''Daressa''<ref name=Haws/>
}}
|}

'''MV ''Dara''''' was a British [[passenger ship]], built in 1948 by [[Barclay Curle|Barclay, Curle & Co. Ltd.]], [[Glasgow]], Scotland.<ref name="ws"/> She travelled mostly between the [[Persian Gulf]] and the Indian subcontinent, carrying [[expatriate]] passengers who were employed in the [[Arab states of the Persian Gulf|nations of the Gulf]].<ref>{{Cite web |url= http://uae.greatestdivesites.com/dubai/mv_dara |title=The MV Dara is a passenger liner which sank and lost 238 passengers when the vessel struck an Omani mine. |website=uae.greatestdivesites.com |access-date=2 September 2018}}</ref>

After a powerful explosion on 8 April 1961, ''Dara'' caught fire and sank in the Persian Gulf on 10 April 1961. The disaster killed 238 of the 819 people aboard at the time, including 19 officers and 113 crew.<ref name=gndara>{{cite news |last=Al Serkal |first=Mariam |title=Fifty years on, the tragedy of vessel MV Dara lingers |url= http://gulfnews.com/news/gulf/uae/general/fifty-years-on-the-tragedy-of-vessel-mv-dara-lingers-1.789262 |access-date=24 July 2011 |newspaper=Gulf News |date=9 April 2011}}</ref> Another 565 people were rescued in an operation by a British [[Landing Ship, Tank]], three [[Royal Navy]] ships, and several British and foreign [[merchant ship]]s.<ref>{{cite news |title=165 Missing From The Dara |newspaper=[[The Herald (Glasgow)|The Glasgow Herald]] |date=10 April 1961 |page=1}}</ref><ref name=sinking>{{cite hansard |jurisdiction=United Kingdom |title=Sinking of the M.V. "Dara" |url=https://api.parliament.uk/historic-hansard/lords/1961/apr/11/sinking-of-the-mv-dara-1 |house=Lords Sitting |date=11 April 1961 |column=244 |speaker=John Cavendish, Lord Chesham |position=}}</ref>

==Sinking==
''Dara'' sailed from [[Mumbai Harbour|Bombay]] on 23 March, on a round trip to [[Basra]], calling at intermediate ports. She reached [[Dubai]] on 7 April and was unloading cargo, embarking and disembarking passengers when the wind picked up. It quickly reached [[Beaufort scale|force seven]] and prevented further work. Another ship that had dragged her anchor in the bad weather collided with ''Dara''.

Captain Elson decided to take ''Dara'' out of the anchorage to ride out the storm.<ref name=sinking/> Due to the conditions there had been no opportunity to disembark those people aboard who did not intend to travel, including relatives and friends seeing off passengers, cargo handlers and various shipping and immigration officials.<ref name=":0"/>

At about 04.33 on 8 April 1961, a large explosion struck the port side of the engine casing between decks, passing through the engine [[Bulkhead (partition)|bulkhead]] and two upper decks, including the main lounge. The explosion occurred as ''Dara'' was returning to the harbour and it started several large fires. The explosion jammed the ship's steering and shut down her main generator. The fire spread rapidly, aided by the wind. Elson ordered the evacuation of the ship.<ref name=":0">{{Cite book |title=Father of Dubai |last=Wilson |first=Graeme |publisher=Media Prima |year=1999 |isbn=978-9948856450 |place=UAE |pages=117–119}}</ref>

Launching the [[Lifeboat (shipboard)|lifeboats]] was impeded by the rough sea, and by the fire spreading below the boat deck. One witness described an overcrowded lifeboat overturning due to the height of the waves. Another lifeboat that had been damaged earlier during the storm was met by the lifeboat of a Norwegian [[Tanker (ship)|tanker]]. Several ships were nearby and aid was given by British, German and Japanese ships in the vicinity, as well as boats coming from Dubai, [[Sharjah]], [[Ajman]] and [[Umm Al Qawain]].<ref name=":0"/>

A nearly completed hotel building in Dubai was taken over as a reception centre for the injured, many of whom were suffering from burns, exposure and wounds from flying metal shards. The tide of injured people overwhelmed Al Maktoum Hospital and field stations were opened at Sheikh Rashid's Customs House office block.<ref name=":0"/>

In the days following, three British [[frigate]]s and the US [[destroyer]] {{USS|Laffey}} sent parties aboard ''Dara'' to extinguish the fires and the ship was then taken in tow by the Glasgow [[Salvage tug|salvage vessel]] ''Ocean Salvor'', but she sank at 09.20 on 10 April 1961.<ref name="ws"/>

==Possible cause of explosion==
The explosion is believed to have been caused by a deliberately placed explosive device, planted by an [[Oman]]i rebel group or individual insurgents.<ref>{{cite web |url= http://homepage.ntlworld.com/clivebillson/CSD/CSD.html|title=The Ship Wreck Dara |first=Clive |last=Billson |url-status=dead |access-date=27 February 2009 |archive-date=10 March 2009 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20090310172209/http://homepage.ntlworld.com/clivebillson/CSD/CSD.html}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.divesitedirectory.co.uk/dive_site_united_arab_emirates_dubai_wreck_mv_dara.html |title=MV Dara |publisher=Diving Dubai, United Arab Emirates }}</ref> A British [[Admiralty court]] concluded, more than a year after the disaster, that an anti-tank mine, "deliberately placed by a person or persons unknown", had "almost certainly" caused the explosion.<ref>{{cite news |title=Court Finds Bomb Sank Liner With 238 In Persian Gulf |newspaper=Toledo Blade |date=19 April 1962 |page=22}}</ref> British Solicitor General [[John Hobson (politician)|Sir John Hobson]], testifying before the court, said that fighters in the [[Dhofar Rebellion]] were likely to be responsible, having previously sabotaged British assets.<ref>{{cite news |url= https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1962/03/20/82041272.pdf |title=Sinking of Liner Laid to Sabotage |newspaper=[[The New York Times]] |date=20 March 1962 |access-date=8 April 2017 |url-access=subscription}}</ref> However, no forensic evidence has ever been provided to prove that a bomb was the cause.<ref name="ws">{{cite web |url=http://www.wrecksite.eu/wreck.aspx?31813 |title=MV Dara [+1961] |website=wrecksite.eu |access-date=8 April 2021 }}</ref>

==Wreck==
The wreck lies  at a depth of {{convert|15|m}}.<ref name="ws"/>

==References==
{{reflist|30em}}

==Further reading==
*{{cite book |last=Abraham |first=PJ |year=1963 |title=Last Hours on Dara |place=London |publisher=[[Peter Llewelyn Davies|Peter Davies]]}}

==External links==
*{{cite web |url= https://www.clydeships.co.uk/view.php?&ref=1848 |title=Dara |work=Scottish Built Ships |publisher=Caledonian Maritime Research Trust}}

{{1961 shipwrecks}}
{{coord|25|34|29|N|55|27|58|E|display=title}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Dara}}

[[Category:1947 ships]]
[[Category:Maritime incidents in 1961]]
[[Category:Passenger ships of the United Kingdom]]
[[Category:Ship bombings]]
[[Category:Ships built in Glasgow]]
[[Category:Ships of the British India Steam Navigation Company]]