The Mumbles lifeboat disaster occurred in 1947 off south Wales when the Mumbles lifeboat was undertaking a rescue off Sker Point but was overwhelmed by the sea with the loss of all eight lives in the lifeboat.

History

Mumbles Lifeboat station is situated at the western end of

Swansea Bay Swansea Bay ( cy, Bae Abertawe) is a bay on the southern coast of Wales. The River Neath, River Tawe, River Afan, River Kenfig and Clyne River flow into the bay. Swansea Bay and the upper reaches of the Bristol Channel experience a large ti ...

in the village of

Mumbles Mumbles ( cy, Mwmbwls) is a headland sited on the western edge of Swansea Bay on the southern coast of Wales. Toponym Mumbles has been noted for its unusual place name. The headland is thought by some to have been named by French sailors, ...

. At the time of the disaster the Lifeboat operating there was RNLB ''Edward, Prince of Wales'' (ON 678). On 23 April 1947 the en route from

Middlesbrough Middlesbrough ( ) is a town on the southern bank of the River Tees in North Yorkshire, England. It is near the North York Moors national park. It is the namesake and main town of its local borough council area. Until the early 1800s, the a ...

Newport Newport most commonly refers to: *Newport, Wales *Newport, Rhode Island, US Newport or New Port may also refer to: Places Asia *Newport City, Metro Manila, a Philippine district in Pasay Europe Ireland *Newport, County Mayo, a town on the ...

decided to stop at

Sker Point Sker Point is a headland in Bridgend County Borough on the South Wales coast between Port Talbot and Porthcawl. It marks the south end of Kenfig Sands. The placename ''Sker'' is of Old Norse origin, and means skerry. On April 23, 1947, the ' ...

on the Glamorgan coast not far from

Porthcawl Porthcawl (, ) is a town and community on the south coast of Wales in the county borough of Bridgend, west of the capital city, Cardiff and southeast of Swansea. Historically part of Glamorgan and situated on a low limestone headland on the ...

. Its three anchor cables were unable to hold the ship in the gale raging at the time and the ship foundered on the rocks, breaking into three. The Mumbles lifeboat, in attempting a rescue, was believed to have been overwhelmed by a freak wave and all the crew were drowned. Memorials to the crew stand in the churchyard of

All Saints' Church, Oystermouth All Saints' Church, Oystermouth (officially "All Saints, Oystermouth") is an Anglican church in the diocese of Swansea and Brecon, south Wales. It is located in Mumbles and is a Grade II listed building (listed 23 April 1952 as "a large church wi ...

. A memorial service was held in Swansea attended by the

Duke of Kent Duke of Kent is a title that has been created several times in the peerages of Great Britain and the United Kingdom, most recently as a royal dukedom for the fourth son of King George V. Since 1942, the title has been held by Prince Edw ...

on the 50th anniversary of the disaster.

References

{{Lifeboat wrecks and rescues Maritime incidents in Wales April 1947 events in the United Kingdom 1947 in Wales History of Swansea Swansea Bay Disasters in Wales Maritime incidents in 1947 1947 disasters in the United Kingdom