# Vale GMZN



## Troppo (Feb 18, 2010)

Hello all

We sit in our air-conditioned offices and sometimes forget how harsh the sea can be.....

Today marks the 60th anniversary of the loss of the UK ferry Princess Victoria. 

MV Princess Victoria was one of the earliest roll-on/roll-off (ro-ro) ferries. Built in 1947, she operated from Stranraer to Larne. 

During a severe European windstorm on 31 January 1953, she sank in the North Channel with the loss of 133 lives. This was then the deadliest maritime disaster in United Kingdom waters since World War 2

Her Radio Officer, David Broadfoot, received a posthumous George Cross (the civilian equivalent of the Victoria Cross), for staying at his post.

The signals transmitted by David Broadfoot tell the story of the Princess Victoria's final hour. At 1252 he reported that the starboard engine-room was flooded and the ship's position critical. At 1308 he signalled that the vessel was stopped and on her beam end; seven minutes later he sent "We are preparing to abandon ship."

At 1335 David Broadfoot relayed the information from the Captain that they could see the Irish coast, adding twelve minutes later that the lighthouse on the Copeland Islands was in sight. This astonished rescuers who were still under the impression that the vessel was somewhere on the Scottish side. Their search was concentrated in the wrong place.

As Princess Victoria finally began to founder, David Broadfoot maintained his transmissions and in his final communication to Ernie Jardine at Portpatrick said "sorry for the Morse om ship on beam end".

More information on David Broadfoot :

http://maritimeradio.pro/radio-officers/david-broadfoot/index.htm


More information on the disaster can be found at

http://www.qrz.com/db/GB4PV

This includes an excellent YouTube video about the disaster. The morse is spot on.



Vale David Broadfoot.

You exemplified the finest traditions of the Merchant Navy Radio Officer.


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## Tony Selman (Mar 8, 2006)

Well said Troppo. As Chairman and on behalf of all members of The Radio Officers' Association we bow our heads in respect of David Broadfoot who perished but carried out his duties to the highest standards of his profession and those of the Merchant Navy. Our thoughts are also with all those who lost their lives and loved ones during this tragedy.


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## King Ratt (Aug 23, 2005)

Thanks Troppo for your post. Well said.


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## rusty1946 (Aug 15, 2008)

Thanks Troppo for your post. Just for info:

When I worked at Portpatrick Radio and as a mark of respect for the disaster our station manager laid out in the garden in a floral arrangement the letters
of the ships callsign GZMN


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## Graham P Powell (Jun 2, 2007)

I was at sea with an R/O called Bob Petch. I asked him once where he had encountered the worst weather and he told in the Irish Sea
the night the Princess Victoria went down. He was on a BP tanker making for Glasgow. He picked up 26 distresses and could answer none of them. He told me that all you could do was hang on. In fact he had to ring GPK on arrival in Glasgow to see if they had messages.
David Broadfoot GC was a very brave man.
rgds
Graham Powell


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## david.hopcroft (Jun 29, 2005)

I have a copy of the WT Logbook of GKZ for 31 January 1953. There were very many distress cases being worked by a lot of Coast Stations. Because it was QRT these could be copied easily. In fact there are some broadcasts noted in the log as - QRM - by other broadcasts. GKZ was working the coaster Levenwood with engine problems when at 1905 the mains failed. The genny started but soon failed and the last entry is at 1909 'GNF de GKZ Station Flooding ceasing operations'

In a personal account, one of the operators on duty wrote 'It is remarkable that one should survive a whole war in the Merchant Navy only to be sunk at a Coast Station' 

David

nb. Oddly enough, mains gas remained on, so the staff at least made themselves a cup of tea in the Rest Room !!

+


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## Troppo (Feb 18, 2010)

Thanks all.

David - do you have an electronic version of the log you could post up here?


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## Troppo (Feb 18, 2010)

rusty1946 said:


> Thanks Troppo for your post. Just for info:
> 
> When I worked at Portpatrick Radio and as a mark of respect for the disaster our station manager laid out in the garden in a floral arrangement the letters
> of the ships callsign GZMN



Thanks, I had heard about that.

What a lovely tribute.


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## david.hopcroft (Jun 29, 2005)

These are the last three pages. I was given the log by the writer of the last entry, but after copying some of it, I decided that it really belonged in the BT Archives at High Holborn Telephone Exchange.

There was no rest for them though. The mobile was up and running 3 days later on a hill just inland.

David
+


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## Troppo (Feb 18, 2010)

Many thanks.


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## Tony Selman (Mar 8, 2006)

I have a book about the loss of Princess Victoria. I will dig it out and see what is in there.


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## Roger Bentley (Nov 15, 2005)

I would like to point out that the Princess Victoria call sign was G M Z N. In the ROA archives we have a full copy of the log presented by Ernie Jardine. It is a harrowing read and a record of a very brave gentleman David Broadfoot. GC. In a further comment in the log and remarks it is recorded that the staff of GPK carried his coffin as a mark of their deepest regard.


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## Moulder (Aug 19, 2006)

Perhaps Admin could edit the thread header accordingly.

(Thumb)


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## Andy (Jan 25, 2004)

thread title now rectified.
cheers,
Andy


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## Roger Bentley (Nov 15, 2005)

*Df*



R651400 said:


> Thanks for that Roger.
> I've always been puzzled by the lack of evidence regarding DF fixes on Princess Victoria/GMZN by Portpatrick/GPK cross referenced by other coast stations like Seaforth/GLV which would have given a clearer indication of drift towards the NI coast and possibly averting the scale of this disaster.


Hi, I will try to extract the GPK bearing details and send them on in a private message or direct email. Cheers, Roger


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## Troppo (Feb 18, 2010)

Andy said:


> thread title now rectified.
> cheers,
> Andy



Thanks.


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## Troppo (Feb 18, 2010)

Roger Bentley said:


> I would like to point out that the Princess Victoria call sign was G M Z N. In the ROA archives we have a full copy of the log presented by Ernie Jardine. It is a harrowing read and a record of a very brave gentleman David Broadfoot. GC. In a further comment in the log and remarks it is recorded that the staff of GPK carried his coffin as a mark of their deepest regard.



Thanks Roger for the callsign correction.

That is very interesting re the log and the pallbearers.. 

Do you have an electronic version of the log, per chance?

Rgds


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## Roger Bentley (Nov 15, 2005)

*Log*



Troppo said:


> Thanks Roger for the callsign correction.
> 
> That is very interesting re the log and the pallbearers..
> 
> ...


Sadly no. I will try and extact the more relevant bits and put them into an electronic version but will need to clear it with our archivist first. Regards, Roger


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## Troppo (Feb 18, 2010)

Many thanks.


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## BobDixon (Oct 17, 2008)

R651400 said:


> Thanks for that Roger.
> I've always been puzzled by the lack of evidence regarding DF fixes on Princess Victoria/GMZN by Portpatrick/GPK cross referenced by other coast stations like Seaforth/GLV which would have given a clearer indication of drift towards the NI coast and possibly averting the scale of this disaster.


As I understand it, the bearings from EJM & GLV were in unreliable quadrants but the GPK bearing was excellent.

Ernie Jardine said he could never understand why the naval vessel was unable to take a suitable bearing despite its yawing, because any bearing from it would have given a cross on GPKs bearing.

Bob Mason always said that the GPK staff had put it to the authorities that their bearing put the ship in a different location from where the search was being conconcentrated.


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## Roger Bentley (Nov 15, 2005)

The report on the disaster was out by March 1953 and ran into to thousands of words. I remember reading it on the Derbyshire (Bibbys often used to send copies to the ships to be read and perhaps digested!) There is a pretty good account of it in a book titled LAST MESSAGE 1358 - DEATH OF THE PRINCESS VICTORIA by Bill Pollock - GREYSTONE BOOKS. Priced at £6 originally, I believe copies may still be available second hand. I did have a copy but this was transferred with other archives to Tony Selman. I am still looking at the Ernie Jardine information but as it was private I do not wish to cause any embarrassment until I obtain permission. Suffice to say the Princess Victoria continued to indicate she was not under command but the Port Patrick bearings showed she was moving virtually crabbing across towards Larne but without any cross confirmation from Malin or GLV is was difficult to decide on what was happening. The Liverpool Marine Radio Society did produce another excellent report but I no longer have this in my possession. Regards, Roger


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