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The Admiral Prinz Adalbert rescue of 1883
On 27th January 1883, the Mumbles’ lifeboat went to the aid of the "Admiral Prinz Adalbert". In gale force conditions the lifeboat was capsized three times.
Jessie and Margaret Ace, daughters of the lighthouse keeper Abraham Ace, with the help of Edward Hutching, pulled two crewmen ashore. They were later made women of Mumbles Head. Coxswain Jenkin Jenkins received a Silver Medal for his role in rescuing the crew of the German barque Admiral Prinz Adalbert from the windward side when the lifeboat was slammed forcefully against her and driven across consecutive ridges of rocks by strong seas.
Four members of the crew died in this accident:
John Jenkins (son of coxswain Jenkin Jenkins)
William Jenkins (id)
William Henry MacNamara (son-in-law of Jenkin Jenkins)
William Rogers
The rest were all gravely injured. The Institution contributed £800 to the fund for widows and orphans.
The ss. Christina rescue of 1903
Sunday 1st February 1903 the 14 strong crew of the Mumbles lifeboat the James Stevens went to the aid of the S.S. Christina off Port Talbot, during a south-westerly gale.
At that time the Head Launcher was John Libby, a blacksmith, (father of Harry Libby, later Mayor of Swansea) and the crew were Sam Gammon, William Jenkins, Tom Michael, Hedley Davies, David J. Howell, Richard Gammon, Charles Sully Davies, David John Gammon and Tom Rogers (coxswain); Daniel Claypitt, (2nd Coxswain); George Michael, James Gammon, Robert Smith and David John Morgan, a survivor of the 1883 disaster. The latter six of those brave men perished on that terrible day.
During this rescue attempt the lifeboat capsized and when it had righted itself, four of the crew had managed to hang on, including Samuel Gammon. Ten of the crew were fighting for their lives in rough icy seas and Samuel dived back into the water and rescued a number of them. They included David John Gammon, the grandfather of Neil Gammon and Richard Gammon, the father of William Gammon, who would one day be the coxswain of the ill-fated lifeboat, ‘The Edward Prince of Wales’ in the disaster of 1947.
A number of French seamen and the Harbour Master, Captain Humphrey Jones had attempted the rescue of those in the water. Captain Jones was lowered down to the water by two of his staff and managed to catch hold of one man by his coat, but in the conditions at the time, he lost his grasp.
The All Saints' Church Parish magazine of March 1903, graphically described the scene in the village when ‘ On Wednesday February 4th, the bodies of the brave men were brought from Port Talbot, by road, to the Mumbles. Crowds of people, of all classes, met the bodies as they entered the village, to show sympathy and respect. Slowly, quietly and reverently each body was taken out of the hearse and carried on stalwart shoulders to its respective home . . . The piteous grief of the widows and orphans brought tears to the eyes of the strongest . . .’
Thomas A. Rogers - coxswain
George Michael
David John Morgan (survived the 1883 lifeboat disaster)
Daniel Roger Claypitt
James Gammon
Robert Smith
the ss Samtampa disaster of 1947
On 23 April 1947 the SS Samtampa en route from Middlesbrough to Newport decided to stop at Sker Point on the Glamorgan coast not far from Porthcawl. Its three anchor cables were unable to hold the ship in the gale raging at the time and the ship foundered on the rocks, breaking into three.
The Mumbles lifeboat RNLB Edward, Prince of Wales (ON 678), in attempting a rescue, was believed to have been overwhelmed by a freak wave and all the crew were drowned. Memorials to the crew stand in the churchyard of All Saints' Church, Oystermouth.
All that can be known for sure is that the lifeboat reached the scene before being capsized by the sea conditions with the loss of all the crew. It was the first time that a lifeboat of this design had been capsized.
The crew of the Samtampa also perished that storm-lashed night bringing the death toll to a tragic 47 lives lost. All the bodies were washed ashore the following day.
Since the Mumbles lifeboat station was established in 1835, no fewer than 18 lifeboatmen have made the ultimate sacrifice, many are buried at Oystermouth cemetery. On the other side of the balance sheet the station has saved 797 lives and won 19 RNLI medals, one gold, silver and five bronze. The majority of the RLNI lifeboat crews are volunteers.
The crew:
William John Gammon - coxswain
William Noel - 2nd coxswain
Ernest Griffin - assistant motor mechanic
William Lewis Howell
Private - motor mechanic
William Richard Thomas - bowman
William Donald Thomas
Richard Smith
Verhaal en foto’s
the Admiral Prinz Adalbert rescue of 1883
a history of Mumbles lifeboat disaster of 1903
Mumbles lifeboat disaster of 1903
Mumbles lifeboat disaster of 1947