ST DAVIDS RNLI mark the 70th anniversary of a dramatic lifesaving rescue in atrocious weather conditions that involved crew from St Davids and Rosslare lifeboat stations.
During the night of 26th November 1954, a ferocious storm hit the United Kingdom causing much damage. At Brawdy, a gust of 132mph was recorded.
Ten miles West North West of the Smalls lighthouse the 20,000 ton Liberian tanker “World Concord” was overwhelmed by the ferocity of the waves and broke into two parts.
At 8.28am on 27th November, the St Davids lifeboat “Civil Service No 6” was launched at St Justinians. Although the wind had moderated to gale force by this time, the sea remained very rough. The lifeboat reached the aft section at 11.45am and a test run was made alongside the tanker. The ship’s crew were asked to reposition their rope ladder away from the ship’s propeller, which was still turning.
With waves of 15-20 feet, the lifeboat had to manoeuvre alongside the ship a remarkable 35 times, evacuating one of the crew on each approach. The evacuation took 50 minutes with the coxswain and mechanics working skilfully throughout to effect the rescue.
Meanwhile the captain and six crew aboard the separated fore section of the “World Concord” drifted further North West. St Davids coxswain William Watts-Williams decided that given the conditions, and with the lifeboat already full of survivors, he would be unable to attempt to rescue the remaining seven crew. The lifeboat returned to St Justinians at about 3pm with the 35 survivors, and it was a difficult operation to rehouse the lifeboat.
Rosslare Harbour lifeboat launched at 3.50pm reaching the “World Concord” bow about three and a half hours later. It was impossible to attempt a rescue in the darkness so the lifeboat remained close-by throughout the night until 8.30am when the last seven men were rescued and landed at Holyhead.
Following the rescue, multiple awards were made to the lifeboat crews involved. In St Davids, coxswain William Watts Williams was awarded the RNLI’s Silver medal. Mechanics George Jordan and Gwilym Davies each received the RNLI’s Bronze medal. Second Coxswain David Lewis and crew members William Rowlands, William Morris, Howell Roberts and Richard Chisholm each received the RNLI’s Thanks on Vellum.
The RNLI charity saves lives at sea. Its volunteers provide a 24-hour search and rescue service around the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland coasts. The RNLI operates 238 lifeboat stations in the UK and Ireland and more than 240 lifeguard units on beaches around the UK and Channel Islands. The RNLI is independent of Coastguard and government and depends on voluntary donations and legacies to maintain its rescue service. Since the RNLI was founded in 1824, its lifeboat crews and lifeguards have saved over 146,000 lives.
