sea fog

[Captain Kong]

Just been reading the `Cowbridge Gem` a newspaper from near where Lois Amigo lives. There is an article about Flat Holm, the island in the Bristol Channel. Many ships have been wrecked on there, many lives lost, A light house was built and in 1906 a Fog Horn was built in. Two loud blasts at two minute intervals
It was closed down in 1988 and no more Fog Horn, the Light is automated by solar power.
Cheers
Brian.

[Gulliver]

12/30/53 Collision involving tankers ATLANTIC DEALER and ATLANTIC ENGINEER, Delaware River, 30 December 1953, with loss of life.

Could that be it Alf ?

If so Rob then HERE's the USCG Report.

Gulliver

[John Pruden]

liveing close to the mersey often fog and a sea mist comes of the river i allways thought the fog horn was a lonely sound? some winter nights laying in a warm bed listening to the it i think of the poor lookout {thats if they still have them}.jp

[Des Taff Jenkins]

Hi All.
I well remember coming up from West Africa with iron ore for Rotterdam on the Harperly one of Harrisons of London, entering the Channel it was pea soup, we had no radar I was on the forecastle banging away at the bell, when I heard this loud swishing sound and out of the fog came the Queen Mary doing a ton, Radar swirling away;not a thought that maybe if our skipper had panicked and turned to get out of the way we might have gone across her bow, I think I could still work up a beating heart if it wasn't for the fact that I'm on heart pills.
Cheers Des

redc.gif

[Gulliver]

If so Rob then HERE's the USCG Report.

Gulliver

Further research shows me another collision, in the same year 1953 ,but six months earlier in June,other than the ATLANTIC ENGINEER & ATLANTIC LEADER; also between two tankers in the Delaware River, the PHOENIX and the PAN MASSACHUSETTS.(Two of Daniel K.Ludwig(National Bulk Carriers ) tankers.

USCG REPORT HERE
This is most likely the collision to which Alf is referring,as the other later collision occurred when one was anchored.




PAN MASSACHUSETTS (built 1943)had a fairly explosive career. On 18 May, 1947 she caught fire in Texas City, TX while loaded with aviation gasoline. The fire raged for a day before being put out. The ship was repaired and placed back in service in short order.
On 6 June, 1953 while on a voyage from Texas City to Philadelphia with a cargo of gasoline, she collided with another company ship, Phoenix, in the Delaware River and both ships exploded and burned. Phoenix was broken in two, and was determined to be a total loss. Her stern section was salvaged, but the bow section apparently still remains buried near the river bank today. Pan Massachusetts was also declared a constructive total loss, and was towed to Baltimore for salvage. In 1954, she was towed to the new National Bulk Carriers shipyard in Kure, Japan and was lengthened and widened and placed back in service as Commonwealth under another National Bulk Carriers affiliate, Universe Tankships, Inc.
In 1964 she was renamed Calgary. In 1965 she was sold, and renamed again, Defiant Spirit. In November 1966, she arrived in Bahrain leaking, having suffered an engine room fire. She was sold again and renamed Cerberus, but did not see any further service. On 3 April, 1968 she left Bahrain under tow for scrapping. In September 1968, while being broken up, Cerberus exploded due to her center tanks still containing about 22,000 gallons of oil. Her number 4 wing tank was blown out, and tanks 3 and 5 were damaged severely. About 100 feet of shell plating was blown open on each side, and her decks were buckled. The bridge structure was destroyed. The explosion caused a considerable fire in some salvaged oil which had been stored in drums on her deck, and this ignited the motor vessel Coastal Sentry which was being scrapped alongside with 57,000 gallons of oil onboard. The Cerberus was fairly quickly extinguished, but Coastal Sentry burned intensely for about 15 hours before being extinguished. The scrap yard lost a lot of salvaged equipment to the fires. Pan Massachusetts did not give up easily.



Just an early interesting photo of tanker Pan Massachusetts after being built.Caption reads:

S.S. Pan Massachusetts, built by Welding Shipyards, Inc. of Norfolk, VA in March, 1943. Notice the 'meccano 'decking forward of the midship house used to lash down deck cargo during the war. Frequently aircraft were transported in that manner. Pan Massachusetts 1943.jpg

Gulliver

[Captain Kong]

July 25/6? 1956, I was on the old Franconia, we followed the Stockholm out of New York.
Off the Nantucket Shoals the Andria Doria, a new Italian Liner was in bound and collided with the Stockholm.
It was later described as a RADAR assisted Collision. It was taught in our Radar school.
Where each ship after altering course to starboard thought each one was abaft the beam, altered to Port to their original courses which put the Andria Doria ahead of Stockholm and she hit the A.D. amidships. The bow of the Stockholm disapeared and she limped back to New York.
The Andria Doria capsised and lay on her side, sinking the following day , the Isle de France got to the scene first and did the rescue of survivors, I think around 51 people were killed. When we arrived on scene we were not required so carried on to Liverpool . The fog was so thick I was up the crows nest and could not even see my own ship.
Cheers
Brian.

[Ivan Cloherty]

Hi All.
I well remember coming up from West Africa with iron ore for Rotterdam on the Harperly one of Harrisons of London, entering the Channel it was pea soup, we had no radar I was on the forecastle banging away at the bell, when I heard this loud swishing sound and out of the fog came the Queen Mary doing a ton, Radar swirling away;not a thought that maybe if our skipper had panicked and turned to get out of the way we might have gone across her bow, I think I could still work up a beating heart if it wasn't for the fact that I'm on heart pills.
Cheers Des

redc.gif

Banging the bell whilst underway ? Surely bell and gong were for use when anchored in fog enabling approaching ships to ascertain which way you were laying to anchor so that they could pass astern and not foul your anchor cable. Certainly any ship hearing the bell would assume you were at anchor and maintain their course and they will have got just as big a fright seeing you steaming towards them. Just a thought

[Ian Walker]

Like John Pruden, being brought up on the banks of the Mersey,hearing the foghorn was sometimes a ghostly experience especially as young kids playing out on the streets. The last farewell by Roger Whittaker also reminds me of those days, you can listen to it here with a video of an old sailing ship.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sGWs1HK8iDU

[John Albert Evans]

Thinking back now, I was galley boy on the San Fernando in 1957, an Eagle Oil Tanker, leaving Hamburg in total thick fog I was told to stand on the poop, I was given a metal ladle and a metal sauspan to bang iit with n case anything did come up behind us. Looking back nowadays I am wondering wether it was a wind up or not BUT heaven forbid a huge bow came out of the fog with some bloke doing exactly the same as me banging away on the bow of the ship which then slowly melted back into the fog.
That is as true as I'm sitting here typing.

John Albert Evans

[cappy]

aye ian she looked like one of runcimans no tabnabs on there I think the cabin boy looked like kong ......but quite an emotional little video