Samtampa
Encyclopedia
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 crewmembers of the Mumbles
RNLI rescue team from the lifeboat Edward, Prince of Wales who died attempting to save the crew of the Samtampa. The lifeboat had returned to base, having initially failed to find the vessel, 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. A large wave then capsized the ship on top of the lifeboat, and those who died were choked by the oil rather than drowning. .
A memorial to the victims of the Samtampa tragedy is in the New Cemetery at Porthcawl. The ship had sailed from Middlesbrough
and most of the 39 crew hailed from the Teesside area.
The location of the wreck on Sker Point was
Samtampa was built as SS Peleg Wadsworth (Hull Number 2203) as part of the Liberty ship
programme in World War II
, and was launched on 12 December 1943.
23 April 2007 marked sixty years since the loss of the Samtampa, the Mumbles lifeboat and all their crews. In recognition of the anniversary, a church service took place in Porthcawl on Saturday 21 April followed by a smaller service at Sker Point
Sker Point
Sker Point is a headland of South Wales between Port Talbot and Porthcawl.On April 23, 1947 the Samtampa, a liberty ship, was wrecked at Sker Point. Her crew of 39 perished and all eight volunteer crewmen of the Mumbles RNLI lifeboat were lost while attempting to rescue her.Sker Point is also the...
, off Porthcawl
Porthcawl
Porthcawl is a town on the south coast of Wales in the county borough of Bridgend, 25 miles west of the capital city, Cardiff and 19 miles southeast of Swansea...
and Kenfig
Kenfig
Kenfig is a village and former borough in Bridgend, Wales.The borough contributed with other Glamorgan towns to sending a member of parliament to Westminster until the Reform Act of 1832...
, Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
, in the Bristol Channel
Bristol Channel
The Bristol Channel is a major inlet in the island of Great Britain, separating South Wales from Devon and Somerset in South West England. It extends from the lower estuary of the River Severn to the North Atlantic Ocean...
on 23 April 1947. At the time of the shipwreck, the Samtampa was operated by the Houlder Line
Houlder Line
The Houlder Line were a number of related British Shipping companies originally established by the Houlder brothers. was operated by the Houlder Line and was torpedoed in the North Atlantic in 1940. was operated by the Houlder Line...
.
There were 47 fatalities in the incident, 39 from the ship and 8 volunteer crewmembers of the Mumbles
Mumbles
Mumbles or The Mumbles is an area and community in Swansea, Wales which takes its name from the adjacent headland stretching into Swansea Bay...
RNLI rescue team from the lifeboat Edward, Prince of Wales who died attempting to save the crew of the Samtampa. The lifeboat had returned to base, having initially failed to find the vessel, 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. A large wave then capsized the ship on top of the lifeboat, and those who died were choked by the oil rather than drowning. .
A memorial to the victims of the Samtampa tragedy is in the New Cemetery at Porthcawl. The ship had sailed from Middlesbrough
Middlesbrough
Middlesbrough is a large town situated on the south bank of the River Tees in north east England, that sits within the ceremonial county of North Yorkshire...
and most of the 39 crew hailed from the Teesside area.
The location of the wreck on Sker Point was
Samtampa was built as SS Peleg Wadsworth (Hull Number 2203) as part of the Liberty ship
Liberty ship
Liberty ships were cargo ships built in the United States during World War II. Though British in conception, they were adapted by the U.S. as they were cheap and quick to build, and came to symbolize U.S. wartime industrial output. Based on vessels ordered by Britain to replace ships torpedoed by...
programme in World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, and was launched on 12 December 1943.
23 April 2007 marked sixty years since the loss of the Samtampa, the Mumbles lifeboat and all their crews. In recognition of the anniversary, a church service took place in Porthcawl on Saturday 21 April followed by a smaller service at Sker Point