MV Princess Victoria

Princess Victoria

10 oxen or 16 cattle or 25 sheep

The Princess Victoria was built in 1947 with William Denny and Brothers Limited ferry. The ship sank on 31 January 1953 at the North Channel between Scotland and Northern Ireland, with heavy seas caused by the storm, which caused also on the flood disaster of 1953. At the accident occurred after a flooding due to serious design flaws to the shutter doors the vehicle deck and the resulting Override charge. Only 44 people out of a total of 179 passengers and crew members were rescued.

The ship

On February 8, 1945, the London, Midland and Scottish Railway Company a preliminary construction at the shipyard William Denny and Brothers at Dumbarton order since 1939 operated a substitute for the on route between Stranraer in Scotland and Larne in Northern Ireland, but as early as 1940 by a Mine sunken ferry Princess Victoria to receive.

The replacement building should be based primarily on the plans of the ship, built in 1939, but has been adapted in numerous details. In the ship there was a so-called ro-ro ship, which was loaded on the rear and had a continuous, open aft car deck. The open area of ​​the vehicle deck was closed high, concluding with the ship's stern doors by about 1.50 m, of the superstructure located under closed part of the vehicle deck was additionally secured by a down vertically to let the door when to water penetration.

The new building was left on 27 August 1946 and water began on February 28, 1947 its sea trials. On March 7, 1947, the ship left the shipyard and was delivered the next day in Stranraer to his client. As part of the resolution of the London, Midland and Scottish Railway by the Transport Act 1947, the Princess Victoria passed into the hands of the newly founded State Railways British Railways on 1 January 1948.

The Downfall

On January 31, 1953 raged over the Irish Sea and the sea areas in the west of Scotland with wind speeds of over 180 km / h, severe hurricane of the 20th century. Probably because he underestimated the weather and relied on his experience in the maritime area, the captain decided on the morning of 31 January 1953, despite the raging since the night the hurricane leakage. Probably prompted him to the inaccurate weather forecast meteorological services, which could not exactly predict the occurred from 30 to 31 January 1953 in the night dramatic deterioration in weather conditions with the available for those Meteorology methods.

Already at the loading work has resulted in significant delays that led to the ferry with 45 minutes late leaving the port of Stranraer against 07:45 clock due to the heavy storm. Even the passage of the sheltered Loch Ryan proved to be due to the North West hurricane to be extremely difficult and could be covered only with a very slow speed against wind and current, so that after an hour instead of 30 minutes the north exit of Loch Ryan has been reached.

Presumably to get enough distance to reach the country, the captain a northerly course retained after reaching the north end of the bay. Then he had to follow a south-westerly course towards Larne. Turning the ship on this new course meant that the ship from starboard aft was covered with heavy, up to 13 meters high lakes. Approximately noticed around 8:45 clock a working on the car deck crew member that. Vertically through the closing doors aft deck, probably caused by a rogue wave, large amounts of water infiltrated The amounts of water were so large that they could drain insufficiently aware of the scuppers of the ship. Breaking down the lashing and the strong rolling of the ship led to a shifting of cargo and quickly to strong shock side. The attempt at the rear to close the portcullis again waterproof, had to be abandoned.

9:45 clock counter sat the Princess Victoria at the request of the captain's first emergency call, since the ship is now under command of the Northern Channel sales and a return to Stranraer was no longer possible. Until 10:30, the situation deteriorated in such a way that felt compelled the ship line to send the then usual SOS emergency call. Storm flow and following, tried the ship's command, after it was the crew around 11:00 clock succeeded, at least temporarily, to regain control of the ship to reach Belfast Lough. The Port of Larne could not be started due to the accident and the extremely severe weather. In this experiment, the strong and the lake largely delivered lurching ship took on more and more water.

After sending the emergency call immediately a large-scale rescue operation by motor lifeboats of the British Coast Guard, as well as by the British Navy, which immediately sent the destroyer HMS Contest at the accident site, was initiated.

The extremely poor weather, coupled with the very high seas and poor visibility meant that the ship's officers had temporarily totally disoriented. Inaccurate and false position data were the result. But even the inadequate from today's perspective radars it is due to that the wrecked and driving with a heavy blow side in the Northern Channel ferry could not be found in time, as the first search teams were staying in the wrong area.

After around 13:00 clock the machines were turned out by the flooding and the impact side of the ship had become so large that it was no longer possible without ropes to move on the ship, the ship management decided against 13:40 clock, the to give command to exit the ship. When trying to suspend the lifeboats with women and children occupied a boat was destroyed by wave impact, other passengers were purged when you exit the ship deck. All the women and children on board were killed. Shortly after the last radio message at 13:58 clock the ship sank in the Northern Channel in the amount of the Copeland Islands, about 20 nautical miles south of the original course, along with the ship's officers which are still on board, including the captain.

Only 44 people were rescued. The crew of the then Donaghadee (Northern Ireland) stationed lifeboat Sir Samuel Kelly, under the command of Captain Hugh Nelson succeeded in doing in a breakneck use in harsh weather conditions and very heavy seas to take 31 survivors on board and ensure that they achieve on land.

The investigation

At the inquest the disaster, the totally inadequate design of the car deck closing doors at the rear and of the closed part of the car decks closing door case was considered as the main cause. British Railways was also alleged to have used an inappropriate for the sea area the ship, which was also havariert several times since its commissioning in the year 1947.

Awards

For his outstanding achievements and his daring in the rescue operation of the foreman of the lifeboat was Sir Samuel Kelly, the then 63 -year-old captain Hugh Nelson et al awarded the Medal of the British Empire. The victims killed in the sinking of the ship radio operator David Broadfoot was awarded for his selfless service that led to the rescue of the 44 survivors, during an audience of the Queen, the posthumous George Cross. Were awarded the Order of the British Empire, the captains of those involved in search and rescue merchant vessels Lairdsmoor, James Alexander Bell, Pass of Drumochter, James Kelly and the Orchy, Hugh Angus. The crew members of the destroyer HMS Contest, Stanley Lawrence McArdle and Wilfred Warren, who jumped at the rescue operation in the turbulent sea to recover survivors were awarded the George Cross.