Swansea and Port Talbot Docks History

On the 30th November 1946 the oil tanker ‘Tillamook’ left Swansea Docks for the Persian Gulf but she encountered severe weather conditions in the Bristol Channel overnight, and by the following day she had been driven hard aground near Sker Point. Several unsuccessful attempts were made to free the ‘Tillamook’, but these were hampered by winter storms and she was not refloated until the 6th February 1947.

     Minus her rudder which had been lost in the incident, the ‘Tillamook’ was towed into Swansea Docks for inspection, after which the owners decided to transfer the tanker to the USA for repair. In the above photo she is seen leaving Swansea on the 21st May 1947 under the tow of the powerful US salvage tug ‘Farallon’ (not pictured).

  On the 17^th November 1963 the Dutch coaster ‘Kilo’, on a voyage from Liverpool to Rotterdam, was passing the mouth of the Bristol Channel when fire broke out amid drums of sodium stowed on deck. The crew tried to tackle the blaze with water hoses, but this made matters worse as sodium is a highly reactive chemical, particularly when in contact with water.

   Some of the drums were successfully jettisoned, but the fire remained a serious threat to the vessel so the master, Captain Hoogenveen, radioed for assistance and changed course for the Port of Swansea. By midnight the ‘Kilo’ reported her position as 14 miles north of Lundy, in heavy seas and with drums of sodium still exploding on the deck. Both the Padstow and Tenby lifeboats were launched to assist the stricken ship but, with waves of up to 25 feet in height, they were unable to make progress and had to return to their respective bases.

 Despite the fire, the ongoing explosions and the mountainous seas, the ‘Kilo’ continued on towards Swansea and, at 3.30 a.m., the Mumbles lifeboat was launched to render assistance. Finding the ‘Kilo’ well ablaze, the lifeboat made several passes in an attempt to evacuate the crew, but the burning sodium falling from the ship onto the lifeboat and into the surrounding sea made such a rescue impossible.

  As a last resort, Captain Hoogenveen decided to beach the ‘Kilo’ at Mumbles and, once the burning ship was firmly aground, the lifeboat was able to approach the stern of the vessel and successfully evacuate the crew. By the following tide the fire had subsided sufficiently to allow the ‘Kilo’ to be safely refloated and, under her own power, she made her way into Swansea where the fire brigade was waiting near the South Dock Jetty to extinguish the remains of the burning cargo.