WAW014950 WALES (1948) [Unlocated]. View of the wreck of SS Samtampa off Porthcawl. Oblique aerial photograph, 5½" cut roll film.

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Details

Title [WAW014950] View of the wreck of SS Samtampa off Porthcawl. Oblique aerial photograph, 5½" cut roll film.
Reference WAW014950
Date 26-April-1948
Link Coflein Archive Item 6423059
Place name
Parish
District
Country WALES
Easting / Northing 0, 0
Longitude / Latitude -7.556448482059, 49.766185796754
National Grid Reference SV000000

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User Comment Contributions

SS Samtampa was a 7,219 ton steamship wrecked on Sker Point, off Porthcawl and Kenfig, Wales, in the Bristol Channel on 23 April 1947. At the time of the shipwreck, the Samtampa was operated by the Houlder Line.

There were 47 fatalities in the incident, 39 from the ship and 8 volunteer crew of the lifeboat RNLB Edward, Prince of Wales (ON 678) from The Mumbles Lifeboat Station who died attempting to save the crew of the Samtampa. The lifeboat had returned to base, but had been sent out a second time. An oil spill from the tanks of the wrecked ship created an area of calm water, which the lifeboat coxswain, William Gammon (previously a winner of the RNLI Gold Medal), attempted to use to their advantage to enable them to pull alongside, and those who died were choked by the oil rather than drowning.

A memorial to the victims of the Samtampa tragedy is in Porthcawl Cemetery. The ship had sailed from Middlesbrough and most of the 39 crew hailed from the Teesside area.

Billy Turner
Sunday 9th of October 2016 09:19:01 PM