A wreck in 1975 left traces for two decades. The prow of the tanker Jakob Maersk was stranded for decades by the Castelo do Queijo, as if recalling the tragedy.
On January 29, 1975, the Danish oil tanker Jakob Maersk loaded with 84,000 tons of crude oil, was headed for the Port of Leixões, but it smashed into a rock at the bottom of the sea. The engine room exploded, the ship broke in three and caught fire. The noise of the explosion and the huge cloud of black smoke startled the local population who still remembers that fateful day.
The fire, which lasted three days, was visible hundreds of kilometres away and caused respiratory problems at the time in many inhabitants of Matosinhos. Seven crew members of the boat died, several were injured and the crude oil spread to a great extent.
The central area of the tanker and the stern sank. The prow floated for several days stranded next to the Castelo do Queijo, where it stayed for 20 years until it was removed.
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