Ship On Fire Abandoned Off North-West Spain

Rotorua Morning Post, Issue 5317, 1 February 1947, Page 5

Ship On Fire Abandoned Off North-West Spain

LONDON, Jan. 31. The ship Samwater, of 7219 tons 'register, bound for Antwerp and Liverpool from Fremantle, was abandonecl off the north-west coast of Spain when fire brcke -out in her engineroom. The master of the Samwater radioed her owners in London about the fire and said that some members of the crew and two passengers were lost. Lloyd.'s offiice in Lisbon reported that; the Swedish steamer P. L. Pahlsson brought in 23 members of the crew, including the master of the Samwater and three passengers. Reuter's Lisbon correspondent says 16 members of the crew and two passengers were drowned. * The Samwater's position when she radioed was about 100 miles northwest of Cape Finisterre, north-west France.

The casualties oceurred when two lifebc-ats capsized while being •launched. The ship was still steaming at almost full speed when the fire foreed the captain to order -the lifeboats away. A heavy swell was running at the time. The ship, when the crew last saw her, was still moving and burning furioUsly. Reuter's Lisbon correspondent says the fire broke out while the crew was repairing the ship's engines. The Samwater was an oil-burner and the fire spread so quickly that the ship's complement was forced to hurry to the lifebo&.ts. The bullc of the Samwater's cargo was wool, It is recalled that the Samwater's previous voyage was unlucky. • A French banker, M. -Henri Bar, was washed overboard in a Pacific storm. He left behind £100,000 worth of Chinese treasure. The Samwater, which is registered in London, was built at the Fairfield shipyards, Baltimore, in 1943. On launching, she was placed under charter to the British Mini&try' of War Transport. ♦