The answers of Silver Linde both in the interview and at the interrogation before the Court of Espoo have to be considered to be partly true and partly untrue. He will and probably can never admit that he had not been on the car deck on his last round. On the other hand, this cannot be explained with reference to the early start of the casualty sequence-of-events, but rather with the water on the car deck and the open starboard stern ramp being handled by somebody else since about 22.00 hours. Therefore he was presumably only once on the car deck, viz. at 22.30 hours, when he saw Sillaste walking into the port side house in spite of the water, which is indeed very extraordinary. Despite of the apparent fact that he was most probably not on the car deck at the crucial time, he was nevertheless forced to agree to a change of his timing by 10 minutes, as were also in all probability the watch engineer Margus Treu and also Henrik Sillaste whilst Hannes Kadak dropped his very detailed initial observation “to have seen water penetrating the bow ramp at 00.46 hours at the right side”. The comments of the JAIC on their key witnesses in their Final Report are quite interesting. On page 173 the following is stated:

»Somewhat more credibility is, however, given to such estimations by crew members and to their judgements of sounds, because of their experience.
A few crew members when interrogated, however, were more inclined directly to give exact and precise information about actions and points of time rather than to reveal any uncertainty. In such cases they often stated that they acted in accordance with their instructions.
One of the key witnesses, seaman of the watch (Silver Linde), was interrogated several times and some details are inconsistent throughout his statements. The latest statement seems, however, to be more reliable concerning specific parts and supplementary details because he then revealed new information that was partly to his discredit, and also commented upon his earlier statements.«

• It was with certainty during this latest statement that he had told the Estonian interrogators to write what they wanted and then signed. What a key witness!
  
  
• Also the meeting with the passenger from cabin 1096 or 1196 (there is no cabin 1196 on deck 1, thus it was 1096 and this cabin was in the 3rd compart-ment starboard outside above the swimming pool compartment on 0-deck) and the reports about a lot of water on the 1st deck should be true, because this is confirmed by the observations of Övberg and others, however he certainly met this man on deck 7 outside.
  
  
• The JAIC states however in their Final Report on page 175: “A few have reported seeing small amounts of water in corridors on deck 1”, or on page 68: “there was a thin trickle of water on the floor”. Water on the 1st deck did not fit in their scenario and it’s existence was therefore disputed.
  
  
• It can be excluded that he has been on the car deck for 5 minutes up to 00.45/50 because he had then just left the Admiral’s Pub. (Statements Rolf Sörman, Pierre Thiger and others.)
  
  
• He was also not on the 5th deck near the Information when the vessel heeled for the first time, but in the crew accommodations from where he came about 5 minutes later (maximum) towards the forward centre stairway. (Statement Per-Erik Ehrnsten.)

• He was in the liferaft around 01.25 hours, minutes after the 1st official Mayday was out.
  
  
• The statement about the last day in Tallinn is apparently true because it confirms similar statements of other crew members.
  
  

In summary of the above the following can be concluded:

• Silver Linde was exposed to brainwashing and other rough interrogation methods used by intelligence services rather than casualty investigators with the purpose of changing his evidence. He finally complied and even gave “card blanche” which was apparently used. There are in total 8 different statements made by Silver Linde.
  
  
• It has to be assumed that the other “key witnesses” Margus Treu, Hannes Kadak, Henrik Sillaste, Peeter Tüür and others were most probably treated in the same way by the Estonian interrogators. Consequently their statements have the same value as those of Linde.
  
  
• It has to be assumed that he actually met the Estonian from the 1st deck who fell out of his bed into water because similar reports are available from survivors from the 1st deck (Carl Övberg, Holger Wachtmeister and others) confirming that already before the first big heel there was a lot of water on the 1st deck.
  
  
• It has to be concluded that he has not been on the car deck at 00.45/50 hours but earlier, which he is not yet prepared to admit as well as many other circumstances which he partly told Jutta Rabe after the camera and the microphone were switched off.
  
  
• His statements about the car deck doors already having been unlocked,  about the other crew members down there, about the never functioning starboard stabiliser and Henrik Sillaste on the car deck are valuable.