Catastrophe at sea off Pembrokeshire

THE very harrowing and tragic event of the night of April 23, 1947 (Wales’ worst sea disaster, Western Mail, April 24) brings to mind another but little-known maritime catastrophe and possibly avoidable incident off the Pembrokeshire coast over the Easter weekend of 1943.

Bound for Falmouth in Cornwall after conversion from Landing Craft, Tank (LCT) at Harland and Wolff’s Belfast shipyard, a design fault found two Landing Craft, Gun (LCG) containing a total of 79 Royal Navy and Royal Marines in trouble as a gale blew up in the Irish Sea.

The craft reached the entrance to Fishguard Harbour, but for some inexplicable and still yet unexplained reason were refused permission to enter. Consequently they headed southwards towards Milford Haven and possible safety. However, as they navigated St Ann’s Head the weather worsened and as a result the vessels began taking on water to the extent where the pumps could not cope. As a result the vessels radioed for help.

The coastguard called the Angle lifeboat, but unfortunately that vessel was undergoing planned maintenance and was out of commission. Six hours went by before the St Davids lifeboat was called out, which took two and a half hours to reach the distressed vessels, but by this time it was dark and assistance could not be rendered.

The two craft separated and LCG15 sank on April 25. The Fishery Protection Vessel, HMS Rosemary, was also steaming to the rescue and upon reaching LCG 16 launched her ships boat, a whaler with six volunteer seamen.

The six sailors aboard drowned trying to reach the landing craft as the whaler overturned in the rough seas. LCG16 soon sank herself with the loss of all hands.

Some of the bodies were washed ashore to Freshwater Bay over the following days and were buried in a number of cemeteries, many at Milford Haven. Several bodies were never recovered. The site is now classed a war grave. Roger Sheppard

Port Talbot