MV Bowbelle (1964)

Last updated

Aggregate dredger Bowbelle.png
Bowbelle
History
Name
  • Bowbelle (1964–92)
  • Billo (1992–96)
  • Bom Rei (1996)
Owner
  • F. Bowles & Sons Ltd (1964–66)
  • British Dredging (Shipping) Ltd (1966–77)
  • British Dredging Aggregates Ltd (1977–78)
  • British Dredging (Sand & Gravel) Ltd (1978–84)
  • East Coast Aggregates Ltd (1984–89)
  • South Coast Shipping Co. Ltd (1989–90)
  • East Coast Aggregates Ltd (1990–92)
  • Seal Sands Maritime Ltd (1992–96)
  • Antonio Pereira e Filhos Lda (1996)
Operator
  • F. Bowles & Sons Ltd (1964–66)
  • British Dredging (Shipping) Ltd (1966–77)
  • British Dredging Aggregates Ltd (1977–78)
  • British Dredging (Sand & Gravel) Ltd (1978–84)
  • East Coast Aggregates Ltd (1984–89)
  • South Coast Shipping Co. Ltd (1989–90)
  • East Coast Aggregates Ltd (1990–92)
  • Bilberry Shipping & Stevedores Ltd (1992–96)
  • Antonio Pereira e Filhos Lda (1996)
Port of registry
BuilderAilsa Shipbuilding Ltd
Yard number517
Launched11 May 1964
Completed15 July 1964
Out of service25 March 1996
Identification
  • Code Letters GNLE (1964–92)
  • ICS Golf.svg ICS November.svg ICS Lima.svg ICS Echo.svg
  • United Kingdom Official Number 306078 (1964–92)
  • Lloyd's Register number 6413235 (1960s–1987)
  • IMO number:  6413235 (1987–96)
  • Call sign J8GH2 (1992–96)
FateBroke in two and sank
General characteristics
Class and typeSuction hopper dredger
Tonnage1,486  gross register tons  (GRT), 803  net register tons  (NRT), 2,107 tons deadweight (DWT)
Length
  • 262 feet 2 inches (79.91 m) overall,
  • 250 ft 0 in (76.20 m) between perpendiculars
Beam44 ft 3 in (13.49 m)
Depth17 ft 0 in (5.18 m)
Installed powerMirrlees M47M diesel engine 1,864 bhp.
Speed11.75 knots (21.76 km/h)
CapacityHopper capacity 1,257 cubic yards (961 m3)
Crew7

Bowbelle was a suction hopper dredger which was built in 1964 for F. Bowles & Sons Ltd, Cardiff, Glamorgan, United Kingdom. In 1989, she collided with, and sank, the pleasure steamer Marchioness, resulting in the loss of 51 lives. She was sold to Gibraltar in 1992 and was renamed Billo. She was sold to Portugal in 1996 and renamed Bom Rei. She foundered off Madeira in March 1996 with the loss of one crew member.

Contents

Description

The ship was 262 feet 2 inches (79.91 m) long overall, [1] 250 ft 0 in (76.20 m) between perpendiculars, with a beam of 44 ft 3 in (13.49 m). She had a depth of 27 ft 3 in (8.31 m). She was assessed at 1,485  GRT, 803  NRT, 2,107  DWT. [2] She had a hopper capacity of 1,257 cubic yards (961 m3). [3]

The ship was powered by a four-stroke single acting diesel engine, which had eight cylinders of 15 inches (38 cm) diameter by 20 inches (51 cm) stroke driving a single screw propeller. The engine was built by Mirrlees National Ltd, Stockport, Cheshire. It was rated at 1,864 bhp (1,371 kW [4] ) at 344 rpm. [2] It could propel her at 11.75 knots (21.76 km/h). [3]

History

Bowbelle was built in 1964 as yard number 517 by the Ailsa Shipbuilding Co. Ltd., Troon, Ayrshire for F. Bowles & Sons Ltd, Cardiff, Glamorgan. She was launched on 11 May 1964 and completed on 15 July. Her port of registry was Cardiff. The Code Letters GNLE were allocated, [1] as was the United Kingdom Official Number 306078. [2] She was built to pass under bridges over the River Thames as far upstream as Nine Elms. To accomplish this, her masts could be folded to pass under the various bridges and her superstructure was reduced in height. On her maiden voyage, she almost collided with the Tower Pier when her anchors failed to fully release. [5] Her normal complement was seven men. [6]

In November 1964, Bowbelle and her sister ship Bowqueen were detained in port in London due to a dispute involving the Watermen, Lightermen, Tugmen and Bargemen's Union (WLTBU). Having been detained for six weeks, both vessels sailed around 30 December. F. Bowles & Sons took legal action to prevent the union from interfering with the new crews signed aboard the ships. An ex parte injunction was granted. It was reported to be the first issued against a union. [7] The dispute was because the crews of the ships switched their membership from the National Seamen's Union to the WLTBU, which F. Bowles & Sons did not recognise. The crews of both vessels refused to sail until the WLTBU was recognised. On 13 January, the case went back to Court. Requests by F. Bowles & Sons and the Metropolitan Sand and Ballast Co. for injunctions preventing the WLTBU from interfering with their businesses were denied. [8]

With their introduction in the 1960s, Bowbelle was allocated the Lloyd's Register Number 6413235, which became her IMO Number in 1987. [3] She was sold to British Dredging Aggregates Ltd, Cardiff in 1977 and then to British Dredging (Sand & Gravel) Co. Ltd., London in 1978. Her port of registry was changed to London. [2] On 26 May 1982, Bowbelle collided with scaffolding on Cannon Street Railway Bridge. On 9 June 1983, she collided with the excursion boat Pride of Greenwich near the Hungerford Bridge. [9] Bowbelle was sold to East Coast Aggregates Ltd., London in 1984. [2] On 5 November 1987, she collided with the dredger Bowsprite near Tower Bridge. Bowbelle was damaged at the bows and holed below her waterline. [9] She was sold to South Coast Shipping Co. Ltd., Southampton, Hampshire in 1988. [2]

At 01:46 on 20 August 1989, Bowbelle collided with the excursion boat Marchioness between Southwark Bridge and Cannon Street Railway Bridge. [10] Marchioness sank with the loss of 51 lives. There were 80 survivors. [11] The accident was investigated by the Marine Accident Investigation Branch, which published its report on 5 June 1990. The investigation found that visibility from the wheelhouse of both vessels was severely restricted. Marchioness was not keeping to the starboard side of the river and those on board Bowbelle did not maintain an efficient look out. Neither vessel was aware of the other until it was too late to avoid a collision. [10]

Bowbelle was sold in 1990 to East Coast Aggregates Ltd, Southampton. She was sold to Seal Sands Maritime Ltd., Gibraltar in 1992 and renamed Billo. She was reflagged to Saint Vincent and the Grenadines and placed under the management of Bilberry Shipping & Stevedores Ltd., Waterford, Ireland. [2] The call sign J8GH2 was allocated. [4]

Billo was sold in 1996 to Antonio Pereira e Filhos Lda, Funchal, Madeira, Portugal in 1996. [2] On 25 March 1996, her dredge pipe caught on the seabed and ruptured her hull. She broke in two and sank off Ponta do Sol, Madeira with the loss of one of her crew of seven. The wreck lies in 100 feet (30 m) of water south west of Madeira and is a popular dive site. [2] [12] [5]

Related Research Articles

<i>Marchioness</i> disaster Collision between two ships in London in 1989

The Marchioness disaster was a collision between two vessels on the River Thames in London in the early hours of 20 August 1989, which resulted in the deaths of 51 people. The pleasure boat Marchioness sank after being hit twice by the dredger Bowbelle at about 1:46 am, between Cannon Street railway bridge and Southwark Bridge.

SS <i>Adriatic</i> (1871) Transatlantic liner

SS Adriatic was the first of two White Star Line ocean liners to carry the name Adriatic. The White Star Line's first four steamships of the Oceanic-class, the met with great success in the trans-Atlantic market, and the line decided to build two more. The first of these was the SS Adriatic, which was built by Harland and Wolff and launched on 17 October 1871; the second was the SS Celtic.

SS Chenab was a steamship that was built in England in 1911 and scrapped in Scotland in 1953. For nearly two decades she was part of Nourse Line, which carried Girmityas from India to colonies in the Caribbean and the Pacific. In 1914 she was requisitioned for service in the First World War.

RMS <i>Viceroy of India</i>

RMS Viceroy of India was an ocean liner of the Peninsular and Oriental Steam Navigation Company (P&O). She was a British Royal Mail Ship on the Tilbury–Bombay route and was named after the Viceroy of India. In World War II, she was converted to and used as a troopship. She was sunk in the Mediterranean in November 1942 by German submarine U-407.

HMS <i>Forfar</i> (F30) Armed merchant cruiser

HMS Forfar (F30) was a British ocean liner that was commissioned into the Royal Navy as an armed merchant cruiser in 1939 and sunk by enemy action in 1940. She was launched in Scotland in 1920 as a transatlantic liner for the Canadian Pacific Steamship Company as Montrose. She was one of three sister ships. The others were Montcalm, also launched in 1920, and Montclare, launched in 1921.

SS <i>Cantabria</i> (1919) Spanish cargo ship sunk in a military action of the Spanish Civil War

SS Cantabria was a Spanish-owned cargo steamship that was built in 1919 in Canada and sunk in 1938 in a naval action in the Spanish Civil War in the North Sea. She was built as War Chief, renamed Alfonso Pérez shortly after she was built, and renamed Cantabria during the Spanish Civil War.

MV Dumana was a British cargo liner that was laid down as Melma, but launched in 1921 as Dumana. The British India Steam Navigation Company (BI) owned her, and ran her on routes between London and India.

Arpha was a 602 GRT passenger ferry built in 1900 as Canterbury for the South Eastern and Chatham Railway. She passed to the Southern Railway on 1 January 1923. She was sold to W E Guinness in 1926 and renamed Arpha. In 1938 she was sold to Sark Motorships Ltd, only to be requisitioned by the Royal Navy in 1939. Postwar, she was sold to Compania Shell de Venezuela and renamed Coriano. After a further change of ownership she was scrapped in 1955.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Great Western Railway ships</span> Ferries operated between Britain, Ireland, and France by GWR

The Great Western Railway's ships operated in connection with the company's trains to provide services to Ireland, the Channel Islands and France. Powers were granted by Act of Parliament for the Great Western Railway (GWR) to operate ships in 1871. The following year the company took over the ships operated by Ford and Jackson on the route between Wales and Ireland. Services were operated between Weymouth, the Channel Islands and France on the former Weymouth and Channel Islands Steam Packet Company routes. Smaller GWR vessels were also used as tenders at Plymouth and on ferry routes on the River Severn and River Dart. The railway also operated tugs and other craft at their docks in Wales and South West England.

SS <i>Francisco Morazan</i> (1922) German built cargo ship wrecked in Lake Michigan

Francisco Morazan was a 1,442 GRT cargo ship that was built in 1922 as Arcadia by Deutsche Werft, Hamburg, for German owners. She was sold in 1934 and renamed Elbing. She was seized by the Allies in the River Elbe, Germany in May 1945, passed to the United Kingdom's Ministry of War Transport and renamed Empire Congress. In 1946, she was allocated to the Norwegian Government and renamed Brunes.

Tyrronall was a 248 GRT Coaster that was built in 1935 as the 199 GRT schooner Heimat by Flender Werke AG, Lübeck, Germany for German owners. She was seized by the Allies in May 1945, passed to the Ministry of War Transport (MoWT) and was renamed Empire Contamar.

Sand Star was a 489 GRT dredger that was built in 1943 as the coaster Empire Dyke Clelands (Successors) Ltd, Wallsend, Northumberland, United Kingdom for the Ministry of War Transport (MoWT). She was transferred to the Netherlands in 1943 and renamed Prinses Margriet. In 1954, she was sold to the United Kingdom and renamed Sand Star. She served until 1966 when she sank following a collision.

SS <i>Traffic</i> (1872)

SS Traffic was a baggage tender of the White Star Line, built in 1872 by Philip Speakman in Runcorn and made of English Oak.

<i>Cymric</i> (schooner)

Cymric was a British and Irish schooner, built in 1893. She joined the South American trade in the fleet of Arklow, Ireland, in 1906. She served as a British Q-ship during the First World War; she failed to sink any German U-boats, but did sink a British submarine in error.

MV <i>Speedlink Vanguard</i> Train ferry (1973)

Speedlink Vanguard was a 3,514 GRT train ferry which was built in 1973 as Stena Shipper. She was charted to a New Zealand operator on completion and renamed Union Wellington and saw further service as Alpha Express and Stena Shipper before entering service with Sealink as Speedlink Vanguard. The ship was involved in a collision with European Gateway in 1982, which sank the latter ship with the loss of six lives.

MV <i>Lizzonia</i> British cargo ship (1944–1961)

Lizzonia was a 401 GRT Empire F type coaster that was built in 1944 by Goole Shipbuilding & Repairing Ltd, Goole, United Kingdom as Empire Farouche for the Ministry of War Transport (MoWT). In 1946, she was sold and renamed Lizzonia. She was re-engined in 1956 and sank in 1961 following a collision with another vessel.

SS <i>Rio Tercero</i> Cargo steamship that was sunk in WW2

SS Rio Tercero was a cargo steamship that was launched in England in 1912 as Eboe. She was renamed Fortunstella in 1938, and Rio Tercero in 1941. A U-boat sank her in the Battle of the Atlantic in 1942.

SS <i>Bywell Castle</i> (1869) Passenger and cargo ship

Bywell Castle was a passenger and cargo ship that was built in 1869 by Palmers Shipbuilding and Iron Company, Jarrow, County Durham. She was involved in the Princess Alice Disaster in September 1878 in which more than 600 people died. She disappeared in February 1883 whilst on a voyage from Alexandria, Egypt to Hull, Yorkshire, United Kingdom.

References

  1. 1 2 "1966–67 Register of Ships Bowbelle". Lloyd's Register of Shipping. Lloyd's of London. 1967. Retrieved 30 July 2023.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 "Bowbelle". Shipping & Shipbuilding Research Trust. Retrieved 30 July 2023.
  3. 1 2 3 "Bom Rei". Dredgepoint. Retrieved 30 July 2023.
  4. 1 2 "BILIM 544 Register of Ships". Lloyd's Register of Shipping. Lloyd's of London. 1993. Retrieved 30 July 2023.
  5. 1 2 Whittle, Paul. "South Coast & South East, the Sixties". Sandsuckers. Retrieved 30 July 2023.[ dead link ][ unreliable source? ]
  6. ↑ "Police to see skipper again". The Times. No. 63479. London. 22 August 1989. col H, F-G, pp. 1, 2.
  7. ↑ "Shipowners Win Injunction Against Union". The Times. No. 56212. London. 6 January 1965. col F-G, p. 10.
  8. ↑ "Judge Rejects Applications Against Trade Union". The Times. No. 56227. London. 23 January 1965. col E-F, p. 6.
  9. 1 2 Sapsted, David (23 August 1989). "Bowbelle involved in three previous incidents on river". The Times. No. 63480. London. col A-F, p. 2.
  10. 1 2 "Report of the Chief Inspector of Marine Accidents into the collision between THE PASSENGER LAUNCH MARCHIONESS and MV BOWBELLE with loss of life on the River Thames on 20 August 1989" (PDF). Marine Accidents Investigation Branch. 5 June 1990. Retrieved 4 August 2023. (Part 1)
  11. ↑ "Marchioness disaster: Thames historic vessels 'still not modernised'". BBC News Online. 20 August 2019. Retrieved 3 August 2023.
  12. ↑ Murray, Dick; Miller, Jack (22 May 1996). "Disaster dredger Bowbelle sinks". Evening Standard . p. 15. Retrieved 28 August 2024– via Newspapers.com.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.