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Thread: Bowbelle, Wreck of Souls.

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    Default Bowbelle, Wreck of Souls.

    Brian (Captain Kong) mentioned he was an ex Master of the dredger "Bowbelle". Most of us probably know about this horrible tragedy which happened in 1989 on the River Thames. Perhaps all of you you would like to read about it again.

    Bowbelle, Wreck of souls

    Fouro.

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    Default Re: Bowbelle, Wreck of Souls.

    I joined the BOWBELLE after leaving ESSO, I had taken early retirement, at the age of 52, from them but sat at home was incredibly Boring so when the accident happened I thought they would need a new Master. it would be interesting and a challenge to take it over, I was doing nothing else.. So I phoned the Office, that was a RMC company, and got the job on the Bowbelle after a few trips to learn Dredging.

    There are designated dredging patches out at sea which are monitored by the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries.
    They send camera drones down to film the patch to see if you have gone past the limits or there would be heavy Fines.
    Occasionally we would dredge up Lobster pots but kept those if they had Lobsters in.
    Our Patches were off the Isle of Wight, the Hastings Bank and off the coast of Norfolk and off the Humber. The bigger ones I went on later we dredged in the Baltic and took the sand and gravel into East Germany and Poland. and to Hamburg.
    we also delivered to Amsterdam and Dunkirk, In Dunkirk we back loaded at the Steel works a cargo of Slag, iron clinker, used for road building, and take it into Canary Wharf on the Thames, We delivered the sand and Gravel to Southampton, and several berths up the Thames as far as Nine Elms , which is under the Bridges to Battersea by the old Power Station.
    That is when the Bow belle hit the Marchioness outward bound by the Southwark Bridge.
    So when I joined we had to do several runs up and down the Thames with Lawyers and MAIB on board with film cameras and stop watches to monitor what happened on that night. an interesting exercise.
    She was sold after I complained to the Office that she would break in half. She went to Madiera and then while working out there, Broke in half and sank taking some crew with her.
    It was a different aspect of Seafaring but an interesting one.

    During THE inquiry, we had several Lawyers and members of MAIB on board and they had us running down the Thames from Nine Elms through the Bridges to where the collision happened. There were TV cameras and stop watches , and at the point of collision it was timed as I put her full astern and she passed under two bridges before stopping dead in the water. it was on an incoming tide.

    from another post I did in 2012.

    The view from the wheelhouse was very restricted, The Sand Grader was higher than the wheel house windows. You had to stand to one side of the wheel house to get a decent view ahead.
    There were several versions of what happened to cause the collision that night.
    On the Thames above Tower Bridge, she had to go under, I think, about 10 bridges.
    Now when sailing after discharge, the vessel is high and dry at low tide, as it comes in you have to get off the berth and away as soon as possible, It is a rising tide and you have to get out, full ahead and under all the bridges before it is too late, because of the air draught, leave it too late and you will collide with the bridge.
    On leaving you call Woolwich Radio, on the working Channel, 8, eg. "Bowbelle taking all centre arches out to sea, just approaching Waterloo Bridge" then an affirmative from Woolwich Radio. who then repeat the broadcast. "All vessels on the Thames, Bowbelle at Waterloo Bridge, taking all centre arches out to sea." So that no vessel is in any doubt as to the intentions of the Bowbelle. IF THEY ARE LISTENING ON VHF.
    At every bridge the Bowbelle calls Woolwich Radio and does the broadcast. which is then repeated.
    The party or disco boats just wander around like butterflies, not going anywhere in particular just passing time while the parties continue.
    They have about 5000 decibels of sound blasting out on speakers from the discos. the skipper of these craft cannot hear any broadcasts.
    From what an AB told me, he was on the focsle head, having just been relieved and stayed there to see the sights and lights of London as they passed. He told me that the Marchionesse was just off the Starboard bow as they were approaching Southwark Bridge centre arch.
    He saw a couple, man in white shirt and young lady in a white dress, they shouted `Cheers ` and raised their glasses then the Marchioness heeled over to starboard and they staggered backwards and disappeared. The AB presumed the Marchioness had hit the bow wave of the Bowbelle and heeled over to starboard, this had the effect of pulling the boat over to port and into the path of the Bowbelle. Inter-action between the two ships would also have an effect, the larger one pulling the smaller one towards it. The Bowbelle then ran over the Marchioness at the centre arch.
    There were 131 people on the Marchioness and as she heeled over she then had about ten tons of people with a free surface effect as she heeled over and the people flowing to one side, helping her to heel over much more again thus pulling her over into the Bowbelles path.
    A lot of people criticized the Bowbelle for not stopping to assist the people in the water.
    There was an incoming tide and in tests later with several lawyers, Detectives from Cannon Row Police Station and MAIB on board, with an extra two life rafts fitted for our `passengers`. she was sailed to the collision point and then with TV cameras, and stop watches, stop engines, full astern and it took another two bridges to stop. meanwhile people in the water were swept upstream away from the collision point.
    So the BOWBELLE was unable to stop or turn around


    From the above report........quote............................
    The damning report mentioned that the Bowbelle was well known on the Thames as a “rogue ship” that had already been involved in a number of collisions.
    It emerged that Henderson had drunk five pints of lager and had slept for only three hours before starting his shift.
    He had also sailed away from the scene of the accident, and provided no assistance to the survivors fighting to stay afloat in the strong currents.
    There was no MayDay call, and Henderson did not deploy his life-rafts and life-vests.
    Summing up, Lord Justice Clarke said that this was a catastrophe that should never have happened. He made more than 30 new recommendations to improve river safety and restrict the use of alcohol. Surprisingly, Henderson retained his skipper’s licence, and no further action was ever taken
    Unquote.................
    Everyone was Breathelizered after and everyone passed ok.

    from another of my posts........
    The Marchioness was an old boat, built in 1923, 66 years old when she sank, she was 85 feet in length, and since the war had another deck added on top, which to me would affect the stabiity.especially when you have 130 passengers moving around and dancing. This is the same as water on a car deck, causing free flow and if to one side would obviously cause a stability problem. The Skippers on those only need a Boatmans Licence and are usually confined to the Thames above the Tower Bridge.

    After the accident going under bridges through London, people would urinate, throw cans and bottles down on us and hurl abuse. Not very pleasant for the crowd on deck. none of the original crew were on board except one AB.
    The party boats never learn a lesson, I was taking the Bowbelle down river and had made a broadcast to Woolwich Radio announcing our intention of passing under Waterloo Bridge taking Centre Arch out to sea, Woolwich repeated the Broadcast to all vessels on the Thames. as I approached the arch , the Marchioness`s` sister ship , Viscountess, came directly ahead of me through the centre arch I had to stop engines and came within a few feet of our port side. I reported her to the River Police and they sent a Police launch after her. The Skipper was arrested. They never learn.
    Last edited by Captain Kong; 10th December 2017 at 07:09 PM.

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    Default Re: Bowbelle, Wreck of Souls.

    Here is another link Bowbelle under water, where I USED TO LIVE AND WORK.
    https://youtu.be/iY5srcatzEw
    Last edited by Captain Kong; 10th December 2017 at 08:14 PM.

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    Default Re: Bowbelle, Wreck of Souls.

    Good Video there Capt!
    Sad demise isn't it!
    Cheers
    Senior Site Moderator-Member and Friend of this Website

    R697530

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    Default Re: Bowbelle, Wreck of Souls.

    I noticed that the wheel, binnacle and the Telegraph had disappeared out of the wheelhouse.


    I was on the Bowknight, she was later renamed Sand Kite after I left, and then she ran into the Thames Barrier and sank on top of it causing panic in London with a full cargo on board., That was a big salvage job. The Bowqueen sank off the coast with loss of life , the Bowsprite also broke in half killing 6 crewmen. and many others of that fleet had many collisions and other disasters.
    I was glad to get out after doing nearly four years in the company, ;

    I must add,,,,,, I never had a mishap, near miss, collision or stranding, of any kind of happening while I was there.

    When on the BOWBELLE running up to Battersea under all the bridges, we got loads of abuse off people, some urinating on the Sailors working on deck, garbage, cans , bottles were thrown down at us. and screams of Murderers etc. after the disaster, we were a different crew than the ones of the night of the Marchioness.

    I was talking to the Captain of the BOWSPRITE when we shared a hotel while doing a GMDSS Course in Fleetwood.
    He was bound for Nieuport and in heavy weather the port was closed and he was told not to go there, He said he would go anyway and it may be open when he got there, It Was Closed.
    so on the way back across the Channel she broke in half, the Focsle head came right over and crushed the Wheel House killing some crew. The forward end sank and the after end remained afloat. and the survivors were picked up by a mine sweeper.

    Dredging and shipping

    Capsizing of "Bowsprite"

    The “Bowsprite” was a small British flagged aggregates gravel dredger, supplying the British building industry with sand and gravel.

    She broke in two during a force 9 gale close to the Kwintebank, off the Belgian coast, in December 1988, with the loss of 4 out of 10 crew.

    Attached is the complete MAIB report.

    Report on capsizing Bowsprite (.pdf 1.8 Mb)
    Fast facts
    “Bowsprite” was underway from the Thames towards the sandwinning area off the Belgian coast.

    Due to deteriorating weather “Bowsprite” wished to call at Nieuwpoort, but was not allowed in, the harbour was already closed.

    Subsequently, the Bowsprite’s captain decided to return to the Thames (a 90 mile trip), steering away from the lee-shore (Belgian coast).

    During the return trip wind turned to gale force 9. Bowsprite was steaming head in the waves.
    The ship broke in two halves, the forward part sunk, the aft part was salvaged, later scrapped.

    Lessons Learnt:

    Sand and gravel are heavy cargo (density 1.85 to 2 ton/m3)
    On most hopperdredgers, the cargo is located in one midships hold, resulting in huge bending moments (sagging), especially when wavelengths are same as ship’s length.
    Bending moments may well exceed design limits in heavy weather, as probably happened with “Bowsprite”.
    “Bowsprite” was not a new ship (23 years old).
    //..........................................

    I had reported tp the Office that she would break up, I was told "Rubbish".

    the cracks in the hull were stuffed with wedges covered in cloth and two bilge pumps running continuously night and day.
    There were fountains of sea water sprouting up through the bottom of the void spaces.
    Eventually they got the message, and we laid her up in Southampton and an Irish man from Cork bought her and sold her to Madeira where she did break up and killed some crew men.
    Brian
    I had a soft spot for the Bowbelle , much maligned but that was not her fault, only previous people who sailed her and the Company.
    Cheers
    Brian
    Attached Images Attached Images
    Last edited by Captain Kong; 10th December 2017 at 08:31 PM.

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    Default Re: Bowbelle, Wreck of Souls.

    Report on capsizing Bowsprite (.pdf 1.8 Mb)

    That PDF is not clickable Capt ?? Or is it just me here Downunder! LOL
    Senior Site Moderator-Member and Friend of this Website

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    Default Re: Bowbelle, Wreck of Souls.

    Hi Vernon,
    I don't think it is a link, It appears to be a written report,
    I posted this about a year ago.so I cannot remember.
    Cheers
    Brian

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    Default Re: Bowbelle, Wreck of Souls.

    Yes Capt
    What I really meant was that the PDF File wont open on site!?Not sure why!
    Senior Site Moderator-Member and Friend of this Website

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    Default Re: Bowbelle, Wreck of Souls.

    To be honest Vernon, I am not sure what a PDF file is or what it does,
    I am still a DYNOSAUR on such things. Its me age .
    Brian

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    Default Re: Bowbelle, Wreck of Souls.

    Here we go Capt!
    Cheers

    http://www.theartofdredging.com/bowsprite_pub_1991.pdf

    The Art of Dredging - Bowsprite



    PS Capt

    PDF is also an abbreviation for the Netware Printer Definition File. PDF (
    Portable Document Format
    ) is a file format that has captured all the elements of a printed document as an electronic image that you can view, navigate, print, or forward to someone else.
    Last edited by Doc Vernon; 10th December 2017 at 08:48 PM.
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