Die Passagierfähre MV Star of Malta sinkt, nachdem sie am 29. Juli 1955 am Merkanti-Riff vor St. Julians auf Grund gelaufen ist

>[MV Star of Malta](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MV_Star_of_Malta) was a passenger ferry which operated routes from Malta to Sicily in the 1950s and 1960s, notable for its sinking off Malta on 29 July 1955, resulting in the death of one crew member and one passenger. Prior to that, she had a long career under a number of different names.

>On the morning of 29 July 1955, Star of Malta was returning to Malta from Syracuse. At the time, there was a lot of mist, and due to a navigational error, the vessel ran aground on the Merkanti Reef about 80 m (260 ft) off the coast of St. Julian’s and capsized.

>At the time of its sinking, the vessel was carrying 57 passengers. The majority of the passengers and crew survived the sinking, either managing to swim to the shore or being rescued by small boats which came to help. There were two casualties: one crew member drowned in the sinking and a passenger was missing.

>Divers from the Royal Navy’s Special Boat Section searched the partially-submerged ship shortly after the grounding. Prime Minister Dom Mintoff boarded the vessel on the day of the grounding while rescue operations were ongoing.

>After the passengers had disembarked the vessel, some of the cargo including fruit and livestock as well as some valuables was stolen. The ship’s log book might have also been taken at this point. The mail carried on the vessel was retrieved, and postal authorities applied a handstamp reading “Damaged by seawater / ex “Star of Malta” 29.7.55″ to the salvaged mail.

>Since the Star of Malta was the only sea link between Malta and Sicily, after its sinking the destroyer HMS Scorpion (D64) was sent to Sicily to pick up stranded passengers. The vessel was refloated in August 1955, and she was repaired at the Rodriquez shipyard in Messina, Sicily.

My grandparents say many people ran to the shore as the sea was bringing in food and other items in.