WE REMEMBER ALL

[Administrator]

WE REMEMBER ALL

[Administrator]

The SS Chuscal

On 12 April 1966, SS Chuscal was 520 miles south-east of Newfoundland, on course to return to the UK from Jamaica, when struck by ferocious waves.

The 411-foot long freighter was laden with precious cargo; threatened by the perilous conditions, crew members were ordered to brave the weather and make their way forward along the deck to secure some horse boxes which had broken loose. As they attempted to lash down the cargo the five crew members were engulfed by a 70-foot wave and swept overboard into the raging sea.

Life belts were swiftly thrown over the side of the ship to aid the men. Captain John Beatson was faced with the impossible decision of whether to turn the ship around with a high probability of capsizing the ship or leaving the five men at the mercy of the waves. With a heavy heart he resolved he could not turn the ship and risk the lives of all those remaining on board.
All five men perished, and their bodies were never recovered. With no known grave except the sea, the friends and families of those lost have been denied the opportunity to visit the final resting place of their loved ones to say goodbye and to remember them. Today, friends and family of the seamen will gather at the National Memorial Arboretum for a service to dedicate a memorial to the five crew members.

Alan Willcock, a member of the crew of SS Chuscal will be attending the service. He was the sole witness to the wave that swept the men overboard and narrowly evaded meeting the same fate. The media reports in 1966, published prior to the ship reaching port, listed only the surnames of those lost at sea which led to his family believing that he was among those who had died as he shared the same surname as Richard Martin Willcock. Alan’s mother went to the docks expecting to be met by the captain, but instead was shocked to see her son strolling down the gangplank.