"People were just starting to dance," said Iain Philpott, who was a 26-year-old fashion photographer, from Highbury, north London. The dead included de Vasconcellos and Faldo. conducted the public inquiry into the Identification of Victims Following Major Transport Accidents. A vessel's trim is the difference between the draughts fore and aft. 153 people were on board the pleasure vessel Marchioness celebrating the 26th birthday of Antonio De Vasconcellos. "My world fell apart. Dr Knapman apologised to victims' families . The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. The stone lists the names and ages of those who died. (Photo by PA Images via Getty Images) [9][10] Faldo and McGowan had a business partnership, Top Bar Enterprises, which provided the bar staff and drink for the party. He added: There were ordinary people on that boat - Tony wasnt rich and I am certainly not from a posh background. I believe I have struck a pleasure craft. After he was pulled from the water he spent a few hours in hospital before he was put in a taxi home alone. [65] Portillo announced that an investigation would be made by the Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB), but that no decision had yet been made as to whether to hold a public inquiry. Built in 1923 and after the war transformed into a pleasure cruiser sailing the Thames she met her tragic end when hit by the dredger Bowbelle causing the loss of 51 lives. Louise Christian, the human rights solicitor who acted for the families of the victims, wrote that "When young unmarried people die in circumstances of gross negligence as here, death comes cheap and the boat owners and their insurance companies suffer little in the way of financial penalties". [60] Hurlingham was already on the scene, and the passengers and crew threw lifebuoys and buoyancy aids to those in the water. Andrew, then 28, was working as a graphic designer in the music business and was at home with the summer flu before his friend Chris convinced him to leave his sick-bed and join the festivities. He and his girlfriend were among the many twenty-somethings who had been invited to the party organised for banker Antonio de Vasconcellos' 26th birthday. Among the scores of dead were Andrews friends Chris Garnham, a talented portrait photographer, and Tony Loh Manyem, a photographic assistant. Mr Senior modelled for ID magazine, lived with his girlfriend on west London's trendy King's Road and played bass guitar in a band. The vessel then dropped all passengers and 28 survivors at the nearby Waterloo Police Pier (now Tower Lifeboat Station) before it took members of the emergency services back out to the collision site. [130], Following the Clarke report and a subsequent review of emergency planning procedures, the government introduced the Civil Contingencies Act 2004 that provided a coherent framework and guidance for emergency planning and response. [37][d], Marchioness was supposed to leave Embankment Pier at 1:00am, but was delayed until 1:25am. In most cases, the families of the Marchioness victims received little more than the cost of the funeral. After the service, relatives dropped flowers into the river. After he died, she went to college, gained a degree, then did teacher training and set up a language school. Disaster victim identification (DVI) is the internationally accepted term for the processes and procedures for recovering and identifying deceased people and human remains in multiple fatality incidents. On measures of intrusive memories and psychological difficulties these subjects are significantly higher than population norms, and somewhat higher than psychiatric in-patient populations. The ship's captain, Douglas Henderson, aged 31,[19] undertook a Deep Sea apprenticeship until 1978 and joined ECA in November 1987, when he became second mate on Bowsprite. She now runs the school and works with young people in community development. [43] The upper superstructure of Marchioness was ripped off by Bowbelle's anchor. But he was obviously caught on the front of the boat and he was dragged away from me. Matthew Thompson Charley Speed Stephen Perks Amy Perfect Francesca Dallaglio Ebony Feare Julie Hunt Daniel Casey Douglas Henderson Liam Noble Terence Blayney Jim Kitson Bob Buckley Harry Miller Barman Paul Courtenay Hyu Jonathan Phang Maureen Bennett Jackie James Caroline Wildi Maddie Anderton Director Ken Horn Writer David Yallop All cast & crew Burton was told that another judicial review would be applied for if he refused to hold the inquests, and he subsequently announced that they would go ahead. The immediate cause of the casualty was therefore failure of look-out in each vessel. He began work at Tidal Cruises in 1986 and became the permanent captain of Marchioness in 1987. 30 November 2000 The Non-Statutory Inquiry into the Identification of the 51 Victims of the Marchioness River Thames Disaster and the removal of hands from some of the Victims purportedly for fingerprinting. Lists of victims of crimes. This was considered a wholly appropriate amount of crew for a vessel that size. I put my head down in to the water and we were pretty much nose to nose and I knew it was Tony. May 25 2022. places to go for your 16th birthday. I couldn't be bothered fighting any more', "The boy done good: Jade Goody's ex Jeff Brazier on surviving reality TV", "Marchioness Victims Remembered 25 Years on at Service", "Marchioness Families Ask ITV to Drop Drama", "Lawrence Dallaglio's guilt at using sister's death to improve his game", "Shipping: Safety on the River Thames and the Marchioness Disaster", "Letter: Compensation for Loss of Young Lives", "Marchioness Riverboat Disaster: 20 August 1989", Marchioness-Bowbelle Formal Investigation Website, "Marchioness/Bowbelle Non-Statutory Inquiry into identification of victims following major transport accidents", Details of the memorial in Southwark Cathedral, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Marchioness_disaster&oldid=1129049320, This page was last edited on 23 December 2022, at 09:32. He also still feels the sting of injustice that survivors were treated like a bunch of Hooray Henrys. ", although the decision stood.[111]. The MCA picked up on something that had been raised during the Clarke inquiry: that Henderson had forged certificates and testimonials of his service from 19851986. Both vessels were heading downstream, against the tide, Bowbelle travelling faster than the smaller vessel. For the survivors and grieving families of the 51 victims, the horror and injustice was only just beginning, writes . A few days later, a body matching Mr Senior's description was found in the river near HMS Belfast. In May 1989 he became the master of Bowbelle. The pleasure boat Marchioness was built in 1923 by the Salter Brothers of Oxford for Joseph Mears, a businessman whose interests included running pleasure launches on the River Thames. [127][128], Following the report, Prescott ordered the MCA to conduct a competency review into the actions and behaviour of Henderson. We acted on behalf of 48 survivors and families of victims of the Marchioness riverboat disaster which occurred in the early hours of 20 August 1989. Abstract. And ten years ago, Andrew, now an experienced diver, took a team underwater to confront the ship that had claimed his friends lives. Victims included rugby player Lawrence Dallaglio's sister Francesca, a ballerina, who drowned aged 19. . [c] Much of the evidence gathered in later investigations was inconsistent and any descriptions of the actions of the ships are based on average speeds and likely positions. Among them was the charismatic young financier Antonio de Vasconcellos, who was hosting a glamorous . Some of the things they alleged were just awful. Among those at the cathedral was Margaret Lockwood Croft, 75, who lost her son Shaun, 26, in the disaster. 2023 BBC. [77][78][i], On 24 August Marchioness was taken from her mooring near Southwark Bridge, and towed downstream to Greenwich, where she was broken up. Mr Mitchell said they saw the Bowbelle dredger only seconds before it. list of victims of the marchioness disaster. Of the 130 people on board Marchioness, 79 survived and 51 died. [125] Under the Fatal Accidents Act 1976, damages were only paid to certain categories of people, and were based on the economic loss to the victim. The new upper saloon obstructed the vision from the wheelhouse,[2][3] and there was, the later inquiry established, a lack of easily accessible emergency exits, particularly from the lower decks. The marchioness disaster was a collision between two vessels on the river thames in london the pleasure boat marchioness was built in 1923 by the salter brothers of oxford for the vessel then dropped all passengers and 28 survivors at the nearby waterloo the stone lists the names and ages of those who died 20 aug 2019 fifty-on After that as the Bowbelle passed by I thought how the hell are we going to stop ourselves from getting sucked in to these propellors. On a hot, late-summer evening in 1989, the Marchioness pleasure boat, packed with more than 130 partygoers, collided with the dredger Bowbelle and sank in the River Thames, killing 51 people.. The cruellest epitaph: Their deaths in the Marchioness disaster 30 years ago were heartbreaking, but what came next was horrific - victims' corpses mutilated and relatives left fearing that. Representatives from the Royal National Lifeboat Institute and the Port of London Authority were present at the lunchtime Eucharist service. In May 1996, she broke apart and sank in just over 30m of water off Madeira. He was the greatest birthday present I ever had.". Odette Penwarden, 72, of east London, spoke about how she survived the sinking but had lost many of her friends. A later inquiry considered the lack of licence was "a minor point because he was undoubtedly qualified to do so and could have renewed his licence by paying 50 pence". RM J4F0TW - Lady Maud Evelyn Hamilton Marchioness of Lansdowne by Cowell Simla India RM F1D638 - Anthony Van Dyck - Policena Spinola, Marchioness of Legans RM G3BG2Y - CAMELLIA - MARCHIONESS RM G9NMD4 - Lord Cecil Manners - Royal Ascot. 18.4 The principal contributory factors were that: both vessels were using the middle part of the fairway and the centre arches of the bridges across the river; The families of the victims criticised the MAIB report. 20 years since Marchioness disaster. [73][74] No guidelines were issued over which hands should be removed and no individual was given responsibility for making the decision. Following the disaster, a campaign by the Marchioness Action Group for improved safety led to lifeboat services being provided on the river. [8], Marchioness carried a crew of two: her captain was Stephen Faldo; the mate was Andrew McGowan. "I managed to pull four people from the water and those on the Hurlingham rescued 28 in total.". Participant. I couldnt work out what was going on - I had someone on my arms and someone pulling on my legs. [63], Less than half an hour after Marchioness was hit, a major incident was declared with an incident room at New Scotland Yard. Four years later she was sold to Antonio Pereira & Filhos of Funchal, Madeira, who named the vessel Bom Rei. Families of the people who died in the Marchioness accident told of their horror at discovering that their relatives' hands had been severed to allow fingerprinting as the inquiry into the. We acted on behalf of 48 survivors and families of victims of the Marchioness riverboat disaster which occurred in the early hours of 20 August 1989. They thought I was dead. Representatives of the Royal National Lifeboat Institution and the Port of London Authority were at Wednesday's service. Helen Lewis, The Atlantic, 14 Nov. 2020 Her closest friend was the adventurous Nadejda Mountbatten, marchioness of Milford Haven. It is 22 years this weekend since the Marchioness disaster on the Thames claimed 51 lives. "In his 20 small years, he had so much desire to do something to change.". list of victims of the marchioness disaster / which puppet joined the primrose friends last in 2006 / list of victims of the marchioness disaster; Standard - by - bridgestone j33 forged combo irons. Lord Cecil Manners and Marchioness of Exeter at Royal Ascot. The youngest victim was 19-year-old ballerina Francesca Dallaglio, the sister of the former England rugby captain. [53], Hurlingham was between 45 and 60 metres (150200 feet) away from the collision,[31] and those on board were in the best position to be eyewitnesses. [107] In March that year an account in The Mail on Sunday, "Cover up! Within a matter of about 20 seconds the pleasure boat had totally disappeared underneath the water.[47]. Read about our approach to external linking. Both men were breathalysed;[13] the police announced soon afterwards that alcohol was not a cause of the collision.[69]. There weren't many black models and he just wanted to be the best.". [97] The DPP demanded that Glogg hand over the papers for the case, stating he would take it over, then drop it; Glogg refused to comply, stating that it was out of the remit of the DPP, and that it was for a magistrates' court to decide if the case was adequate. The tragedy resulted in the drowning of 51 people. He said: I think I cried for about three days after the dive. I had to help my girlfriend to keep her afloat. The. He returned to the ship at 6:00pm for food and a short sleep;[25] one of the ship's company, Terence Blayney, who acted as the forward lookout that night, was with Henderson, and drank seven pints over the same period. But it has emerged that organs including hearts, lungs, brains, kidneys, spleens and tonsils were also removed from some victims. [55] The call was also picked up by the TNS, who misheard the location as Battersea Bridge; Thames Division only heard part of the call, so TNS informed them that the police should be in attendance at Battersea Bridge.[31][55][56]. At 7:36 p.m. Nov. 14, 1970, Southern Airways Flight 932 crashed into a hill just short of the Tri-State Airport, killing all 75 people on board. The Marchioness disaster was a collision between two vessels on the River Thames in London in the early hours of 20 August 1989, which resulted in the deaths of 51 people. He was initially dismissive of the concerns of the MAG, accused their solicitor of trying to mislead the Court of Appeal and indicated that he was inclined not to grant any further inquests. Her crew did not deploy the ship's lifebuoys, flotation devices or lifeboat and she did not take part in the attempts to rescue survivors. My vessel was proceeding outward bound just approaching Cannon Street bridge and, well, I just lost steerage, um and I don't know after that, I can't really say anything else sir. The names of the victims were read out at Southwark Cathedral, where 51 roses were laid and 51 candles were lit. These include the King's Cross fire, Lockerbie air crash, Hillsborough football stadium crush, Marchioness riverboat sinking, Southall and Ladbroke Grove train crashes, 11 September attacks, South East Asian Tsunami, the 7 July 2005 London bombings, the Sharm El Sheikh and other . Crowding around a flower-strewn, candle-lit memorial stone at Southwark Cathedral in south London, the families and some survivors heard the names read out of all 51 young people who died in the tragedy. . "Fate was also against them that night," his mother recalls. That moment is basically frozen in time for me. [13][15], The aggregate dredger Bowbelle was launched in 1964 by the Ailsa Shipbuilding Company of Troon, Scotland. [52] One of those from the lower saloon who survived was Iain Philpott, who said in his statement to the police: I remember turning around to head towards the windows to escape the boat, the water started coming in the boat through the window, I knew at this point the boat was going to go down. Thats why I didnt talk about it for 20 years because it made me feel ashamed of myself to be caught up in disaster like that.. 51 people were killed in the 1989 Marchioness boat disaster on the River Thames; . [118] Clarke also found that the owners and managers of the vessels held some blame. The names of the dead had also been read out at a lunchtime service in the cathedral, during which Judy Wellington, whose son Simon, 20, died on the Marchioness, gave a Bible reading. Victims of attempted crimes are victims . She fronts the Marchioness Action Group which represents the victims and campaigns for improvements in river safety. Families bereaved by the River Thames Marchioness pleasure boat tragedy have 25th anniversary of the disaster. It was poor lookout on both vessels. [58][59] All ships in the area were instructed to go to the area to assist with the rescue. [12][13] He had forgotten to renew his riverman's licence in the run-up to the night of the collision, and was technically not entitled to skipper the vessel that night. The Bowbelle itself was sold to a Portuguese company shortly after the tragedy and renamed the Bom Rei in 1990. The Marchioness Disaster Add to a List. [109] Initially turned down by High Court, the Court of Appeal then found in favour of the group to allow an appeal. [13] Within 24 hours of the collision, the decision was made that there would be no public inquiry, and that the MAIB investigation would be sufficient. Speaking at the Edinburgh International Television Festival that August, the former ITV Director of Drama Nick Elliot confirmed that the drama would not be shown "in its present form"; it has since been shown on French television. I was distracted by flashing lights from another pleasure craft. The wrecked hull of the Marchioness, partly submerged in shallow water on the North Bank. [85] When Knapman re-opened the inquest on 23 April 1990, he was critical of the DPP for taking eight months to decide on whether to bring criminal charges against anyone, which meant that a full inquest could not take place in case it prejudiced any future trial. The Marchioness tragedy coroner defends his actions after a victim's hands removed for identification were found four years later. [29][36] Bowbelle's average speed was about 5.5 knots (6.3mph; 10.2km/h) over the ground. Model Simon Senior, who was 20 years old, was also on board. The majority were identified through other meansvisual identification of the face, or through identification of clothing or personal items, and only four of the victims were identified through their fingerprints. Its like getting in a car drunk.. He recalled: One minute you are looking at the London skyline and the next minute the whole city starts tipping over at 45 degrees and youre staring down in to the Thames with nowhere else to go but there. [21] In July 1981 there was a collision between Bowtrader and the passenger launch Pride of Greenwich; three months later Bowtrader was involved in a collision with Hurlingham, another pleasure cruiser owned by Tidal Cruises. The families tried to apply for a judicial review on the basis that "the use of the word 'unhinged' and reference to a number of 'mentally unwell' relatives betrayed an attitude of hostility, however unconscious, towards members of the Marchioness Action Group". After that long trying to keep someone else afloat you are very tired. [62][138], Bowbelle was sold in 1992 to Sealsands Maritime, operating out of Kingstown, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines; she was renamed Billo. We have got. Victims' families complained they were kept in the dark after the Marchioness disaster "The inquiry made a number of recommendations, principles we hold true now," says Det Supt Crawford. [137] Memorial services have been held at the cathedral on anniversaries of the sinking. They included the birthday boy, Antonio de. Some of the families had to come to terms with the controversial decision by Westminster Coroner Dr Paul Knapman to cut off the hands of more than 20 of the victims for identification purposes - an action criticised by Lord Justice Clarke in his subsequent 2001 report into the circumstances surrounding the collision. Louise Christian has acted in many judicial review cases challenging public authorities, and represented the victims of the Marchioness disaster and victims of the Paddington and Southall rail . "I just went home and it took a couple of days before anyone official tried to contact me.. "All I kept thinking was my child is somewhere but I couldn't reach him," she said. THE Marchioness disaster happened at around 1.46am on August 20, 1989. Fifty-one people died when the pleasure boat sank after colliding with the dredger Bowbelle on the River Thames. But he has been plagued by PTSD ever since, with the vision on the Bowbelles looming bow haunting his dreams and the smell of diesel and sounds of the ships motors coming flooding back at a moments notice. I have to hold on to all the memories his laughter, his caring ways. He didn't realise what had happened, but knew they couldn't. [64], Margaret Thatcher, the Prime Minister, returned home early from her holiday in Austria to be briefed by Michael Portillo, the Minister of State for Transport. An investigation by the Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB) blamed a lack of lookouts, but their report was criticised by the families of the victims, as the MAIB had not interviewed anyone on Marchioness or Bowbelle, but relied on police interviews. The jury failed to reach a decision;[91] the DPP decided that a retrial would be in the public interest. August 20, 1989Marchioness disaster / Start date On 20 August 1989, 51 people died when the Thames riverboat sank after being struck by a dredger near Southwark in the early hours of the morning. [11] Faldo was 29 at the time of the sinking. Families of the victims were angry with the move, pointing out that Rifkind had delayed publication of the report on the basis that publication could prejudice the case against Henderson, but that the publication could now jeopardise Glogg's private prosecution. But it has emerged that organs including hearts, lungs, brains, kidneys, spleens and tonsils were also removed from some victims. On top of that Tony - I didnt know where he was - then he grabbed hold of my legs underwater. RM 2D3JFPM - Britain's Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott (L) is embraced by Joyce Drew, a relative of a victim from the Marchioness disaster March 23, 2001. Your mind is confused I thought have I died now?. That moment is basically frozen in time for me. By February 1988 he had completed courses at the Port of London Authority for chartwork and seamanship, and obtained his apprentice licence in May 1988; he joined Marchioness as a crew member around the same time. Bowbelle was one of six "Bow" ships owned by East Coast Aggregates Limited; they were managed by South Coast Shipping Company Limited. On 20 August 1989, 51 people died when the Marchioness riverboat sank in the Thames after being struck by a dredger near Southwark . [126], After recommendations made in the Clarke report relating to the improvement of river safety, the government asked the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA), the PLA and the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) to work together to set up a dedicated search and rescue service for the Thames. The government refused to hold an inquiry, despite pressure from the families. Over. As part of their approach, Knapman decided that: With those bodies which were not recovered from the Marchioness and which would be likely to surface only when putrification and bloating meant that they would float, the following would apply: 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. The second impact was 33 feet (10m) from the stern, and caused the pleasure boat to pivot round the bow of Bowbelle, and turn it on its side, probably to an angle of 120. "Cover Up! The horrifying sight of Tony being dragged to the depths of the Thames - caught up in the foundering boat - is a moment frozen in time. "We were floating around not too far off the Southbank centre near the National Theatre, and thats when I basically started to lose consciousness. "Marchioness Victims Remembered 25 Years on at Service". "As far as Im concerned, everybody who was involved in allowing that situation to happen in the first place has the blood of the 51 people that died on their hands. Positions given by eye-witnesses vary from west of Southwark Bridge to near Cannon Street Bridge, although the weight of reports put the collision between the two bridges, in the middle of the river. No count was made of the number of passengers, but the accepted number on board is either 130[38] or 131. [17] On 19 August 1989 Henderson visited several public houses over a period of three and a half hours and drank six pints (3.4 L; 120 imp fl oz) of lager. Victimhood may likewise range from relatively minor (no harm or little harm), to moderate harm (financial or dignitary harm), to major (death, dismemberment, major trauma). The dead included Francesca Dallaglio, older sister of future England national rugby union captain Lawrence Dallaglio, and the skipper of the Marchioness, Stephen Faldo, father of reality TV star Jeff Brazier. [32][33] There are several versions of the paths taken by the vessels in the approach to Southwark Bridge and beyond, and no agreement on the point when the two ships collided. In 1991 a report by the Marine Accident Investigation Branch into the disaster said poor lookouts on both vessels was the immediate cause of the tragedy. The psychological after-effects on 27 survivors of the Marchioness riverboat disaster of 20 August 1989 are described. Margaret Lockwood-Croft, whose son Shaun, 26, died in the disaster, was one of the the Marchioness Action Group's founding members. [129], In 2001 the Royal Humane Society made nineteen bravery awards to people involved in rescuing the victims of the collision, many of whom were passengers on Hurlingham. I felt helpless, went into shock and couldn't move.". I am getting clear of the bridges now. "We were in the lower dining saloon when the dredger struck," he recalls. .mw-parser-output .block-indent{padding-left:3em;padding-right:0;overflow:hidden}, a. survivors and victims' families recall what out of the . [120], Clarke also allotted blame to the Department of Transport, who, he said, were "well aware of the problems posed by the limited visibility from the steering positions on both types of vessel" yet failed to deal with the problem. [108] In July, Knapman informed the families that the inquestssuspended since April 1990 because of the case against Hendersonwould not be recommenced. I could see the tops of propellors going round distinctly on the water - it was really banging and clunking not the water as it passed by. Know where he was - then he grabbed hold of my legs Group for improved safety led Lifeboat. At around 1.46am on August 20, 1989 11 ] Faldo was at... 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