August 20: On This Day in World History … briefly
The smaller craft sank in less than a minute, leaving those below deck with little or no chance of escape.
1989: Pleasure boat birthday party ends in tragedy
A birthday party held aboard a Thames pleasure boat ended in disaster in the early hours of the morning when 60-year old vessel ‘Marchioness’ was hit and run over by 1 475-ton sand dredger ‘Bowbelle’.
Marchioness had been hired for the evening for a birthday party and had about 130 people on board, four of whom were crew and bar staff. Both vessels were heading downstream, against the tide – Bowbelle travelling faster than the smaller vessel.
Although the exact paths taken by the ships and the precise series of events and their locations are unknown, the subsequent inquiry considered it likely that Bowbelle struck Marchioness from the rear, causing the latter to turn to port, where she was hit again, then pushed along, turning over and being pushed under Bowbelle‘s bow. It took thirty seconds for Marchioness to sink and 24 bodies were found within the ship when it was raised.
An investigation by the Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB) blamed a lack of lookouts, but their report was criticised by families of the victims, as the MAIB had not interviewed anyone on Marchioness or Bowbelle, but relied on police interviews. The government refused to hold an inquiry, despite pressure from families.
Douglas Henderson, the captain of Bowbelle, was charged with failing to have an effective lookout on the vessel, but two cases against him ended with a hung jury.
A private prosecution for manslaughter against four directors of South Coast Shipping Company, the owners of Bowbelle, and corporate manslaughter against the company was dismissed because of lack of evidence.
A formal inquiry in 2000 concluded that ‘The basic cause of the collision is clear. It was poor lookout on both vessels. Neither vessel saw the other in time to take action to avoid the collision.’
Criticism was also aimed at the owners of both ships, as well as the Department of Transport and the Port of London Authority. The collision and the subsequent reports led to increased safety measures on the Thames, and four new lifeboat stations were installed on the river.
Most notable historic snippets or facts extracted from the book ‘On This Day’ first published in 1992 by Octopus Publishing Group Ltd, London, as well as additional supplementary information extracted from Wikipedia.
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