SS ''Samtampa'' was a 7,219 ton

steamship A steamship, often referred to as a steamer, is a type of steam-powered vessel, typically ocean-faring and seaworthy, that is propelled by one or more steam engines that typically move (turn) propellers or paddlewheels. The first steamships ...

wrecked on Sker Point, off

Porthcawl Porthcawl () is a town and community in the Bridgend County Borough of Wales. It is located on the south coast, west of Cardiff and south-east of Swansea. Historically part of Glamorgan and situated on a low limestone headland on the South ...

and Kenfig,

Wales Wales ( ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by the Irish Sea to the north and west, England to the England–Wales border, east, the Bristol Channel to the south, and the Celtic ...

, in the

Bristol Channel The Bristol Channel (, literal translation: "Severn Sea") is a major inlet in the island of Great Britain, separating South Wales (from Pembrokeshire to the Vale of Glamorgan) and South West England (from Devon to North Somerset). It extends ...

on 23 April 1947. At the time of the shipwreck, the ''Samtampa'' was operated by the Houlder Line. The ''Samtampa'' had been launched as the SS ''Peleg Wadsworth'', a

liberty ship Liberty ships were a ship class, class of cargo ship built in the United States during World War II under the Emergency Shipbuilding Program. Although British in concept, the design was adopted by the United States for its simple, low-cost cons ...

built by the

New England Shipbuilding Corporation The New England Shipbuilding Corporation was a shipyard located in the city of South Portland, Maine, United States. The yard originated as two separate entities, the Todd-Bath Iron Shipbuilding Corporation and the South Portland Shipbuilding Co ...

at South Portland, Maine, and launched on 12 December 1943. Sent to Britain under the

Lend-Lease Lend-Lease, formally the Lend-Lease Act and introduced as An Act to Promote the Defense of the United States (),3,000 Hurricanes and >4,000 other aircraft) * 28 naval vessels: ** 1 Battleship. (HMS Royal Sovereign (05), HMS Royal Sovereign) * ...

program, the ship was renamed, and managed by the Houlder Line on behalf of the Ministry of War Transport. 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 An oil spill is the release of a liquid petroleum hydrocarbon into the environment, especially the marine ecosystem, due to human activity, and is a form of pollution. The term is usually given to marine oil spills, where oil is released into th ...

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. The ship had sailed from

Middlesbrough Middlesbrough ( ), colloquially known as Boro, is a port town in the Borough of Middlesbrough, North Yorkshire, England. Lying to the south of the River Tees, Middlesbrough forms part of the Teesside Built up area, built-up area and the Tees Va ...

and most of the 39 crew hailed from the Teesside area. A memorial to the victims of the ''Samtampa'' tragedy is in Porthcawl Cemetery and a commemorative plaque can be found marking the "final resting place of The Mumbles lifeboat" at Sker Point. The location of the wreck was In recognition of the sixtieth anniversary, a church service took place in Porthcawl on Saturday 21 April followed by a smaller service at Sker Point. On Sunday 23 April 2022, Porthcawl Runners hosted a 75th anniversary fun run on Mumbles Seafront. A year later, they held a similar run at Porthcawl Promenade, slightly longer in length, but with twice as many entrants. So, far the events have raised over £3000 for the RNLI and it is hoped that with its growing popularity, the event will take place every year.

References

External links

70th Anniversary of the sinking of the SS Samtampa (BBC)National Monuments Record of Wales
{{DEFAULTSORT:Samtampa Liberty ships Steamships Shipwrecks in the Bristol Channel Maritime incidents in 1947 Shipwrecks of Wales 1947 disasters in the United Kingdom 1943 ships