BEDENHAM RFAS
Posted: Mon May 23, 2011 8:52 pm
Gibraltar has issued a miniatures sheet recently to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the explosion of RFA BEDENHAM on 24th April 1951.
Owner: British Ministry of Defence
Operator: Naval Armament Department
Builder: Ailsa Shipbuilding, Troon, Scotland
Completed: 1938
Out of service: 1951
Fate: Exploded at Gun Wharf, Gibraltar
Class and type: Naval armament carrier
Tonnage: 1191 GRT
Length: 230 feet
Beam: 37.5 feet
Depth: 16.5 feet
Propulsion: Steam triple expansion
Speed: 10 Kts loaded
Background Data: One of a group of nine coasters which were not normally classed as RFA's, although some of them, on making deep sea voyages, had a proportion of RFA Officers among their complement.
26 September 1938 launched by Ailsa Shipbuilding & Engineering Co Ltd, Troon as Yard Nr 428 named BEDENHAM
December 1938 completed
July 1939 Captain A H Paice appointed in command
24 June 1940 sailed the Tyne in convoy FS203 along with RFA Celerol to Southend arriving on the 26 June 1940
4 September 1940 sailed Gibraltar in convoy HG43 to Liverpool arriving on 18 September 1940
30 October 1940 sailed Liverpool in convoy OG45 to Gibraltar arriving on 11 November 1940
29 December 1940 sailed Gibraltar in convoy HG49 to Liverpool arriving on 15 January 1941
5 February 1941 sailed Liverpool in convoy OG52 to Gibraltar arriving on 21 February 1941
3 April 1941 sailed Gibraltar in convoy HG58 to Liverpool arriving on 21 April 1941
24 June 1941 sailed the Clyde in convoy WN145 along with the Admiralty MFA British Lady to Methil arriving on 27 June 1941
11 August 1942 sailed Lyness in convoy WN321 to Methil arriving on 13 August 1941
29 October 1942 sailed Methil in Convoy EN 156/2 to Scapa Flow arriving on 1 November 1942
25 June 1943 Mr W T Green appointed as Chief Engineer Officer
24 September 1943 Captain L M Robertson appointed in command
10 June 1944 sailed the Solent in Convoy ETC 5 along with HMS SUCCOUR to later become RFA SUCCOUR and RFA Chattenden to Seine Bay arriving the next day
4 July 1944 sailed Southend in Convoy ETC 27 to Seine Bay arriving the next day
26 August 1946 arrived at Malta from Oran with a Fleet Air Arm Firefly aircraft as deck cargo. The aircraft had crashed having taken off to fly to HMS Ocean. It returned to Oran and crashed on landing
20 April 1951 sailed Devonport with ammunition for the Dockyards at Gibraltar and Malta.
The Naval Armament Carrier RFA BEDENHAM arrived in Gibraltar on the 24th April, 1951, laden with 500 tons of ammunition. It tied up at Gun Wharf. While it was unloading depth charges into a lighter, on the morning of the 27th April, one ignited. Attempts to put the fire out failed and there was an explosion in the lighter. The fire spread to the BEDENHAM which blew up. The bow of the ship was blown out of the water and onto the wharf itself. The remainder of the ship sank. Thirteen people died as a result of the explosion, including Sub Officer George Campbell Henderson of the Fire Service who was posthumously awarded the George Cross for bravery in attempting to extinguish the fire. Many more people were injured and many public buildings in Gibraltar suffered damage. The Admiralty paid out around £250,000 in indemnity. The event has become a part of the living memory of the Gibraltarians of that time.
The damage could have been far greater if a number of torpedoes with live warheads that were lying on the quay near the BEDENHAM had exploded.
Thirteen people were killed and more than 50 admitted to hospital when the 1,192-tons naval armament vessel BEDENHAM laden with 500 tons of depth charges and high explosive shells blew up at Gun Wharf on the 27 April. The dead included Julius Abudarham, Bartolome Delgado Marin, Laureano Escriba Rodriguez, Sub Officer George Henderson, Dockyard Fire Brigade, Chief Fire Officer Albert Indoe, Dockyard Fire Brigade, John Lane, Francisco Martin Amador, Juan Moreno Serrano, Joseph Moss, Carlos Muiño Postigo, Leopold Perez, Florencio Ruiz and Joseph Zammit. A number of Firemen were injured on that day they were; Fireman-mechanic Alfred McGrail (City Fire Brigade) who had his left arm amputated, Fireman-driver Benny Ryan, suffered lacerations, Firemen Alfred Ochello, had both legs broken, Austin Wilding, lacerations and Albert Castro, lacerations and bruising. It was estimated that damage to property exceeded £300,000 (approximately £6,000,000 million) in today's money.
31 May 1952 the remains of the ship were towed to the Tyne by the tug RFA SAUCY
24 June 1952 the wreck was purchased for demolition by Messrs Clayton & Davie Ltd, Dunston-on-Tyne
The citation for the award of the George Cross to Sub Officer George Campbell Henderson by His Majesty King George the VI was published in the London Gazette on the 20 November 1951 and reads:
"Sub-officer Henderson was in charge of the first fire appliance sent to fight an ammunition fire in a lighter alongside BEDENHAM. In spite of the great heat and intensity of the fire which, he must have realized, was virtually out of control and would cause a violent explosion of ammunition at any moment, Sub-officer Henderson managed, single-handed, to direct a jet of water into the lighter from a position on board BEDENHAM, immediately alongside and above the blazing lighter. BEDENHAM had by this time been abandoned but Sub-officer Henderson remained at his place of duty alone, doing what he could to prevent the explosion although he must have known his chance of survival was slight. He was killed when the ammunition blew up. Sub-officer Henderson displayed courage of the highest order in the face of almost certain death."
Other awards presented in connection with the disaster are:
The King's Police and Fire Services Medal;
Chief Fire Officer Alexander Indoe of the Dockyard Fire Brigade.
The George Medal;
Mr. Juan Manuel Cruz, chargehand, Mr. James Keen, naval armament supply officer, and Constable Michael Orfila, Gibraltar Police.
The British Empire Medal;
Mr. Anthony Ballantine, assistant surgery attendant HM Dockyard, and Mr. Vicente Pisarello, foreman garrison workshops.
The King's Commendation;
Mr Alfred Banda, ambulance driver, Mr David Stewart Hutcheon, first-class master of yard craft, Mr. Cecil Neville Knowles, chargeman of skilled labourers, Fireman-driver Alfred McGrail, City Fire Brigade, and Mr. Francis John Parody, surgery attendant.
Links: Wikipedia; http://www.gibfire.gi/news/2011/news08a.html . http://historicalrfa.org/home . http://www.historicalrfa.org/rfa-BEDENH ... nformation .
Photos of the explosion and aftermath: -http://gibmuseum.blogspot.com/2010/04/B ... osion.html
Gibraltar 2011 44p sg?, scott?
Peter Crichton
__._,_.___
Owner: British Ministry of Defence
Operator: Naval Armament Department
Builder: Ailsa Shipbuilding, Troon, Scotland
Completed: 1938
Out of service: 1951
Fate: Exploded at Gun Wharf, Gibraltar
Class and type: Naval armament carrier
Tonnage: 1191 GRT
Length: 230 feet
Beam: 37.5 feet
Depth: 16.5 feet
Propulsion: Steam triple expansion
Speed: 10 Kts loaded
Background Data: One of a group of nine coasters which were not normally classed as RFA's, although some of them, on making deep sea voyages, had a proportion of RFA Officers among their complement.
26 September 1938 launched by Ailsa Shipbuilding & Engineering Co Ltd, Troon as Yard Nr 428 named BEDENHAM
December 1938 completed
July 1939 Captain A H Paice appointed in command
24 June 1940 sailed the Tyne in convoy FS203 along with RFA Celerol to Southend arriving on the 26 June 1940
4 September 1940 sailed Gibraltar in convoy HG43 to Liverpool arriving on 18 September 1940
30 October 1940 sailed Liverpool in convoy OG45 to Gibraltar arriving on 11 November 1940
29 December 1940 sailed Gibraltar in convoy HG49 to Liverpool arriving on 15 January 1941
5 February 1941 sailed Liverpool in convoy OG52 to Gibraltar arriving on 21 February 1941
3 April 1941 sailed Gibraltar in convoy HG58 to Liverpool arriving on 21 April 1941
24 June 1941 sailed the Clyde in convoy WN145 along with the Admiralty MFA British Lady to Methil arriving on 27 June 1941
11 August 1942 sailed Lyness in convoy WN321 to Methil arriving on 13 August 1941
29 October 1942 sailed Methil in Convoy EN 156/2 to Scapa Flow arriving on 1 November 1942
25 June 1943 Mr W T Green appointed as Chief Engineer Officer
24 September 1943 Captain L M Robertson appointed in command
10 June 1944 sailed the Solent in Convoy ETC 5 along with HMS SUCCOUR to later become RFA SUCCOUR and RFA Chattenden to Seine Bay arriving the next day
4 July 1944 sailed Southend in Convoy ETC 27 to Seine Bay arriving the next day
26 August 1946 arrived at Malta from Oran with a Fleet Air Arm Firefly aircraft as deck cargo. The aircraft had crashed having taken off to fly to HMS Ocean. It returned to Oran and crashed on landing
20 April 1951 sailed Devonport with ammunition for the Dockyards at Gibraltar and Malta.
The Naval Armament Carrier RFA BEDENHAM arrived in Gibraltar on the 24th April, 1951, laden with 500 tons of ammunition. It tied up at Gun Wharf. While it was unloading depth charges into a lighter, on the morning of the 27th April, one ignited. Attempts to put the fire out failed and there was an explosion in the lighter. The fire spread to the BEDENHAM which blew up. The bow of the ship was blown out of the water and onto the wharf itself. The remainder of the ship sank. Thirteen people died as a result of the explosion, including Sub Officer George Campbell Henderson of the Fire Service who was posthumously awarded the George Cross for bravery in attempting to extinguish the fire. Many more people were injured and many public buildings in Gibraltar suffered damage. The Admiralty paid out around £250,000 in indemnity. The event has become a part of the living memory of the Gibraltarians of that time.
The damage could have been far greater if a number of torpedoes with live warheads that were lying on the quay near the BEDENHAM had exploded.
Thirteen people were killed and more than 50 admitted to hospital when the 1,192-tons naval armament vessel BEDENHAM laden with 500 tons of depth charges and high explosive shells blew up at Gun Wharf on the 27 April. The dead included Julius Abudarham, Bartolome Delgado Marin, Laureano Escriba Rodriguez, Sub Officer George Henderson, Dockyard Fire Brigade, Chief Fire Officer Albert Indoe, Dockyard Fire Brigade, John Lane, Francisco Martin Amador, Juan Moreno Serrano, Joseph Moss, Carlos Muiño Postigo, Leopold Perez, Florencio Ruiz and Joseph Zammit. A number of Firemen were injured on that day they were; Fireman-mechanic Alfred McGrail (City Fire Brigade) who had his left arm amputated, Fireman-driver Benny Ryan, suffered lacerations, Firemen Alfred Ochello, had both legs broken, Austin Wilding, lacerations and Albert Castro, lacerations and bruising. It was estimated that damage to property exceeded £300,000 (approximately £6,000,000 million) in today's money.
31 May 1952 the remains of the ship were towed to the Tyne by the tug RFA SAUCY
24 June 1952 the wreck was purchased for demolition by Messrs Clayton & Davie Ltd, Dunston-on-Tyne
The citation for the award of the George Cross to Sub Officer George Campbell Henderson by His Majesty King George the VI was published in the London Gazette on the 20 November 1951 and reads:
"Sub-officer Henderson was in charge of the first fire appliance sent to fight an ammunition fire in a lighter alongside BEDENHAM. In spite of the great heat and intensity of the fire which, he must have realized, was virtually out of control and would cause a violent explosion of ammunition at any moment, Sub-officer Henderson managed, single-handed, to direct a jet of water into the lighter from a position on board BEDENHAM, immediately alongside and above the blazing lighter. BEDENHAM had by this time been abandoned but Sub-officer Henderson remained at his place of duty alone, doing what he could to prevent the explosion although he must have known his chance of survival was slight. He was killed when the ammunition blew up. Sub-officer Henderson displayed courage of the highest order in the face of almost certain death."
Other awards presented in connection with the disaster are:
The King's Police and Fire Services Medal;
Chief Fire Officer Alexander Indoe of the Dockyard Fire Brigade.
The George Medal;
Mr. Juan Manuel Cruz, chargehand, Mr. James Keen, naval armament supply officer, and Constable Michael Orfila, Gibraltar Police.
The British Empire Medal;
Mr. Anthony Ballantine, assistant surgery attendant HM Dockyard, and Mr. Vicente Pisarello, foreman garrison workshops.
The King's Commendation;
Mr Alfred Banda, ambulance driver, Mr David Stewart Hutcheon, first-class master of yard craft, Mr. Cecil Neville Knowles, chargeman of skilled labourers, Fireman-driver Alfred McGrail, City Fire Brigade, and Mr. Francis John Parody, surgery attendant.
Links: Wikipedia; http://www.gibfire.gi/news/2011/news08a.html . http://historicalrfa.org/home . http://www.historicalrfa.org/rfa-BEDENH ... nformation .
Photos of the explosion and aftermath: -http://gibmuseum.blogspot.com/2010/04/B ... osion.html
Gibraltar 2011 44p sg?, scott?
Peter Crichton
__._,_.___