# Which Tanker and Tug?



## digby (Jul 18, 2005)

Can anyone help? Around 1951/52 A tanker was in trouble off the welsh coast. Can anyone remember the name of the coastal tug that went to the assistance of the tanker,and can anyone remember the man that swam from the tug to the tanker with the heaving line and the name of the tanker. At the same time the Swansea lifeboat was lost with all hands.


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## graham (Apr 15, 2005)

the tanker was the wave victor one of the tugs was the b p tug niraman and a few of the local tugs the chaps name was alan smith if my memory right will sleep on it something else may come back to me i was on the niramun for a year before regards 
graham


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## graham (Apr 15, 2005)

just rememberd alan smith did not swim to the ship he jumped from the tug onto the wave victor
regards graham


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## billyboy (Jul 6, 2005)

seem to recall that a tanker broke in half, and a man swam to the bow section to secure a tow. while a larger tug took the bigger stern section. cant remember the names of the tugs though


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## graham (Apr 15, 2005)

the date of the wave victor in trouble between tenby and milford was 1953 the mumbles lifeboat was lost in 1947 going to asist the sam boat samtampa of scare point porthcawl regards graham a swansea jack samtampa broke up all hands lost


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## no1supanoodle (Feb 6, 2008)

Hi wonder if you can help me, my father was on the wave victor he left from swansea it was january betwwn the 17th and the 24th. The boat caught fire and the seamen were rescued and he thinks taken to bristol( he is quite old now and slightly confused) I think when the fire went out it was towed back to swansea. My father has told me that as a result of this there was a photo of the rescued seamen landing at the docks on the front page of a national newspaper he seems to think it was the mirror and he was in the photo. There was also a newsreel shown in our local cinema of this event and he was in that. Its his birthday coming up so I would like to maybe get a copy of one of these So far my research has come up blank! If anyone could help Its quite easy to by old newspapers but I would need to know what paper and the exact date, so if anyone knows any details which could help me to search they would be much appreciated. Thanks so much helen Have found article in daily mirror archive mentioning incident on the 20th jan 1954


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## treeve (Nov 15, 2005)

Copied this from my Wave Class pages...
WAVE VICTOR 1943
8,128 grt; 16,650 tons nominal full displacement. 
465ft 3ins x 64ft x 35ft 6ins (68ft o/a)
Built 1944 Furness Shipbuilding Ltd, Haverton Hill-on-Tees. 
Launched 30th September 1943 as EMPIRE BOUNTY 
Three drum type boilers.
Two Parson type doubled reducing geared HP & LP Steam Turbines.
Single screw; 6,800 shp; 15 knots
1943 EMPIRE BOUNTY; MOWT; managed Anglo-Saxon Petroleum Co. 
1946 WAVE VICTOR, Royal Fleet Auxiliary. 
Pennant : A220
1954 January : WAVE VICTOR had a major engine room fire and had to be 
abandoned, the fire was put out the following day. 
The vessel was nearly lost due to this fire.
1960 Chartered to Air Ministry, fuelling hulk at Gan Island, Maldives.
1975 Hulked Manila Bay, Philippines
1981 Scrapped

Best Wishes, Raymond


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## treeve (Nov 15, 2005)

I thought I had a better one than this, but I hope this will do for now.


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## no1supanoodle (Feb 6, 2008)

thanks oops I new it was 1954, my father lost all his belongings on the ship and they were kitted out in a 'posh' shop in Bristol. My dad remembers buying a slouch hat Ha but I woul;d really like to find the cutting or better still the newsreel they are available online but I need more details in order to look, thanks though


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## graham (Apr 15, 2005)

A article was in the south wales evening post at the time on the wave victor quite a lot of photos front page and inside try the web site this is south wales they may have something if you ask them regards graham


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## dundalkie (Mar 15, 2006)

For newspaper records the best place is the british museum newspaper library just outside Colindale underground station in London. A local South wales library should have back issues of the South wales newspapers.


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## Ian (Mar 27, 2004)

*just a thought...?*



treeve said:


> I thought I had a better one than this, but I hope this will do for now.


Why would you need a better photo than this ?
She is dis-charging into a bunker boat..doing her job..
I would rather see this photo than a sanitised aerial photo .
of her "at sea".this shows her use and lines.
Great photo though Ray...


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## John Rogers (May 11, 2004)

On a similar incident that took place during a gale in the Bristol Chanel. Almost at the entrance to Avonmouth dock a seaman fell in the water and a AB from one of the Avonmouth tugs dived into the water and swam to the man and brought him back to the tug. The dates are a little foggy over time but it was between 1946 and 1950,the tugs ABs name was Don Mitchell who later went deep sea as a Fireman after he was de-mobbed from the army. His father was also in the MN as a Bosun on Athel line ships after serving as a D.E.M.S gunner during the war years. Young Don jump ship in OZ and has never been heard of since. Any one remember the rescue incident.


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