Documento senza titolo

The running aground and the shipwreck of the britsh cargo ship "London Valour"

Ship

Launched

Refurbished

Gross Tonn

Length

Breadth

Crew

London Valour

Haverton

U.K.

1956

LaSpezia

Italy

1967

15.875

174,73 mt.

21,43 mt.

** 58

** The number indicated refers to that at the time of the shipwreck. It is includes the two wives on board of the Captain and Radio Officer, who were guestes on board but weren't considered part of the crew.

On the 1.4.1970 the vessel sailed from Novorossisk with 23.606 tons of crome on board.

On 7.4.1970 the vessel arrived at Genoa and anchored in the road awaiting orders to come into port to unload. At 12.00 hours on 9.4.1970 the pressure on the barometer was very at 748 mm. The sea was swelling up and was washing over the breakwater, there was a near absence of wind (SE at 2/3) There was no warning of tempest arriving, according to witness on board, neither transmitted by radio or by the port.

At 13.00 hours the wind changed course SW increasing force and intensity. There was a meeting on the command bridge, but the Captain D.M. Muir, didn't give any particular intructions, not thinking that the situation could be of any danger, and went back to the cabin to join his wife.

The "London Valour" being battered by gigantic waves. Note the force of the wind, which was ascertained to be about 100 kms/hour (55 knots). Five persons are on the bridge top; Captain Telmon, on board a launch, is attempting to rescue them.

At 13.30 the Officer on duty on the bridge advised the Captain and the engine room guard Officer that the weather was rapidily deteriorating. It was noticed by the First Deck Officer, who looking out of his porthole saw that the breakwater was getting too close and realized the imminent danger sent out a General Alarm.

On hearing the alarm the Chief Engineer became aware of the urgency and tried to accelerate as quickly as possibile by start-up the turbines. Unfurtunately the order given preceded the vessel impact against the breakwater.

At 13.50 the south west wind reached force 8 and the barometer was registering the very low pressure of 742 mm.

Another view of the "London Valour"; on the left, the pilot boat in a difficult condition

At 14.22 the “ London Valour” following a rapid movement leeway was pushed by the waves against the rocks surroundings the breakwater.

In the disaster 20 persons lost their lives. 38 members of the crew: the more courageous jumped into the waves flung into the rescues arms in pilot boats in the open sea, recuperating them with that spirit the English call “heroic”.

The most dramatic phases of the tragedy, was of the one part of the crew who were concentrated on the central bridge of the vessel. This was the most dangerous place to be because the ship was being battered by the waves, washing overboard and smashing her against the breakwater. A cable attached to a racket was shot from the vessel onto the breakwater allowing the firemen to erect a ‘to and fro' system (rather like a funicular cable system) which actually saved 3 Indian sailors.

The system was tested and seemed to be safe, so the Captain convinced his wife to try and save herself by going down the cable as well. However the system blocked. Mrs. Muir didn't have the strength to hold onto the hook on the line and fell onto the rocks under the horrified eyes of the crew and her husband who, indifferent to the danger, wanted to give her his last “addio” waving the Union Jack.

A little later, a gigantic wave washed away the Radio Officer and his wife, disappearing together, drowning in the tourmentous sea. The 3rd Engineer was washed away by the same wave and was brought out to sea, and miraculously saved by a lifebelt thrown down from Captain Enrico's helicopter. At the moment, the Captain was seen for the last time, with one leg seriously injured. The same incredibile wave lifted the Chief Officer, to a height of about two floors, allowing him to reach the Monkey Island (the bridge above the wheel-house), where there was already the Cadet and other Indian se amen.

These seamen, although they were ordered by their superiors to jump into the sea in the hopes of saving themselves, refused, thereby dying massacred by the fury of the sea between the rock. The English Officer were however saved by the pilots and by the Genoa Harbour Masters' boat.

The people who were concentrated at the stern part, were saved for the following reasons:

• due to the courage and initiative demonstrated by the English Second Officer.

• The stern was free of the breakwater. From that extreme position, the more corageous jumped into the sea and were rescued straight away by the rescues team standing by. Other significant salvage operations were helped by the cable installed by the fire brigades, as mentioned previously and the vessels' personnel.

The London Court of Law on 17.5.1972 passed the following sentence “The seawreck and the consequent loss of the “ London Valour” was caused by the erroneous conduct of Captain Muir..”

It emerged also that Captain Muir forgot to inform his Deck Officers, that the Engineer section needed a previous readiness warning before giving a “Go ahead order”, due to maintenance works having been carried out on the auxiliary engines duly completed that same morning.

When the divers went underwater to inspect the hull after the accident, they noticed that 7 chain were still stretched and intact. The anchor rested on the muddy depths at about 25 metres, but the end joints of the arms were turned upwards and the steel chain passed between them. This was the fatal explanation of the speed of the vessel at the time it neared the breakwater, from the moment she bore the strength of the sea and wind.

The anchors' arm overturned due to the impact with the chain and couldn't reach the depths, enabling it to hold onto it's position thereby resisting the effect of the tempest.

The last voyage of the shipwreck of "Londoun Valour", towed by M/t "Torregrande", commanded by Capt. Carlo Gatti, now President of the Society of Sea Captains and Naval Engineers of Camogli

The above has been taken from the Report Of the Official Inquiry into the Loss of Stranding S.S. “ London Valour”.

About 14.35 hours on the 9th April, I was in the operations room of the Pilot Station with Pilot Aldo Baffo. Without warning we noticed that the English vessel “ London Valour” was very near the seaward side of the breakwater (about 200-300). We realized that the situation was dangerous with very high winds and an unexpected swell in the wawes. We immediately called the CAP Maritime Office comunicating that in my opinion the vessel was in great difficulty, to raise the alarm and that I would be going out immediately with the pilot boat.

I raised the alarm at the Tugboats Station who immediately gave orders to tugboat FORTE and others to go out. 14.40 hours – Pilots Giovanni Santagata and Aldo Baffo went abord the pilot boat TETI under command of helmsman Barone and engineer Fanciulli directed towards the port entrance.

14.45 – The pilot boat enters into the open sea trying to make conctat by VHF with the “ London Valour” without any reply. The gathering force of the wind and sea had by then become a south west tempest. We saw the vessel still about a hundred metres from the rocks of the breakwater. The crew had already put lifebelts on. We saw the ship hit the rocks at about 14.55 hours. 15.00 hours – Captain Lay (Technical Official) of the Harbour Masters' Office, asked me to pass my VHF onto channel 16.He communicated to me to assume responsabilità in directing the coordination of the rescue operations. It was ordered to keep constant contact with him; which was followed to the rule throughout the whole operation whilst aboard the pilot boat TETI.

With the TETI we made our way slowly, due to the violent force of the wind and sea and got to a position south of “ London Valour” between the stern and command bridge. We saw the crew had divided into two groups, one at the stern and the other on the central bridge who were making disperate signals with their hands. We managed to get to a minimum distance of about 50 metres from the vessel. Via the VHF radio we were informed of the operations organised on shore for their rescue. We saw the C.P. 233 go out.

15.45 – Pilot Baffo had to leave the pilot boat to go aboard the m/v “Canguo Verde” to pilot her usual berth. I continued to direct operations from the open sea. The situation on the “ London Valour” was worsening. The vessel was sinking lashed by high waves. The double bottom where the fuel was stored had been smashed into. To the stern of the vessel an automaticly inflatable dinghy was put into the sea onto which only 3 sailors clambered onto it (unfortunately).

The dinghy equipped with a covering sheet fotunately managed to go towards the rocks at the International Exibition at the Foce. With the TETI I went leeway and being very light I slipped the hook easily. At a slow speed so as to not lose the hook, I brought it very close to the breakwater seaway side. I took aboard the 3 sailors then transferred them onto another CAP boat.

One of them (I think he was a young official) asked if he could stay with me to help with the operations. As he seemed to be in good condition, I consented to it.

16.15 – We went outside the port again and almost straight away saw another victim literally completely covered in fuel oil and near collapsing. The English official (Mr. Caffrey) believing he was a friend, generously dived into the sea to rescue him.

We threw a life buoy to which both of them held onto. Their recuperation in open sea was impossibile due to the sudden and violent movements of the pilot boat. We than towed them to a calmer zone inside the breakwater. The engineer tried to hoist them aboard but due their being completely covered in fuel oil, kept on slipping away. The tugboat INDIA under the Command of Captain Ragone came to help us who passed a rope around them allowing us to tow them ashore.

16.40 – We went out into the open sea again. We saw another victim in good condition and strength. We went leeway under the shelter of the breakwater. We threw him a lifebelt and towed him to the shelter of the breakwater and was recupered and taken shore by Captain Fanciulli with the tug ALGHERO. We went out again into the open sea to search for other victims. We came across two bodies. We towed them one by one to the shelter of the breakwater. I don't know who recupered the bodies and took them astore.

At 17.45 the pilot boat PREVE came towards me, and Captain Tanlongo indicated to me to go back to the shelter of the breakwater. We came side by side, and excahanged crews includine myself. The Pilots Ragazzi and Fioretti boarded the TETI with helmsman Grillo and engineer Mortola, who turned round and went back to the open sea to search for more survivors.

Right through the whole operation Captain Lay and Chief Pilot Giovanni Raimondi were kept informed of all our movements by VHF radio.

At 18.15 hours – we continued our task, Pilots Santagata, Baffo and myself and the helmsman Fanciulli went aboard the pilot boat PREVE and went out to sea for an ulterior search of survivors. Arriving at the red light of the seaward breakwater, Captain Tanlongo of the TETI comunicated that he had seen another three survivors along the rocks at the International Fair zone inviting me to control the zone. I searched all along the said rocks coming up to about 100 metres of the mouth of the River Bisogno at Foce, at the point where it flows into the sea, but unfortunately didn't find anyone.

After these events the Silver Medal for curageous service - Benemerenza Marinara - was awarded to both Pilots Giovanni Santagata and Aldo Baffo and the Bronze medal to Capt. Giuseppe Fioretti.