SS Bengrove
Coordinates: 51°21′04″N 4°06′58″W / 51.351°N 4.116°W The SS Bengrove was a steamer-type collier ship registered in Liverpool, England. Thousands of people on shore witnessed the ship explode and sink in the Bristol Channel on Sunday, 7 March 1915.[1]
The ship left Barry at approximately 4:00 a.m. under sealed orders and carrying a cargo of 5000 tons of coal. Later that day, [2] in the Bristol Channel, about five miles off the coast of Ilfracombe, an explosion occurred under the vessel amidships. The ship's siren was activated and the crew entered the lifeboats. The siren was heard on shore and the Ilfracombe coast guard dispatched lifeboats to the area. There were twenty one other steamers in the area at the time of the explosion and six of them offered assistance to the foundering vessel. All thirty three crewmen were saved and taken to Ilfracombe pier. Early reports were unsure what had caused the explosion. There was speculation that the vessel had struck a mine or torpedo[1]. The cause was later determined to have been a torpedo fired from German submarine U-20. [3][4]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 "THOUSANDS ON SHORE SEE SHIP BLOWN UP; British Collier Bengrove Is Sunk Without Warning In Bristol Channel.". The New York Times. 1915-03-09. http://query.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=9C0CE4D91238E633A2575AC0A9659C946496D6CF. Retrieved 2007-10-19.
- ↑ "BRITISH MERCHANT SHIPS LOST AT SEA DUE TO ENEMY ACTION, 1914-18, Part 1 of 3". http://www.naval-history.net/WW1LossesBrMS1914-16.htm. Retrieved 2007-10-25.
- ↑ "Ilfracombe Shipwrecks". http://www.01271-ilfracombe.co.uk/20wrecks.htm. Retrieved 2007-10-25.
- ↑ "BRITISH WORLD WAR I MERCHANT SHIP LOSSES - B". http://www.mariners-l.co.uk/WWI%20LOSSES-B.htm. Retrieved 2007-10-25.
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