On the evening of Wednesday, 23rd April, 1947, a 7,000 ton cargo ship, the S.S. Samtampa, sent out a distress signal as it drifted towards rocks on the South Wales coast. The Mumbles lifeboat was launched into rough seas and force 8-10 winds.
Before the lifeboat could reach it, the Samtampa had been driven onto rocks and was broken into three. Attempts by coastguards to rescue the men failed and all 39 of the crew died.
All the through the night coastguards and police kept a look-out for survivors and for sight of the lifeboat they knew had been summoned. It was not until the dawning light that the lifeboat was found, upturned on the rocks. The bodies of her crew of 8 were washed up over the next days.
Before the lifeboat could reach it, the Samtampa had been driven onto rocks and was broken into three. Attempts by coastguards to rescue the men failed and all 39 of the crew died.
All the through the night coastguards and police kept a look-out for survivors and for sight of the lifeboat they knew had been summoned. It was not until the dawning light that the lifeboat was found, upturned on the rocks. The bodies of her crew of 8 were washed up over the next days.
(The front page of the local paper from the day after the disaster showing both the upturned lifeboat and the wrecked S.S.Samtampa)In the parish magazine, the Vicar of Oystermouth wrote, 'These heroic men of ours were plain-spun; they would not have marked their own amazing courage. The cry of men in distress found an answer in the hearts of those who knew the joys and terrors of the sea ...'
In a memorial service the chairman of Mumbles Lifeboat committee said, '... as long as there is a Mumbles, there will be a Mumbles lifeboat and Mumbles men will man her.'
Two weeks after the horrific disaster, 30 men volunteered to serve as lifeboatmen when Mumbles got its replacement lifeboat.
One man who joined the crew a few years later, and went on to become coxswain for 32 years and receive numerous awards for bravery, was Derek Scott. When asked if he was ever afraid when going out on a rescue, he replied, “If I wasn't afraid I wouldn't be human, but those people waiting for me were a damn sight more frightened and, as we were their last hope, I had to do it.”
In a memorial service the chairman of Mumbles Lifeboat committee said, '... as long as there is a Mumbles, there will be a Mumbles lifeboat and Mumbles men will man her.'Two weeks after the horrific disaster, 30 men volunteered to serve as lifeboatmen when Mumbles got its replacement lifeboat.
One man who joined the crew a few years later, and went on to become coxswain for 32 years and receive numerous awards for bravery, was Derek Scott. When asked if he was ever afraid when going out on a rescue, he replied, “If I wasn't afraid I wouldn't be human, but those people waiting for me were a damn sight more frightened and, as we were their last hope, I had to do it.”
It wasn't the first time Mumbles had lost some of its lifeboatmen. Four were lost in a rescue in 1883, and six of the crew of fourteen died in 1903. But it has saved over 800 lives in its 170 year history.
The Royal National Lifeboat Institution, a charity, is funded by voluntary contributions, and most of the crew are volunteers. At Mumbles only the coxswain and, I think, now an engineer, are paid. That such a vital service is not government-funded and relies on volunteers to do everything from man the ships to sell flags and host coffee mornings is remarkable. It provides an incredible insight into what man will do for his fellow.
As the sixtieth anniversary of the lifeboat disaster is commemorated later this month, while it will undoubtedly be a sad memory for the village that lost so many of its young men, it's good to recall how amazingly unselfish and heroic ordinary men can be.
As the sixtieth anniversary of the lifeboat disaster is commemorated later this month, while it will undoubtedly be a sad memory for the village that lost so many of its young men, it's good to recall how amazingly unselfish and heroic ordinary men can be.
Two stained glass windows in All Saints' Church in Mumbles commemorate the 1883 (shown right) and 1947 disasters.
xxx
5 comments:
An honorable duty. Men like those are to be look up to.
Liz, thanks for reminding us of true heroic duty. I love learning and remembering stories like this. (And the window is spectacular.)
Thanks for sharing their story. Too much of history is becoming forgotten. And it cannot be...
Well done for drawing our attention to this anniversary and to the bravery of the lifeboat crew to this day.
Liz, that's an entirely apt story to have posted on this day, when memories might have been concentrating more on the anniversary of another, better-known, maritime tragedy. As you say, it is good to be reminded,by the selfless individuals of the RNLI, of the goodness that humanity is capable of.
Post a Comment