Almost eight decades after the American liberty ship SS Samtampa and her full crew were lost, Ross Martin – former helm of the Atlantic lifeboat and current Launch Authority at RNLI Porthcawl lifeboat station – will visit several towns and villages across the North East between 19 and 21 March to research the Samtampa shipping disaster that claimed 47 lives.
The tragic incident occurred on 23 April 1947 when hurricane force gales and rough seas overwhelmed the SS Samtampa in Swansea Bay. Sailing from Middlesbrough to Newport, Samtampa was violently driven by large waves towards the south Welsh shore before becoming trapped on the rocks of Sker Point. The nearby RNLI Mumbles lifeboat, Edward Prince of Wales ON678, and eight crew launched to assist. Sadly, all on board both the RNLI Mumbles lifeboat and SS Samtampa were lost at sea.
The next morning, the wreck of the Samtampa lay badly broken on the coastline by Porthcawl. Overnight conditions had been so extreme that the SS Samtampa had disintegrated into three large segments. The RNLI Mumbles lifeboat was found battered, empty and capsized on nearby rocks some 450 yards away.
Many of the lost crew of SS Samtampa originated from the North East, twelve of whom were buried in a Porthcawl cemetery. Among many northern places, the men came from Middlesbrough, Hartlepool, Stockton-on-Tees, Thornaby, Redcar, Staithes, Skelton-in-Cleveland and Whitby.
In addition to his service with the RNLI, Ross Martin also acts as coordinator for the Remember 47 group. The group strive to preserve the memory of those lost in the Samtampa incident. Ross became involved thanks to a family connection to the disaster.
Ross says: “I’ve been interested in the history of the Porthcawl RNLI lifeboat station and shipwrecks in my local area for over thirty years. This is bolstered by a family connection to the Samtampa disaster. My great uncle Stan Rowe was with the Coastguard when the incident occurred in 1947. He tried to fire a line out to the Samtampa while she was in distress, but the awful conditions were against all efforts. It was a terrible blow to the local community. We couldn’t quite comprehend the sheer loss of life after the second World War had not long ended.”
As his upcoming visit to the North East approaches, Ross Martin encourages relatives of those lost in the Samtampa disaster to meet with him as he undertakes relevant research throughout the region.
On the project, Ross says: “On behalf of the Remember 47 group, I’ll be visiting several venues throughout the North East. Next year witnesses the 80th anniversary of the Samtampa disaster and this could be the last chance in living memory for everyone to gather and remember those lost at sea during this horrendous incident. I am incredibly keen to connect with relatives of the Samtampa crew lost at sea in 1947. I encourage anyone who can recall any of these men to meet me at one of the venues I’ll be visiting. I would love to hear your story, look at photographs and hear how we can remember your loved one.”
