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SS Samtampa was a 7,219 ton steamship wrecked on Sker Point
Sker Point

Sker Point is a headland of South Wales between Port Talbot and Porthcawl.On April 23, 1947 the Samtampa, a liberty ship, was wrecked at Sker Point....
, off Porthcawl
Porthcawl

Porthcawl is a town on the south coast of Wales in the Bridgend , 25 miles west of the capital city, Cardiff and 19 miles south-east of Swansea....
 and Kenfig
Kenfig

Kenfig is a village and former borough in Bridgend, Wales.The borough contributed with other Glamorgan towns to sending a member of parliament to Westminster until the Reform Act of 1832....
, Wales
Wales

native_name = Cymru|conventional_long_name = Wales|common_name = Wales|image_flag = Flag of Wales 2.svg|national_motto = ...
, in the Bristol Channel
Bristol Channel

The Bristol Channel is a major inlet in the island of Great Britain, separating South Wales from Devon and Somerset in South West England, and extending from the lower Severn Estuary of the River Severn to that part of the North Atlantic Ocean known as the Celtic Sea ....
 on 23 April 1947.

There were 47 fatalities in the incident, 39 from the ship and 8 volunteer crewmembers of the Mumbles
Mumbles

Mumbles is a large village with adjacent headland stretching into Swansea Bay. It is part of the administrative area of the City and County of Swansea in Wales....
 RNLI rescue team from the lifeboat Edward, Prince of Wales who died attempting to save the crew of the Samtampa. The lifeboat had returned to base, having initially failed to find the vessel, but had been sent out a second time.






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SS Samtampa was a 7,219 ton steamship wrecked on Sker Point
Sker Point

Sker Point is a headland of South Wales between Port Talbot and Porthcawl.On April 23, 1947 the Samtampa, a liberty ship, was wrecked at Sker Point....
, off Porthcawl
Porthcawl

Porthcawl is a town on the south coast of Wales in the Bridgend , 25 miles west of the capital city, Cardiff and 19 miles south-east of Swansea....
 and Kenfig
Kenfig

Kenfig is a village and former borough in Bridgend, Wales.The borough contributed with other Glamorgan towns to sending a member of parliament to Westminster until the Reform Act of 1832....
, Wales
Wales

native_name = Cymru|conventional_long_name = Wales|common_name = Wales|image_flag = Flag of Wales 2.svg|national_motto = ...
, in the Bristol Channel
Bristol Channel

The Bristol Channel is a major inlet in the island of Great Britain, separating South Wales from Devon and Somerset in South West England, and extending from the lower Severn Estuary of the River Severn to that part of the North Atlantic Ocean known as the Celtic Sea ....
 on 23 April 1947.

There were 47 fatalities in the incident, 39 from the ship and 8 volunteer crewmembers of the Mumbles
Mumbles

Mumbles is a large village with adjacent headland stretching into Swansea Bay. It is part of the administrative area of the City and County of Swansea in Wales....
 RNLI rescue team from the lifeboat Edward, Prince of Wales who died attempting to save the crew of the Samtampa. The lifeboat had returned to base, having initially failed to find the vessel, but had been sent out a second time. An oil spill from the tanks of the wrecked ship created an area of calm water, which the lifeboat coxswain, William Gammon (previously a winner of the RNLI Gold Medal), attempted to use to their advantage to enable them to pull alongside. A large wave then capsized the ship on top of the lifeboat, and those who died were choked by the oil rather than drowning. .

A memorial to the victims of the Samtampa tragedy is in the New Cemetery at Porthcawl. The ship had sailed from Middlesbrough
Middlesbrough

Middlesbrough is a town in the Tees Valley conurbation of North East England and sits within the ceremonial county of North Yorkshire. It is the largest and most populous settlement within the Middlesbrough , which encompasses the town and several outlying villages which have become suburbs....
 and most of the 39 crew hailed from the Teesside area.

The location of the wreck on Sker Point was 03° 44' 26" W; 51° 30' 01" N.

Samtampa was built as SS Peleg Wadsworth (Hull Number 2203) as part of the Liberty ship
Liberty ship

Liberty ships were cargo ships built in the United States during World War II. Though British in conception, they were adapted by the U.S. as they were cheap and quick to build, and came to symbolize U.S....
 programme in World War II
World War II

World War II, or the Second World War , was a global military conflict which involved a Participants in World War II, including all of the great powers, organised into two opposing military alliances: the Allies of World War II and the Axis powers....
, and was launched on 12 December 1943.

23 April 2007 marked sixty years since the loss of the Samtampa, the Mumbles lifeboat and all their crews. In recognition of the anniversary, a church service took place in Porthcawl on Saturday 21 April followed by a smaller service at Sker Point

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