On 21 April 1951 the Naval Armaments Vessel Bedenham sailed from Bull Point Naval Armaments Depot, Plymouth loaded with approximately 790 tons of depth charges, ammunition and other ordnance for Gibraltar and Malta. The vessel had made this voyage on a number of occasions in the 1940’s and early 1950’s. The ships Master was Captain Cyril Doughty who had been in command for about 18 months
NAV Bedenham
Bedenham had been built in 1938 to an Admiralty design by Ailsa Shipbuilding & Engineering Company, Troon and had been very active throughout the Second World War both around the United Kingdom and also sailing to and from Gibraltar.
On 24 April 1951 at about 9pm she arrived at Gibraltar securing to No: 39 berth on the Ordnance Wharf. The discharging of her cargo was commenced the next day from her No: 1 hold both into a lighter berthed along her port side and trucks on the Wharf while simultaneously loading Bofors ammunition into No: 2 hold for Malta.
As was usual with the loading and discharge of ammunition the crew of the Bedenham took certain fire precautions with three fire hoses being rigged and laid along the deck To be effective the fire pump in the engine room had to be started and the time taken for this to be at an effective pressure was later estimated by different witnesses to be from half a minute to four minutes. In addition to Bedenham’s hoses, one hose was rigged along Ordnance Wharf and charged with the static Dockyard pressure of approximately 25 lbs. per square inch. This pressure could throw a jet of water some 15 feet but this was insufficient to reach the lighter berthed outboard of Bedenham. An electric booster pump was situated just inside the eastern Gate of the fence separating Ordnance Wharf from the remainder of Gun Wharf. When the first stage of this pump was switched on, a pressure of 60 lbs. per square inch was attained and with the second stage a pressure of 120lbs.
A duty fireman from the Dockyard Fire Service was stationed on the Wharf to attend to the hose and switch on the booster if required. In addition there were gas/water extinguishers on board Bedenham and a duty tug with fire fighting appliances was moored at Store Wharf at immediate notice.
On Thursday 26 April lighter No: 10 was alongside the Bedenham and had been loaded with 63 depth charges and a quantity of live and practice cartridges. At 5pm, when working hours ceased this lighter was covered, locked up and secured alongside the wharf ahead of the Bedenham. The east Gate to the Wharf was also locked and the keys were returned to the Dockyard North Gate Police Station. The west Gate to the Wharf remained open but manned by the Police to permit crew members from the Bedenham to have ingress or egress to their ship
The following day at 7.45am the lighter had been brought alongside the Bedenham’s port side and the work to complete the discharging of the depth charges had re-commenced. The men concerned were all from the NASO’s department and were considered experienced in their work. It would appear that four depth charges were slung in each hoist.
The men went for their tea between 9am and 9.15am during which time the Foreman, a Mr C L Heath, was on the Bedenham counting the depth charges, numbering 33, which remained in Bedenham’s No: 1 hold.
Work recommenced at around 9.20am. The depth charges were stowed in the lighter in three rows each consisting of three tiers. The rows were touching each other.
At about 9.53am a hoist of four depth charges was lowered into the lighter. At this time two men – Carlos Postigo and Leopoldo Perez were pushing the depth charges into position whilst the other two, Juan Lane and Luis Consigliero, were sitting down inside the lighter and on the side nearest the ship.
At 9.54am an explosion occurred in the lighter among the depth charges. The sound of this explosion was later reported as a thud. Consigliero said he heard a ‘whoosh – thud’ and saw whitish coloured flames coming from the depth charges. The flames rose some feet above the lighter hatch and almost immediately died down. Only for a few seconds, however, for within a minute orange flames rose up as cordite inside the lighter caught fire and in an amazingly short period of the time the fire attained tremendous intensity and the entire lighter was ablaze from stem to stern.
After the initial explosion the Master of the Bedenham ordered ‘Water on Deck’ and an Engineer Officer went below to start the pump. The fire developed so rapidly, however, that no hose from Bedenham was brought into use nor was the hose on the wharf of any effect as the jet couldn’t reach the lighter until the boost pumps had been switched on.
The initial explosion was, of course, noticed throughout the Dockyard and the alarm was also passed to the Fire Station by telephone. The Medical Department immediately proceeded to Ordnance Wharf by ambulance and car with a first aid box and dressings and were on the scene within a minute. The Fire Service responded with equal alacrity and before the end came Sub-Officer George Henderson had boarded the Bedenham and was directing a powerful jet of water onto the fire. Others lent a hand actively rigging other hoses.
At about 9.57am believing a major explosion was about to take place the order was given to take cover. Sub-Officer George Henderson ignored this order and continued to direct a powerful jet of water into the lighter from the Bedenham. Six minutes after the initial explosion the lighter blew up.
The Lighter alongside the Bedenham explodes – the tug Driver is rounding her stern
Smoke from the explosion rose to a height of some 2,000 feet and debris was scattered over a wide area, some even falling in Catalan Bay on the East side of The Rock. Bedenham was rent in two, the smaller portion from the stem to the centre of No: 1 hold being thrown on to the quay.
The ammunition contained in this hold was thrown all over Gun Wharf and into the camber between Dockyard offices and Ordnance Wharf.
A plan of the area around the wreck of the NAV Bedenham and submitted to the subsequent Board of Enquiry
The other half of the ship appeared to have been forced almost on to the wharf from where it rebounded and rolled away on its port side and sank. The two halves were connected solely by the ship’s electrical power cables. The ammunition in No: 2 hold poured into the sea abreast of the wreck. Two cranes were knocked over by the foremost section of the wreck and a number of trucks, some containing ammunition, were crushed.
Very prompt assistance was rendered by all in a position to help from ships’ fire parties, working parties of soldiers and airmen, the civilian fire brigade etc.,
Identification of the Depth Charges in which the initial explosion occurred
An examination of the loading list showed that the only depth charges embarked by the Bedenham at Bull Point were 120 Mk.7* filled with Torpex which came from the RN Armaments Depot, Beith, Ayrshire. It was these 120 depth charges which were being unloaded into the lighter at the time of the explosion.
Four unexploded depth charges which were picked up from the wharf and from the bed of the harbour after the explosion were found, from their serial numbers, to all be Mark 7* Torpex which had been filled in January 1951.
Board of Enquiry
Between 30 April, 1951 and 9 May 1951 an Admiralty Board of Enquiry was held in HMS Rooke – the shore base at Gibraltar – its members were –
Captain St John Cronyn, D.S.O. Royal Navy
R G Gatehouse, Superintending Armament Supply Officer
Commander George E P Milburn Royal Navy, Commanding Officer HMS Armanda
Commander H C Martell, Royal Navy, Fleet Gunnery Officer to Commander in Chief, Mediterranean;
Acting Captain S Brown, Royal Navy (Retd.), Deputy Chief Inspector of Naval Ordnance
Others in attendance but not members of the Board were: –
Captain Richard F B Hoskyn, Royal Navy (Retd), Ordnance Assistant to the Director of Armament Supply
A member of the Security Services
Detective Chief Inspector D G Grant, Metropolitan Police Special Branch, New Scotland Yard
Detective Inspector G G Smith, Metropolitan Police Special Branch, New Scotland Yard
Mr W A Bailey, Principal Scientific Officer
Seventy one witnesses were interviewed either by the full board or those still in hospital by a limited number of members of the board.
A very detailed report of the Board of Enquiry together with statements from all who were interviewed was submitted to the Admiralty.
Those who were killed as a result of the explosions were –
Julio Abudarham
Bartolme Delgado Marin
Laureano Escriba Rodriguez
George Campbell Henderson
Albert Alexander Indoe
John Bautista Lane
Francisco Martin Amador
Juan Moreno Serrano
Jose Moss
Carlos Muino Postigo
Leopoldo Perez
Francisco Ruiz
Jose Zammit
Those who were injured
Thirty three persons were admitted into the Military Hospital of which seven were critically injured and seven were seriously injured
Eighteen persons were admitted into the Colonial Hospital of which three or four were seriously injured
A further 200+ people received treatment for minor injuries
One member of the public at Catalan Bay on the other side of the Rock was struck by falling debris from the explosions and was also injured
Damage
At least five hundred properties were damaged with windows in the Convent (the Governor’s Residence), the Catholic Cathedral and the Anglican Cathedral being three which badly suffered
A total of six hundred and sixty five claims for damage to chattels were received with only seven being over £200
Dockyard Offices after the lighter’s explosion while alongside NAV Bedenham
The three Admiralty tugs in port at the time of the explosion and which responded to initial explosion were all damaged – they were the Nimble, the Driver and the Cautious
The Tug Driver was rounding the stern of the Bedenham and was only some 70 feet from the lighter when the second explosion occurred. The tug’s Master, Captain David S Hutcheon was badly injured and the tug’s Mate Oscar Peralta, who was also injured, took over its command
All three of the Gibraltar Police Marine Unit boats were damaged – one, the William Seed, rescued the crew of the Bedenham from the ship, landed them and returned to just off the lighter when it exploded for the second time
Indemnity Payments
The Admiralty made indemnity payments to the relatives of those killed, those injured and those who suffered loss through damage or destruction amounting to just over £250,000 which in to-days (2014) money would have been over £7.01 million pounds
Berthing of Ammunition Ships at Gibraltar
On 3 May 1951 the Admiralty directed that in future Ammunition ships loading or discharging at Gibraltar were to be berthed on the Detached Mole or on a buoy
The Dockyard Fire Brigade
Evidence was given to the effect that the complement of the Dockyard Fire Brigade was inadequate to allow all its appliances to be manned at once. After manning the first call mobile unit, numbers were insufficient to fully man the Fire Float without putting the second call trailer pump out of action.
It was therefore the practice for the crew of the Fire Float (which on the day in question was only three men, i.e. two below full strength) to stand by at the Dockyard Fire Station where they could assist in manning the second call trailer pump if calls were received to a “shore fire”. This meant that the crew had to run some five hundred yards to their Fire Float and in fact had only just reached it when the major explosion occurred. The fire was not apparently treated initially by the Fire Brigade as a ‘fire afloat’ which should have brought the Fire Float into immediate action under standing orders, and no action was taken to man the Float until a call was sent back from the Ordnance Wharf on the orders of the Chief Fire Officer.
Depth Charges filled with Torpex
On 11 August 1951 the Director of Armament Supply signalled the Fleet that ships at sea with Mark 7* Depth Charges which were filled with Torpex onboard were to lower them carefully over the side and jettison them in deep water. Those ships in port with similarly filled depth charges were told to make urgent arrangements to have them returned to the nearest Naval Armaments Depot
This signal eventually caused 13,794 Mark 7* Depth Charges filled with Torpex to be dumped at sea from HM ships or from Naval Armament vessels.
Salvage of NAV Bedenham
The salvage vessel RFA Sea Salvor sailed from Malta on 30 April 1951 and on arrival in Gibraltar commenced to salvage the wreck.
RFA Sea Salvor engaged in the salvage of NAV Bedenham
On 31 May 1952 the remains of the ship left Gibraltar under the tow of RFA Saucy to the United Kingdom for breaking up by Messrs Clayton & Davie Ltd., at Dunston-on-Tyne
Those who received awards for their gallantry, bravery and their actions –
George Cross – Sub-Officer George Campbell Henderson (deceased), Gibraltar
Dockyard Fire Service – was in charge of the first fire appliance sent to fight an ammunition fire on the lighter berthed alongside the NAV Bedenham. In spite of the great heat and intensity of the fire which, he must have realised, was virtually out of control and would cause a violent explosion of ammunition at any moment. Sub-Officer Henderson managed single-handed to direct a jet of water into the lighter from a position on board the NAV Bedenham, immediately alongside and above the blazing lighter. NAV Bedenham had, by this time, been abandoned but Henderson remained at his place of duty alone doing what he could to prevent the explosion although he must have known that his chance of survival was slight. He was killed when the ammunition blew up. Sub-Officer Henderson displayed courage of the highest order in the face of almost certain death.
Appointed a Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (Military Division) – Captain St John Cronyn, D.S.O. Royal Navy – whose coolness, great courage and firm sense of duty set a very high example in the face of extreme danger. On hearing the first explosion, Captain Cronyn went immediately to the Ordnance Wharf and satisfied himself everything was being done to control the fire. He remained close to NAV Bedenham with the Dockyard Fire Brigade until the main explosion took place a few minutes later, although it was clear that the second explosion was imminent
King’s Police and Fire Services Medal for Gallantry – Chief Fire Officer Albert Alexander Indoe (deceased), Gibraltar Dockyard Fire Service – he led the Brigade in the gallant effort to restrict the scope of the disaster. He was in charge of the fire fighting operations, and in spite of the fact that he must have known that the fire was getting out of control; he stayed in the immediate vicinity supervising the starting of a trailer pump
Colonial Police Medal for Gallantry –
- Constable Joseph Baglietto of the Gibraltar Police Force
- Constable Manuel Felices of the Gibraltar Police Force
Constables Baglietto and Felices were the crew of the Police Marine Unit’s launch William Seed which immediately rescued the crew of the NAV Bedenham and others on the dockside. This done, they immediately turned back, although fully aware another explosion was imminent. Before they could get near again the second explosion on the lighter occurred, throwing one of them into the water
George Medal –
- James Keen – Naval Armament Supply Officer – volunteered to help the Fire Brigade and was severely injured when the ship exploded. He showed devotion to duty of an extremely high order in remaining alongside the ship helping to fight the fire
- Juan Manuel Cruz – Chargeman of Labourers – was in charge of a party of men working on the NAV Bedenham and returned to the ship after helping an injured man to an ambulance. He himself was injured in the explosion but returned to work after first-aid treatment. His conduct was described as “Extremely exemplary”
- Constable Michael Orfila – was one hundred yards away when the first explosion occurred in the lighter and immediately ran and opened an essential fire valve. He had just helped a survivor from the lighter into an ambulance when the NAV Bedenham exploded, throwing him to the ground and wrecking the ambulance. He managed to get the injured man out of the vehicle and take him to a place of safety, displaying courage and resourcefulness
- Surgeon Lieutenant James Golding Harding Sheppard MB BS Royal Navy – immediately after the first explosion went to the Ordnance Wharf to search for casualties. He helped to pull out of the water a badly burned man and took him to an ambulance. After the second explosion he immediately began to administer first aid to the seriously injured on the wharf. His total disregard for his own safety and his determination to do all within his power to seek out casualties and relieve pain are worthy of the highest praise
- Acting Leading Sick Berth Attendant (Local) Malcolm Hughes D/SMX 868808 – was with Surgeon Lieutenant Sheppard on the wharf and assisted him in the care of a badly burned man in the immediate vicinity of the burning lighter in which ammunition was exploding. He was within twenty or thirty yards of the NAV Bedenham when the large explosion occurred and he was fortunate enough to escape with slight shock and minor bruises. He at once resumed his assistance with the treatment and removal of casualties on the wharf before returning to the Dockyard surgery to assist there with the treatment of the injured. His courage, coolness and devotion to duty in the face of extreme danger was outstanding
British Empire Medal (Civil Division) –
- Anthony Ballantine – Assistant Surgery Attendant in the Dockyard – helped a wounded man from the water, and though injured in the main explosion, continued to treat and evacuate casualties. He displayed gallantry and fortitude in his attention to others, despite his own injuries
- Vicente Pisarello – Foreman of the Garrison Workshops – saved his men from serious injury by taking prompt fire precautions. Although unconscious for half-an-hour, after being blown under a lorry, he returned at once, on reviving, to supervise a fire party in preventing the spread of small fires
King’s Commendation for Brave Conduct –
- Alfredo Banda – Dockyard Ambulance Driver
- David Stewart Hutcheon – 1st Class Master of Yard craft
- Cecil Neville Knowles – Chargeman of skilled labourers
- Alfred McGrail – Fireman Driver
- Francis Joseph Parody – Dockyard surgery attendant
Commendation of the Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty –
- Cyril Lionel Doughty
- Robert J Coulter
- Michael R Beattie
- Juan Borg
- Charles Veale
- Edmund Butler
- Benjamin Ryan
- Luis Consigliero
Memorials to the deceased
A Memorial to those killed in the explosions is on the Gun Wharf, Gibraltar.
On 27 April 2011 a memorial service was held in Gibraltar commemorating the 60th anniversary of the explosions.
The Mayor of Gibraltar, Anthony Lombard, whose maternal grandfather was a victim of the explosion, approaches the memorial to lay his wreath
The Head of the Gibraltar Fire Service lays his wreath
and at the North Front Cemetery where a number of those who were killed were laid to rest including Sub Officer George Henderson GC and Chief Fire Officer Albert Indoe KPFSM
The Civil Defence Call is played over the graves of Sub Officer Henderson GC & Chief Fire Officer Indoe KPFSM
A Memorial to Sub Officer George C Henderson GC and others who were members of the Civil Defence Services and awarded the George Cross is in the National Arboretum, Staffordshire
The destruction of the Bedenham and the gallantry of George Henderson GC are published in a book written by Terry Hissey
Assistance from Mrs Eileen White, who witnessed the explosions, lost a relative and who had several of her other relatives injured in the explosions (including both her Mother and Father), Mr Tim Essex-Lopresti, Secretary of the Civil Defence Association, HM Coroner, Gibraltar, the Archivist, Gibraltar Government Archives, the Superintendent, North Front Cemetery, Gibraltar and the National Archives at Kew have been very gratefully received in compiling the facts relating to the destruction of the NAV Bedenham