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In Memory of all who perished on that fateful dayTo the Memory of the Captain
And the thirty eight Crew Members
Of the Freighter
S.S. SAMTAMPA
Who perished on these rocks
In the Great Storm of April 23rd 1947,
And of the Cox'n and Crew of Seven
of the Mumbles Lifeboat,
"EDWARD PRINCE OF WALES"
Who lost their lives in their valiant
rescue attempt.
This Plaque marks the final
Resting place of The Mumbles Lifeboat.
Words of the memorial at Sker Rocks
[ View Photo ]
The Samtampa - 23 April 1947
The Samtampa / Edward Prince of Wales LifeboatThis year witnesses the 60th anniversary of one of the worst maritime disasters in living memory along the South
Wales coastline. [ 23 April 1947 ] The Samtampa cargo ship with all 39 crew along with all 8 Lifeboatmen of Edward
Prince of Wales Lifeboat from Mumbles perished on the rocks at Sker in attrocious weather conditions.
The Samtampa was broken into three parts - the Mumbles Lifeboat found smashed and upside down on the rocks.
The Tragedy
The Samtampa, a former Liberty Ship, was on a voyage from Middlesborugh to Newport, in ballast.
A strong westerly gale was in progress when she entered the Bristol Channel where the ship developed an engine fault.
It was decided by her Captain, H. Neale Sherwell to drop anchor in Swansea Bay to carry out repairs to the engine.
The weather was deteriating by the minute and at 4.38pm the starboard anchor chain parted and twelve minutes later
the port cable snapped.
The Samtampa was taken eastwards in the hurricane force winds and within twenty minutes she was on the rocky
ledges near Sker Point.
The Mumbles LifeboatEDWARD, PRINCE OF WALES was launched just after 6pm to go to the rescue. William Gammon, who had been
Lifeboat Coxswain for seven years, was at the helm of the lifeboat as they headed across Swansea bay to Sker.
At the same time the Porthcawl Coastguards and rocket team were attempting to get a line to the wreck from the shore.
The wind speed was said to have been in excess of 100 miles per hour and in less than five minutes of the
Samtampa hitting the rocks she started to break up.
Around two hours later she was a total wreck, the 10m waves having broken her into large pieces. The rocket apparatus
became ineffective due to the extreme high winds and a line out to the stricken vessel failed. It is said that some of the
rockets were driven back so far by the ferrocious wind that they landed in fields behind the rocket operators themselves.
All crew of the Samtampa were drowned - the full disaster was realised by the morning of 24 April.
The Mumbles Lifeboat had failed to return, and instead was found smashed upside down on Sker Rocks. When the town of Mumbles,
Swansea learned of the news, the whole town was in mourning.
The Crew of S.S. SamtampaTwenty five of the crew of the Samtampa were from the North East of England. Ten of whom were from
Middlesbrough, four from Whitby, two each from Stockton, Redcar and Staithes and one each from South Bank,
Skelton, Bishop Auckland, West Hartlepool and Thornaby.
We Remember these gallant sailors
Names of other men who were not signed on in Middlesborough
Other members of crew
Apprentices
Source:
UK-NORTHEAST-L Archives (Evening Gazette, Thursday 24th April 1947)
Pauline Gregg (York UK)
Researching: Brown, Searle, Olvanhill, Gregory, Huskinson (all Middlesbrough area)
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Memorial on Sker Rocks
Memorial ReadsTo the Memory of the Captain
And the thirty eight Crew Members
Of the Freighter
S.S. SAMTAMPA
Who perished on these rocks
In the Great Storm of April 23rd 1947,
And of the Cox'n and Crew of Seven
of the Mumbles Lifeboat,
"EDWARD PRINCE OF WALES"
Who lost their lives in their valiant
rescue attempt.
This Plaque marks the final
Resting place of The Mumbles Lifeboat.
Mumbles Lifeboat Crew RememberedStained Glass Window, All Saints Church, Oystermouth, Swansea.
Lifeboat Disaster Photo FoundA forgotten photo of the widows of the 8-strong Mumbles Lifeboat Crew which turned up in a shack in
Alaska. Read about this remarkable story.
The Mumbles LifeboatLearn the history of the Mumbles Lifeboat Station and its crew.
South Wales Police MuseumLearn how the Glamorgan Constabulary, the predcessor of the present day South Wales Police
had to deal with the Samtampa Tragedy.
Board of Trade Wreck ReportNo. 7946 SS Samtampa - The Merchant Shipping Act, 1894. Report of Court on the formal investigation
of the wreck of SS Samtampa held at the Guildhall, Swansea on the 4th, 5th, 6th and 7th days of August 1947. Transcription Crown Copyright Reserved - Information courtesy PortCities Southampton by Plimsoll, the
digital maritime archive.
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The Lifeboat Crew Remembered :: Edward, Prince of Wales
William Gammon - Coxswain
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William Noel - Second Coxswain
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Ernest Griffin - Mechanic
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William Lewis Howell - Mechanic
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William Davies - Mechanic
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W R S Thomas - Mechanic
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W R Thomas - Mechanic
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R Smith - Mechanic
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Images: Kenfig.org / Glamorgan Gazette
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| Photos: Prince of Wales Inn, Kenfig | Steve Parker | Ton Kenfig, Bridgend |
