clan keith disaster.

[frank richardson]

well remember when the clan keith blew up in the med just off tunis,we were one of the many ships searching for survivors,believe about 60 men perished including a radio officer from durham city were i live,think his name was lynch it was about 1961.

[Tony Wilding]

IS IT KNOWN WHY SHE BLEW UP ?

[Gulliver]

well remember when the clan keith blew up in the med just off tunis,we were one of the many ships searching for survivors,believe about 60 men perished including a radio officer from durham city were i live,think his name was lynch it was about 1961.

Welcome Aboard,Frank.

You'll probably discover much information on this site within all the various forums. The SEARCH facility in particular is very useful.
I found the following ,for example,regarding CLAN KEITH


.s.s. CLAN KEITH 5/11/61
The attached contemporary newspaper press cuttings about this tragedy were in another thread by me on this site.
They were originally kindly supplied me by our member Hugh Maclean.





the "Clan Keith" sank off North-Western Tunisia around midnight on 5/11/61.and it was reported that she broke in two following an explosion. (This was immediately thought to be the case by those on board at that time,but shown by the enquiry to be caused by striking rocks.)The weather in the area at the time was severe. The ship carried a total crew of 68, of whom 11 were of the United Kingdom,3 from South Africa,and 54 crew - residents of Pakistan.
First news of the casualty was received from the motor vessel "Durham Trader" which, during the morning, encountered one of the lifeboats of the "Clan Keith" carrying 5 survivors, including the master. Two further survivors were later picked up from the water by the Finnish tanker "Nunnalahti", but one of those survivors unfortunately died. Her Majesty's Cruiser "Blake", with the frigates "Plymouth" and "Rhyl", the destroyer "Diana" and the French minesweeper "Narvik", went to the scene and, together with aircraft and other merchant vessels, searched the area for further survivors, but, without success,although they did see wreckage and a number of empty lifeboats.




Best Regards

Gulliver.

Click images to enlarge.

[Jack Jenkins]

Hiya Frank....I was 4th eng on the Durham Trader....Twas a pretty rough night

Jack

[frank richardson]

hi jack i can remember vividly large car buoys floating among the debris is it possible these could of contained gasoline.cheers frank

[frank richardson]

Hiya Frank....I was 4th eng on the Durham Trader....Twas a pretty rough night

Jack

jack the lad called lynch who was killed on the clan keith from durham had a sister who emigrated to new zealand,a friend of the lynch family has a cutting of the event taken from the local durham paper all those years ago,she is going to sort it out for me.cheers frank

[Jack Jenkins]

I,m from Co.Durham myself Frank,born and bred in the shadow of Penshaw Monument,My brother drives buses in Durham City.