The Mumbles Lifeboat Disaster Remembered 

Every year brings its quota of storms, galeforce winds and turbulent seas; every century brings two or three exceptionally violent superstorms Such a storm occurred on 27th January 1883, but that is a story for another occasion. On 23rd April 1947 after Britain's worst winter within living memory, a violent storm wrought havoc around the coast and brought tragedy once more to our village.

The liberty ship SAMTAMPA, Neil Sherwell master, was enroute to Newport in ballast when engine trouble developed as she came up the channel. At 5.48 p.m. the following message from the ship was passed to the Hon. Secretary Mr. H.J. Kluge, "Rapidly drifting towards Nash Shoal" Gilbert Davies, mechanic fired the maroons from the lifeboat cottage and the boat got away at 6.12 p.m. Eight minutes after launching the coastguard received two more messages via Bunham Radio. They were "Have both hooks down and hope to keep off shoal, but doubtful" timed 5.56 p.m. The second message read "SAMTAMPA position 51 degrees 19 minutes N 3 degrees 45 minutes W bearing 290 degrees 2.5 miles from Porthcawi light timed 6.04 p.m.

From 6.30 p.m. to 6.45 p.m. Mumbles Coastguard attempted to communicate the new position to the lifeboat by aldis lamp. However having no signalman aboard the lifeboat Coxswain Gammon put back and closed with the slipway. The position was shouted to the crew and the boat tumed seaward once more at 7.10 p.m. The EDWARD PRINCE OF WALES was seen heading southeast for 3 miles when she was lost to view owing to the poor visibility.

The final message from the SAMTAMPA was "To all stations, Starboard anchors carried away. Now drifting ashore. Stand by. This was about the time the lifeboat put out the second time The station secretary closed his report thus, "Nothing further was seen or heard of the boat until early moming when she was seen overtumed near the wrecked SAMPTAMPA The 7,000 ton liberty ship came ashore at Sker Point at about 7.15 p.m. and broke into three sections within an hour. A coastguard life saving rocket team fired numerous rockets, the first at 8.15p.m. but they all fell short. The district officer described one as "Seeming to stand still in the air before it was blown back. In fact some of the rockets landed behind the firing position Soon the SAMTAMPA's lighter bow and stern sections were thrown up onto a rock plateau twentyfive feet above the beach. The mid section containing the engine room remained on the beach and was battered against the rocks 

At dawn the police were able to get aboard the wreck but there were no survivors from the crew of 39. The upturned lifeboat was found on the plateau 480 yards east and to the leeward of the wreck. The crew of 8 had all made the supreme sacrifice. A detailed examination of the wrecked lifeboat was made by the RNLI technical staff which concluded that she had capsized at about the time of high water, with her engines at just over half speed in the neighbourhood of the SAMTAMPA. She was then driven towards and over the submerged rock plateau where she remained when the tide receded. After the examination the wreck was bumed where she lay. The disaster stunned not only the village but the whole country. Early on the following morning the vicar, Revd. Canon W.D.G. Wilkinson accompanied by Mr. H.J.Kluge the station secretary called at each of the 8 homes to break the sad news and to offer such comfort as they were able. Canon Wilkinson is on record as saying "Not only was this the worst day of my ministry but the worst of my life".

The disaster had robbed seven wives of their husbands and left 13 children fatherless. Richard Smith one of the crewmen had been due to be married in the Parish Church on the following Saturday, 26th April. The funeral took place on Tuesday 29th April in torrential rain when the lifeboatmen were buried in adjacent graves in Oystermouth Cemetery.

The nation responded generously considering the austere post-war conditions by contributing £93,000 for a fund to provide for the dependants.

It is appropriate here to pay tribute to one in whose footsteps I have the privilege to tread, George Powell, for more than 30 years well loved and highly respected Verger of our Parish Church. In July 1903 when the lifeboat crew was being reorganised following the JAMES STEVENS disaster on February 1st 1903 [another story), George Powell was appointed Second Coxswain a position he held until 1909 when he handed over to William Davies Jnr. The wooden table inside the west door of our church was placed there at Easter 1947 as a fitting memorial and a gift from parishioners

Bill Barrington

(source: The Men of Mumbles Head by Cart Smith]