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Post by Administrator on May 8, 2012 16:33:12 GMT
STV Royston Grange: The 40th anniversary of this tragedy will be remembered on 11th May 2012, with the presence of relatives of some of the crewmembers arriving from the U.K. for this most special event. The formal notice thereof is appended hereto, and we look forward to as many as possible of the Community, attending this service of remembrance and thanksgiving. STV. “Royston Grange” 40th Anniversary of the Royston Grange Accident, 10:30 hrs at The British CemeteryA service of “Remembrance & Thanksgiving”, in memory of the Crew, Passengers and River Plate Pilot who perished as a result of the collision in the River Plate, between this vessel and the M.T. “Tien Chee”, 40 years ago, will be held at the British Cemetery, Montevideo on Friday 11th May 2012, at 10:30 a.m. Family members of the deceased will be present at the ceremony. Contacts: Diana Beare – dibeare@hotmail.com Cynthia & Ian Myers dickin – cynthiadickin@gmail.com A funeral service was held in Montevideo, on May 20th. 1972 at Holy Trinity, Anglican Church and at the British Cemetery, with the presence of 130 family members who were flown out from the U.K. for that occasion. A memorial service was held on June 8th of that year, at ´´All-Hallows-by-the-Tower´´, London – where a stained-glass window can be seen, in memory of all who were lost. Web Photo Album Link: picasaweb.google.com/117744514501194369148/SSRoystonGrange11thMay197211thMay2012?authuser=0&feat=directlinkMore photos will be added, after the service of Remembrance & Thanksgiving, to be held, here in Montevideo, on Friday, 11th. May 2012 |
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Post by KG on May 10, 2012 3:11:41 GMT
The Honourable Company of Master Mariners ´´Many Honourable Company members will no doubt recall the tragic event that took place in the River Plate on 11 May 1972 when the Houlder Brothers refrigerated cargo ship “Royston Grange” was in collision with a tanker and subsequently enveloped by a fire which resulted in all on board (crew, passengers and pilot) being killed. Their remains were buried in the British Cemetery in Montevideo and a Service of Remembrance is being held there this Friday. In the UK a memorial stained glass window was placed in the church of All Hallows by the Tower and at 3pm on Thursday 10 May, a wreath-laying ceremony arranged by Furness Chartering will take place at the window to remember those who were lost. If you are in London and able to get to All Hallows, you will be most welcome to join in this act of remembrance.´´ LINK: www.hcmm.org.uk/index.php/company-news/284-royston-grange-disaster |
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Post by KG on May 11, 2012 17:27:20 GMT
A tribute in a few words:
There are those, even 40 years on who HAVE NOT EVEN BEEN ABLE to talk about their loved one who was lost ... who have NOT KNOWN where he died, nor how, nor why.
Their grieving process has not taken place.
Those of us who wish to walk alongside them, remembering, shall continue to do so. The privilege is ours´.
Cynthia Myers de Dickin
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Post by KG on May 12, 2012 10:38:18 GMT
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Post by KG on May 12, 2012 16:02:53 GMT
STV ´´Royston Grange´´ - 11th May 1972 - 11th May 2012 - Montevideo - Uruguay A service of ´´Remembrance & Thanksgiving´´ in memory of the Crew, Passengers and River Plate Pilot who perished as a result of the collision in the River Plate, between this vessel and the MT ´´Tien Chee´´ - 40 yrs´ ago - Montevideo - Uruguay. Family members were present, from the UK.
LINK: www.youtube.com/watch?v=VcxLMf0G3b4K. |
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Post by KG on May 13, 2012 13:34:33 GMT
"Let those who come after see to it that his name be not forgotten".
CHIEF MATE--- CHIU MAN TAT
SECOND MATE---CHAN YAU KAN
QUARTERMASTER---CHAN CHUN WAI
QUARTERMASTER---YIP KAM PAT
CHIEF STEWARD---TSUI PIK KWAI
CHIEF COOK---WONG HO CHING
SECOND COOK---CHAN SIK KWAN
MESS BOY---LAM MAN FOR.
Thanks to Mike Hall for finding and sharing the names of the crew from the Tien Chee:
K.
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Post by KG on May 14, 2012 21:51:11 GMT
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Post by KG on May 14, 2012 22:32:22 GMT
IN MEMORY OF:
Captain George Boothby and the crew of the "Royston Grange" lost with all hands in the River Plate 1972.
RIP.
S.T.V. Royston Grange
Worse things happen at sea they say, worse things happen at sea,
In `72 this came true with the tanker `Tien Chee`,
Within dense fog near the River Plate, she collided with a freighter,
Crude Oil gushed from shattered tanks exploding seconds later.
The other ship the `Royston Grange ` in fatal rendezvous,
Lost seventy four razed on her - all passengers and crew,
Full cargo holds of butter ignited overall,
Fused in mighty fireball that left no chance at all.
Ten thousand tons of vessel went up in lethal blaze,
No time then for rescue or warning sound to raise,
Montevideo close at hand, bodies still entrapped,
The Houlder`s ship towed away and later on just scrapped.
By the Tower of London in All Hallows Church,
There is a stained glass window - if carrying out research,
In commemoration colour with burning red repands,
Depicting Royston Grange in memory of all hands.
Worse things happen at sea they say,
Worse things happen at sea.
Capt J S Earl
2005
We have permission to use the works of Captain Earl and do so in tribute. We advise the same of those that wish to copy such work. We again thank Joe for all assistance.
LINK: Message Board - Her Name Was "Royston Grange"
Her Name Was “Royston Grange”
The STV Royston Grange was a British cargo liner which was destroyed by fire after a collision in the Rio de la Plata on 11 May 1972. She was the first British ship to be lost with all hands since World War II. She had been built in 1959 and was owned by the Houlder Line.
Disaster
The 7,113 ton Royston Grange, carrying 61 crew, twelve passengers (including six women and a 5-year old child), and an Argentinian pilot, was bound from Buenos Aires to London with a cargo of chilled and frozen beef and butter. As she traversed the Punta Indio Channel, 35 miles from Montevideo, Uruguay, in dense fog at 5.40 a.m. she collided with the Liberian-registered tanker Tien Chee, carrying 20,000 tons of crude oil. The Tien Chee immediately burst into flames and a series of explosions rapidly carried the flames to the Royston Grange, which burned particularly hot due to the cargo of butter and the oil escaping from the Tien Chee. Most of the crew and passengers were asleep. Although the Royston Grange did not sink, every person on board was killed in the fire, most of them probably by carbon monoxide fumes emanating from the refrigeration tanks, which burst in the collision.
However, the refrigeration system on the Royston Grange was a modern electrical powered Freon system situated in a separate refrigeration room at the starbord side of the engine room. The freon gas was compressed and then cooled and injected in to a large evaporation cylinder which then super cooled brine that was circulated through the evaporator. The super cooled brine was pumped at three temperature levels to the various cargo holds where the brine circulated through fan blown radiators to cool the cargo. It would appear more probable that the crew and passengers were killed by the initial fierce fire caused by the crude oil leaking from the tanker and igniting after the collision, causing a very sudden high temperature with the fire consuming most of the oxygen. If the Freon refrigerant containers and evaporation tanks burst, it would have needed a very high temperature which would have probably been reached after the death of all persons on board.
The Tien Chee also caught fire and ran aground, blocking all traffic in and out of the port of Buenos Aires. Eight of her forty crew, who were mostly Chinese, also died, but the remainder (and the Argentinian pilot) managed to abandon ship and were picked up by cutters of the Argentine Naval Prefecture.
K.
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