Waverley’s engines ‘failed’ seconds before she hit pier
24 hurt after helmsman ‘unable to slow vessel’
JINXED paddle steamer Waverley may have suffered sudden mechanical failure seconds before it ploughed into a pier, injuring 24 passengers.
Day-trippers were left with broken bones and head wounds as the impact of the collision at Brodick Pier, on Arran, catapulted passengers onto the deck.
Sea transport safety officials have launched an inquiry. Waverley’s operators have confirmed the historic vessel will not run again this season.
A source who was on board at the time said the helmsman had been unable to switch the paddles into reverse mode to stop it ploughing into the pier.
A passenger claimed he overheard pier staff discussing the possibility that the ship had suffered an engine failure.
James Roberts told the Mail: ‘I did hear a suggestion that they normally put the engine into reverse to slow down but had a failure which prevented them doing this. A passenger said she saw a cloud of steam shortly before we came to the harbour.’
Rita McLeod, who had been waiting to board Waverley, said she saw people with head injuries coming off the vessel, adding: ‘It came in bow first. It came in far too fast.’
A spokesman for Waverley Excursions said: ‘We can’t confirm the reason but Waverley made a heavy contact with the east berth of Brodick Pier.
‘We are currently carrying out our own investigations with the Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB) and the Maritime and Coastal Agency.’
Waverley, which has a badly damaged bow, will remain at the scene of the accident for the time being. The spokesman said it was likely the vessel will be able to return to Clydeside under her own steam for repairs rather than have to be towed.
He added: ‘We are in the process of making arrangements for Waverley to return to the mainland in the coming days.’
An MAIB spokesman said: ‘A team of inspectors are on their way to Scotland to commence a safety investigation.’
Waverley – the only remaining seagoing paddle steamer in the world – came to grief only a fortnight after returning to service following a £2million refit, which included new boilers.
A total of 213 passengers and 26 crew members were on board when the vessel crashed around 5.15pm on Thursday.
Some of those hurt were taken to Arran War Memorial Hospital by ambulance, while rescue helicopters took the most seriously injured to Crosshouse Hospital in Kilmarnock, Ayrshire.
Professor Hazel Borland, nurse director at NHS Ayrshire & Arran, confirmed a ‘small number of patients’ remained in hospital with ‘the majority now discharged’.