Wednesday 31 January 2018 marks the 65th anniversary of the loss of the MV Princess Victoria, the worst peacetime maritime disaster to occur in British coastal waters, Just of the Dumfries and Galloway Coast.
On the morning of 31 January 1953, the MV Princess Victoria left Stranraer in Scotland to make her regular crossing to Larne, but never made it across to Northern Ireland
Each year local people gather to commemorate the disaster along with representatives of organisations, including Dumfries and Galloway Council, Mid and East Antrim Borough Council, Royal National Lifeboat Institution [RNLI], Maritime and Coastguard Agency [MCA], Royal British Legion, Royal Antediluvian Order of Buffaloes, and ferry operators.
Wreaths will be laid at the memorials in Stranraer and Larne and ecumenical services will be held in both towns.
Council Leader Elaine Murray said: “65 years after the tragedy, the loss of the MV Princess Victoria still resonates, particularly in the towns of Dumfries and Stranraer. As each year since, we will gather to remember those who died, pay our tributes, and offer heartfelt sympathy to the bereaved. We still admire the valiant efforts of the crew and their fellow seafarers, who risked and in some cases sacrificed their own lives to save others. For those who lost loved ones, whether a partner, a parent, a son or a daughter, the consequences are still keenly felt.”
This year, following research by local historian Liam Kelly and the Ulster Historical Foundation, an additional plaque will be unveiled, commemorating 2 more people who are now known to have perished in the disaster: Thomas Saunders and Gordon Wright, both servicemen. Probate papers showed that both men died at sea on 31 January 1953.
Council Depute Leader Rob Davidson said: “It’s fitting that we commemorate this tragic event each year, particularly so when we are able to confirm 2 more victims. The severe weather of January 1953 had tragic consequences, particularly in Holland and Britain. The storm and an unfortunate sequence of circumstances resulted in the loss of the ferry between Stranraer and Larne and the death of 133 people. We will take a moment to respectfully remember them and think of the impact on their loved ones.”
After leaving the relative shelter of Loch Ryan, off Corsewall Point, the ship encountered the full fury of a gale. The ship struggled against winds, with recorded gusts of more than 80mph, and mountainous seas, over 50 feet high. Despite the valiant efforts of her crew, lifeboatmen and other seafarers, the Princess Victoria foundered off the coast of Northern Ireland, within sight of the Copeland Islands, near the entrance to Belfast Lough.
As was usual for ferries, no passenger manifest was kept so it was not possible to state with certainty how many people were on board when she sailed. It is thought that 178 people were on board when she left Stranraer (including 49 crew), and that 133 people lost their lives. 44 men were rescued alive. No woman or child survived the sinking.
While those who died came from far and near, with many from Belfast, the tragedy was keenly felt in Stranraer and Larne, which were home to 50 of the victims. In these towns, it was hard to believe that there could be such heavy loss of life on an everyday ferry route where, in good weather, the ship was never out of sight of land.
Worst peacetime maritime incident in British coastal waters.
Worst ferry disaster to occur in British coastal waters.
World’s first known sinking of a roll-on-roll-off (ro-ro) ferry.
0655 hrs: Gale warnings broadcast by BBC, including, “Irish Sea: west to northwest winds strong to gale force at first veering generally north to northwest and increasing to gale or sever gale during the day. Showers. Mainly good visibility.
The MV Princess Victoria’s departure was at least 45 minutes late due to the need to load 45 tons of cargo by hand. High winds prevented use of a crane. The weather conditions also prevented any vehicles from being loaded.
After departure, the ship made slow progress up Loch Ryan against a north-westerly gale. It took around 45 minutes to reach the mouth of the Loch.
Shortly after leaving the relative shelter of Loch Ryan, the vessel’s rear doors burst open due to the force of the waves and water started to flood the car deck. Sailors managed to close them but they had buckled and would not stay shut.
0946 hrs: MV Princess Victoria signalled, “XXX – Hove to off mouth of Loch Ryan, Vessel not under command. Urgent assistance of tug required.” An XXX signal indicated urgency and that the vessel was in trouble but not in immediate danger of sinking.
1031 hrs: MV Princess Victoria transmitted an SOS signal, indicating that it now faced immediate danger. It was stated that the vessel was 4 miles north-west of Corsewall, that the car deck was flooded, and that immediate assistance was needed.
1157 hrs: Signal stated that the ship has a 35 degree list to starboard and that around 200 tons of water and cargo were in the car deck.
1252 hrs: The vessel’s position was now critical with the starboard engine room flooded.
1308 hrs: Signal stated that MV Princess Victoria was now stopped and that the ship was on her beam end.
1315 hours: “We are preparing to abandon ship.”
1358 hrs: Last signal from MV Princess Victoria was, “SOS. Estimated position now 5 miles east of Copelands, entrance to Belfast Lough.”
Wireless Officer David Broadfoot (53) stayed at his post sending signals until the ship keeled over. He was posthumously awarded the George Cross, which was presented to his widow Muriel and son Billy at Buckingham Palace. In 1999, Billy presented his father’s George Cross to Stranraer Museum, where it is on permanent display.
For more than 4 hours, the MV Princess Victoria struggled against the elements, with only one engine, slowly inching her way towards safety in Northern Ireland. Unfortunately, as it was thought that the ship had no power when it first requested assistance, the rescue efforts had been directed towards the coast of Galloway.
The first vessels to reach the point where the MV Princess Victoria sank were 4 small merchant vessels, which had been taking shelter at the mouth of Belfast Lough: the cargo steamer Orchy, the cattle steamer Lairdsmoor, the coastal tanker Pass of Drumochter, and the trawler Eastcotes.
1449 hrs: Orchy found wreckage and survivors. However, mountainous seas and the lightly loaded ship riding high in the water prevented the crew from being able to rescue anyone. The Pass of Drumochter took a lifeboat in tow. Eastcotes pulled 7 people aboard but only 1 was alive.
1531 hrs: An aircraft from Coastal Command arrived on the scene to help with the search. Ironically, the aircraft was stationed at Aldergrove airfield near Belfast but, just before 1000 hrs, it had been despatched to search around Lewis and Barra in response to an SOS call from another vessel.
1551: The Donaghadee lifeboat, Sir Samuel Kelly, arrived on the scene rescuing around 34 survivors. Soon, the destroyer Contest arrived and rescued another 7 survivors.
1600: The Portpatrick lifeboat, Jeanie Spears, which had been searching for almost 5 hours in terrible conditions, arrived and was able to rescue another 2 survivors.
Only 44 men were rescued alive. The passengers included a high number of mothers with young children. None survived. It is thought that most of the women and children were put aboard the first lifeboat launched. Large waves dashed it against the side of the ship and it broke up.
The exceptionally severe weather at the end of January 1953 combined gale force winds and high tides. The Meteorological Office recorded winds in excess of 119 mph. Tides were the highest recorded since 1911. By end of the gale, across the UK, more than 300 people had died, 21,000 people been made homeless, and 200,000 acres of land were flooded. In continental Europe, 1,800 people died.
In March 1953, an official Court of Enquiry into the sinking was held in Belfast. It found that loss of the MV Princess Victoria was due to her unseaworthy condition, arising from the inadequate strength of her stern doors; and the lack of insufficient scuppers on the car deck, resulting in water accumulating there, making the vessel unstable.
The ship’s owner, the British Transport Commission, and its London-based manager were held responsible for the loss by permitting these defects in the design and by failing to respond to incidents in October and November 1951, which revealed risk from these defects.
The following publications give more information on the MV Princess Victoria disaster:
• Cameron, Stephen: Death in the North Channel: the loss of the Princess Victoria, January 1953 (Colourpoint, 2002)
• Hunter, Jack: The Loss of the Princess Victoria (Stranraer & District Local History Trust, 1998)
Please remember that the services commemorate an event that caused considerable loss of life and substantial trauma for those who were bereaved or survived. Relatives of survivors and those lost are likely to attend the services. Any media personnel covering the services are asked to ensure that they display tact, dignity and respect during the services.
