Twenty five years ago today - PRINCE IVANHOE

[Waverley]

Hi all

Today is the twenty fifth anniversary of the sinking of the motor vessel PRINCE IVANHOE in Port Eynon Bay, South Wales.

For those who don't know, the ship (formerly the Isle of Wight passenger ferry SHANKLIN) was purchased by a group of WAVERLEY supporters to be operated in conjunction with WAVERLEY (so this post isn't totally OT), and with any profits going towards WAVERLEY's funds.   This was a very similar role to that now undertaken by BALMORAL.

PRINCE IVANHOE spent the early part of 1981 on the Clyde, but her main summer season was to be on the Bristol Channel. On the afternoon of 3rd August she was on a cruise from Mumbles (near Swansea) along the Gower Coast - the tide was very low and the officer on the bridge (an ex P & A Campbell officer) took her too close inshore - she struck an "underwater object" (charts showed no rocks at the location of the impact and there was a suggestion that it may have been a war-time wreck).   She was very badly holed, but there was enough time to run her aground on a sandy beach, after which all passengers (about 450 IIRC) were taken off in lifeboats and liferafts.  It was quite disconcerting to look down into the saloon below the bar where we were sitting at the time of impact, and see it was full of water.

It's not a day I will forget in a hurry. But my daughter, who was two and a half at the time, can't remember a thing about it!


Regards

David

[lner]

See, Now you've called a ship with a male name a female.
I am like the Egyptian child who was confused because his Daddy was a Mummy.
Martin

[thewharfonline]

Isn't a boat technically a she though...I thought that was the polite thing to call them even if they have male names! You'll notice I do it!

[Walter Snowdon]

Hi David. The Prince Ivanhoe was formerly known as SHANKLIN and was renamed by PsPs. There is an excellent paperback published by Paddlesteamer preservation Society entitled SHANKLIN- ill fated prince by Alan  brown  and is still stocked by Waverley excursions at £3.95 plus postage.  Covers the history and loss of the ship with a lot of good photos.

Look at web site www.waverleyexcursions.co.uk/latestnews.htm for ordering this and other paddler and associated books.
Amongst my PsPs and paddler memorabilia I have an unopened book of Prince Ivanhoe matches There cant be many of those survived the wreck!!   Regards, walter.

[Waverley]

Hi Walter

The only memorabilia I got was a pair of weekly tickets for PRINCE IVANHOE cruises which still had three days or so validity.   They got lost years ago, but I didn't have the heart to ask for a refund!

I've had Alan Brown's book for years - its well worth getting.

Regards

David

[Ray Jones]

I was one of the "tugs" on that day. One of my kids saw a tv programme on the event, and said someone thought they were going to be washed away as they were being towed by a little rubber boat. Then they showed some super 8 film and my son recognized our Avon inflatable. I had it for almost 20 years but it got stolen a while back - still have the same outboard though.
 
Gone more upmarket now though - amateur sailor. Not quite as nippy as aquaplaning at 30mph, but you can boil the kettle without the risk.
 
Is there a website with more info on the eventful day - I'd like to show my grandson.

[Waverley]

Hi Ray

If you towed the liferaft containing the last of PRINCE IVANHOE's passengers (also two stewards with a bottle of something "liberated" from the bar) then I was in it - many thanks.

I've not seen anything specific on the net about this - but there would probably not be too much to show.  I don't think any TV cameras made it to Port Eynon that day.    Best bet for info is Alan Brown's book, mentioned up-thread by Walter.

Regards

David

[Ray Jones]

Hi David,
you're welcome....
As I remember, there was my boat with 8hp ,  a "hard boat" - twin engined ski boat I think, and then the Offshore RNLI RIB. Not many boats in the bay as it was low tide so a bit far to drag a heavy boat down to the waters edge for launching. Could have been tea-time too but me & the 2 lads were too young to be bothered with mealtimes in 1981.

Men on the beach formed a corridor, so we could tow the liferafts into the parallel lines and they would man-handle them from there. The first couple of rafts I pulled had 40-50 women & children, the last boat probably 10-15 men. We did 4 or 5 trips I think.  My boat only had an 8 inch draft so I pulled in just short of the breakers - it was a very calm day. We (me and 2 teenage lads from the campsite - long forgotten their names - but were fairly local) had been fishing for skate off Horton. The Prince Ivanhoe passed us maybe 30-40 minutes earlier (a bit close for OUR comfort) but lots of happy, waving passengers. When the P-I came back into the bay we decided to avoid a similar encounter, so shipped rods and started the engine. We were heading into the bay when the rocket flares went up. Within minutes the helicopter arrived and liferafts were being inflated. The RAF chap was winched down & called us over and we took instruction to start relaying the rafts. One of the most eventful days of our 3 lives no doubt.

I saw a repeat of the HTV TV programme (called "Our Yesterdays" or something similar), and one lady said her raft was towed by a little inflatable which could hardly pull the larger raft as it was full. Truth was, our only point of attachment was the "rope ring" around the raft which was fed through the rubber eyelets. Had I "opened her up" I was afraid the eyelets would tear off, or even rip the tube - so it was steady as she goes, at half revs else we'd just be pulling against the bow wave of the flat bottomed raft. The heavier boats had the same problem, as their power had no benefit.
 
I remember the first raft I took was loaded via the lower deck, by the last, people were stepping off the upper deck - the Mumbles lifeboat arrived about then - just in time to salvage the bar content. There were lots of Milky Way and Bounty bars floating around - but in those days they were not in sealed poly-wrappers, but soggy paper ones.

My wife took a few snaps as we circled the boat at high tide later that evening. I think the Stack and aerial were the only visible parts. Next day I thought they'd have put some sort of epoxy patch across the gash at low tide and re-floated her  - but I suppose she'd sunk in the sandy bed too far. Like so many, our holiday finished a few days later, and that was that.  

I spoke with someone from the Steamboat Enthusiasts Society - someone at HTV mentioned me to him. I think it was based in Bristol and he sent me a video copy of someones 8 mm film of the day but most of the footage related to the pre-Port Eynon events. My blue Mariner outboard & Avon craft was distinctive though, if only for a few seconds.

Regards,
Ray

[Waverley]

Thanks for the memories, Ray - if not exactly the most enjoyable day in my life, definitely one of the more interesting.

I actually thought the whole thing was handled very well - and I will always be greatful to those who carried me ashore and kept my feet dry - we had nothing else to do but return (by train, overnight) to Glasgow and I am heartily glad the lower part of my body didn't get soaked - it would have been a most unpleasant journey.

Most worrying thing was that we had to leave our luggage on board - all we cam off with was what we could stuff in our pockets, wifes's handbag, our daughter's push-chair and a packet of disposable nappies (on the beach a desperate mother offered her 50p for a nappy -  the price of a pint in those days!). I left my rucksack on the foredeck in the hope it would be salvaged before high tide washed it overboard - it was and I duly got it back from the WAVERLEY terminal in Glasgow, minus a book but with the addition of a pair of shoes about six sizes too large for me.  I never did work out how they did that.


I suppose there are some days you just don't forget!


Regards

David

[Ray Jones]

My wife's been going through some old 35mm slide boxes and came across some photos of a 90% submerged Prince Ivanhoe. We've just bought a slide scanner so will try to digitise them over the hols - if they're OK I could post them.
Ray

[Walter Snowdon]

 one of our club members was a schoolboy on her when she sank . He said his mother was terrified but he thought it was a great adventure. He is Dave Wood, responsible for a lot of the Excellent paddler Day photos on our file. regards, walter.

[Sara]

I was on there...I was only little but I can still remember the noise and mayhem..I have got (from my Parents) a scrapbook with lots in it, including tickets, photos and newspaper cuttings...
Deffo not a day I ever want to go through again