Where To Find The Wreck Of The Samtampa - Porthcawl, Wales

The ship the Samtampa ran aground on Sker Point near Porthcawl on 23rd April 1947 and the Mumbles Lifeboat was lost in its heroic rescue attempt.
In this video, we tell the story of this fateful day and walk to Sker Point to find the commemorative plaque and show where to find it amongst the rocks. Sker Point lies just west of Porthcawl on the South Wales coast.
The Samtampa was a liberty ship, these were cargo ships built in the USA during World War II and many took part in the Atlantic convoys.
The loss of the 39 crew of the ship and the 8 volunteer crew of the RNLI Mumbles lifeboat, Edward Prince of Wales made it Wales’ worst civilian maritime disaster.
Most of the shipwreck was broken up and scrapped although if you visit at low tide you can still find many bits of the ship including the remnants of the engine.
‘Where To Find The Wreck Of The Samtampa, Sker Point, Porthcawl’ - Filmed January 2020
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[@gunner678]

This brings back memories. My parents used to take us to see the wreck, and every time tell us the harrowing story of the samtamper.

[@gillianvanniekerk5405]

I was with my friend and her family at Rest Bay that day, when the storm blew up…. Took refuge in the golf club house, ….. heard about the disaster on the radio that night. Some things you never forget!

[@terrycollett1461]

I met a gentleman once who had received an award for the money he had raised for the RNLI,he touched on this disaster but not in any detail.I always wanted to know what really happened,thanks for telling me .Much appreciated.

[@flydriveexplore]

Yes, it's an interesting but sad story.

[@ralphgreenslade6460]

Had a good walk amongst these rocks today. Found memorial. Very emotive. Last saw wreck 40 years ago.

[@flydriveexplore]

Glad you found the memorial, it can be quite difficult to find.

[@OnASeasideMission]

My parents lived in Porthcawl at that time. Dad was ex air-sea rescue and was called out to help. Mum once said she walked the beach next day and found what she thought was an oil-covered log. It turned out to be one of the crew.

[@flydriveexplore]

Yes, the ship's oil was so thick on the water it was said to have suffocated many of the crew.

[@pinnacleangling]

Great low water fishing mark. Always though the wreck was called the SANDtampa. Thanks for this video, I really enjoyed it. Nice to know the history behind the name.

[@flydriveexplore]

Thanks for the comments, yes it is a popular fishing spot. I did ask a fisherman to help find the engine remains. The name is the SS Samtampa en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SS_Samtampa You can see it on the memorial plaque 6:11 and on the ship itself 3:58

[@GwynnB]

I found the plaque today thanks to this video 😀

[@flydriveexplore]

Glad the video helped.

[@abigailamey6408]

Thank you for making this. I happened to be there yesterday looking for it as my father had been on the boat in WW2. He wasn’t on it when it sank but many people that he knew had been. We didn’t find it as I hadn’t seen this video but we must have been very near it. So we will be back!

[@flydriveexplore]

Hope you find it next time, the plaque is tricky to find as it is quite low and hidden amongst the rock but not too far from the grass. You can only really see parts of the actual ship at very low tides.

[@jaye-jaewood]

Hi Abigail! My great-grandfather was on the Samtampa wreckage. Robert Weatherill from Whitby. I wonder if your father knew him 🤍

[@terrycollett1461]

Watched it again,to make sure I remember it.

[@adamweston4152]

My grandparents lived in kenfig hill at the time of the wreck and I always remember them telling me that the storm that caused the sinking blew oil in the rain and the windows of they're home were thick with oil.thanks for your video.

[@flydriveexplore]

Yes, I heard the oil carried for miles inland. Thanks for taking the time to comment

[@adamweston4152]

@@flydriveexplore thanks for reply 👍

[@peterlewis5670]

excellent video . well aware of disaster but didnt appreciate there was a plaque at the location. I used to do gardening for the daughter of the coxswain.She sadly passed away within last year but i know despite various requests from local historians etc wishing to interview her she always refused to talk or be interviewed about it. I suppose that explains the impact it had . thanks peter

[@flydriveexplore]

Thanks for the info about the family. If you can make the trip to the site, it is worth the walk. Surprised that the engine was still visible at low tide.

[@peterlewis5670]

@@flydriveexplore yes it looks worthwhile to visit. suppose you need perfect conditions. if feasible pity that remains could not be used as some kind of sculpture closer to the adjacent shore. next time your in mumbles worth a vist to pilot pub which was main pub used by lifeboat crew and mariners in the past. still has a copy of front page of evening post day after the disaster.

[@flydriveexplore]

@@peterlewis5670 We''ll definitely take a look in the pub next time we are in Mumbles

[@peterdunning2952]

@@flydriveexplore Excellent video.The triple expansion steam engine is a big lump of metal which will be a silent memorial to the ship as long as it does not become buried in sand i would think !

[@flydriveexplore]

@@peterdunning2952 Yes, quite a lot of the engine remains, it's quite clear of the sand so will probably be visible for a long time yet.

[@BikeThrottleOfficial]

Tales like these gets lost to time so top work on documenting it for us all. I’ll be trying to track down as many of your listed wrecks as I can 👏

[@flydriveexplore]

It is worth taking a look at the Historic Wales website. Click search and a map pops up, zoom in and you can enable layers which show various finds.

[@michellebruce5092]

Great video I enjoyed it can't wait to see more soon have a great day 😀 all your videos are great and enjoyable 😀

[@terrycollett1461]

Just watched it again.

[@OurWorldForYou]

A sad story but wonderfully told Marcus. An amazing piece of history brought to life.

[@flydriveexplore]

Thanks, next week we are doing a bit more around the coast.

[@nailedt0thecr0ss]

Thanks for sharing.

[@flydriveexplore]

No problem, thanks for taking the time to comment.

[@hodderpaul]

Have a look at the Sherman tank video salvaging Samtampa-British pathe news.

[@flydriveexplore]

Yes, I've seen that. They have some interesting films. I'm sure they had some aerial footage of the wreck as well.

[@colintraveller]

Fascinating .. insight ..and detailed !!!!!!!!! Well done !!! Would i be right in saying .. that the Lifeboat capsized before it even reached the stricken vessel ??? Why did nobody notice that the lifeboat .. failed to return .??. When they realised what happend to her .. in the morning .

[@flydriveexplore]

Judging where the lifeboat washed up it did reach the ship. The storm was one of the worst in living memory.

[@colintraveller]

@@flydriveexplore Cheers

[@zenzen9131]

Excellent video. I've been trying to find the plaque for ages now. Can't wait for my next walk over there :)

[@flydriveexplore]

Thanks, it is quite hard to find within the rocks as the plaque is quite low and flat but I hope this helps.

[@gunner678]

Great video, brought back memories!

[@flydriveexplore]

Thanks

[@gunner678]

@@flydriveexplore Had many happy times in Porthcawl as a child. It was always a thrill to holiday there. I havent been back since my friend's stag night in the early 90s, apart from a couple of visits to meet with the local vicar in the 2000s. My friend used to own the hotel close to the harbour. I can't remember the name of it. I was a vicar a little further east up the vale coast in St Athan and Llantwit Major. Thanks again for the video!

[@johnryall4798]

My dad was an Irish GP in Pencoed.He told me about the Samtampa disaster and that the oil had been blown well inland.I was born in 1951,went to school in Porthcawl,and often swam in Rest bay-I wish i had known about the memorial plaque so close by.Very interesting video,i hope you ll make many more,there is so much history to be explored in the Porthcawl area.Perhaps you could do one on the history of the Jolly Sailor pub! Best wishes, John Ryall.

[@flydriveexplore]

Thanks for watching. The plaque probably wasn't there when you swam in Rest Bay it was placed there much later.

[@maggienificent]

Thank you for the lovely (albeit sad) video. I will have to visit whenever I make it over there!

[@flydriveexplore]

Thanks for the comment. When you walk the coast on a beautiful Spring/Summer's day it's hard to imagine what it must have been like during the storm. It is also worth visiting Mumbles which now has a new lifeboat station but the old one in the video is still there.

[@AdeDaviesWales]

Very interesting. Great film, thanks.

[@flydriveexplore]

Thanks.

[@roywilmot9306]

Amazingly sad story of this disaster

[@stevepowell6671]

I remember my father talking to about the san Tampa. And walking fromPòrt Talbot as boy to sker beach to see the wreck.

[@flydriveexplore]

My father from Bridgend also visited the wreck in 1947 as a young boy. There is a short video on KZbin by Pathe News showing the army salvaging the ship.

[@KacieMorgan]

Oh wow, I had no idea there was a wreck here!

[@flydriveexplore]

It was sad as they were not far from shore but the area is really rocky. I was surprised the engine was still there.

[@mikebrownhill4662]

A very well made video - thank you. I do a lot of wildlife photography and Sker is one of my favourite coastal areas near my home (I'm from Cardiff). I've known about the disaster for many years, but not the details or even the proper location other than a vague "near Porthcawl". I'm always interested to learn more about the sites that I visit for wildlife and history is my other passion - so your channel is quite addictive for me. Thanks and keep up the excellent work.

[@flydriveexplore]

Thanks for watching, it is a beautiful part of the coast. The wreck site is quite hard to find. If you are there at low tide look for the engine. To find the engine, if you look at Sker Point on Google Maps, you'll see an inlet in the middle of the point. The engine is to the left of the entrance of the inlet as you look out to Swansea Bay.

[@Piglife101]

Really enjoy watching your videos, especially the ones that remind me of summer ☀️

[@flydriveexplore]

Glad you like them!

[@terryevans2411]

The times I've fished and taken the family here,I've been absolutely clueless of this tragedy.

[@Tredegarfilm]

Thank you, very interesting.

[@flydriveexplore]

Glad you found it intersting. Thanks for watching.

[@coolhomey3192]

I Went to the wreck yesterday and seen the ship's engine and in the rocks I found A small peace of wreck the size of my hand and now it's in A glass jar in my house with SS SAMTAMPA on the jar

[@DjiMavicMini58]

I have always wondered where exactly the site is now I know

[@flydriveexplore]

Hope it helps you find it.

[@janetpeacock4743]

have you done a video of the port eynon lifeboat janet that was lost with all hands in 1916?

[@flydriveexplore]

No, I am planning to visit Port Eynon at some point over the next few months.

[@deb388]

Im from Cardiff have lived in Barry, Newport and Porthcawl and knew nothing about this. Why isn't stuff like this taught in school.