# RFA Bedenham



## senior pilot (Aug 18, 2007)

are there any pictures of RFA BEDENHAM the ammunition ship that blew up in gibraltar out there alex


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## OLD STRAWBERRY (Jan 20, 2006)

Alex,
I have found a pic of Her in Old Ships Photo Gallery but I don't know if I am allowed to post it. The Bedenham looks similar to the old Kinterbury and Throsk.
Tony.
Try www.photoship.co.uk


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## Peter4447 (Jan 26, 2006)

Hi Tony
The SN rule is that photos that are already on the web should not be posted on the SN site and that just the link to the website where the photograph can be found should be given.
Regards
Peter
Moderating Team


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## OLD STRAWBERRY (Jan 20, 2006)

Thanks Peter,
I wasn't sure. I have added Web add'.
Regards. tony.


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## senior pilot (Aug 18, 2007)

thanks old strawberry. i found the picture, as you say similar to throsk & kinterbury but where they had goalpost mast she only has single one so thanks again alex


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## OLD STRAWBERRY (Jan 20, 2006)

Ok Alex,
What was the actual story about Her blowing up ?.
Regards. Tony.


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## senior pilot (Aug 18, 2007)

you can find the story on wikipedia ,there is a exhibition in the gibraltar museum one of her anchors cleared the rock and still lies near the water catchments alex


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## rvdmikej (Jun 28, 2008)

I was there, or about a mile away, as a 7 year old. My father was in the RN, as Surgeon-Commander in charge of the HMS Rooke sick-bay just behind the Tower in the dockyard. I was at home in the Old Naval Hospital, standing in front of a (fortunately) open window that looked towards the dockyard. My only direct recollection of the explosion was seeing fire and smoke suddenly rise into the sky. The next thing I knew I was picked up as if by an invisible hand and flung across the room against the far wall, ending up completely unhurt, but wondering what in hell had happened. After that I remember cars driving around madly outside up and down the hill leading up to what was then the Military Hospital. My father came home later in our small car, a Standard 8 if I remember correctly. Two aspects of that stick in my mind: the car looked as if someone had opened the roof with an old-fashioned can opener, and dad's previously white uniform was now a uniform black! The kitchen ceiling in our house had fallen down, sadly on to the pet cat, which subsequently went mad. My eldest sister, who worked as a secretary for Humphreys, the building firm involved in erecting new flats for people repatriated after the war, was injured by flying glass and cut on the face, giving her a scar that is there to this day. My father's hearing in one ear was affected permanently. It turned out that he had gone from his place of work to the Bedenham when he knew there was a fire on the lighter alongside. Realising what was likely to happen, he took cover behind a nearby building and thus survived being very close indeed to the main blast. Other recollections are of being taken to see the wreckage in the harbour, including floating mines! I was also taken to see the after section of the Bedenham when it was placed in dry dock - what a mess! Recently, whilst surfing around I came across a series of photographs on a Gibraltar website, see http://www.aboutourrock.com/gallery.php?category_id=15&parent_id=15&photo_id=945&start=0 Photos 28 to 70 are all of the Bedenham explosion. I think that the earlier pictures of explosions must be of Italian bombing because they are all in the wrong places. Picture 70 is interesting because it appears to be of the lighter fire before even the primary explosion occured. Thus it shows a still intact RFA Bedenham for those who wanted a picture!

Mike J


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## OLD STRAWBERRY (Jan 20, 2006)

An amazing story Mike. Wonderful pictures too. So it seems it was the lighter who blew up the lot then.
Tony.


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## senior pilot (Aug 18, 2007)

thank you mike for the info on the bedenham the pictures really shows the damage done .alex


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## rvdmikej (Jun 28, 2008)

OLD STRAWBERRY said:


> An amazing story Mike. Wonderful pictures too. So it seems it was the lighter who blew up the lot then.
> Tony.


From what I remember, and also what I have read, the explosive in a depth charge on the lighter ignited, causing a fire and then an initial explosion. That in turn detonated whatever was in the fore-hold of the Bedenham. It is an ironic coincidence that in the previous year something very similar happened at Bedenham Pier, attached to RNAD Bedenham, to the North of Gosport. There was a big explosion, which I did not witness, being in Gib of course. I believe the the RFA had sailed to Gib from there with her fateful load. Incidentally, for some information on the RNAD explosion, see the article here: http://www.mod.uk/NR/rdonlyres/7454BA0B-4E06-480E-83BD-75C46DEDD22A/0/tt113.pdf

Mike J


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## senior pilot (Aug 18, 2007)

we had a few dodgy moments on ammo dumps at Hurd deep alex


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