FORRESBANK cargo vessel 1925

[aukepalmhof]

Built as a steel cargo vessel under yard no 678 by Harland & Wolff, Glasgow for the Bank Line Ltd. (A. Weir & Co. managers)
08 April 1925 Launched under the name FORRESBANK. Her original name was FERNBANK but during construction changed.
She was one of the Inverbank class, of which Harland & Wolff built 18, at that time one of the largest individual orders ever placed.
Tonnage 5.155 gross, 8.876 dwt. Dim. 420.1 x 53.9 x 26.5ft (draught)
Powered by two 12 cyl. 4S. C.S.A. diesel engines, 717 nhp., speed 12 knots.
Fitted to carry vegetable oil in her deep tanks.
Registry port, Glasgow, delivered 11 June 1925.

On a voyage from Cape Town to Durban, she caught fire on 09 Nov. 1958, she reported a fire in the engine room off port St Johns and needed immediate assistance on 00 45 GMT. The weather at that time was overcast with poor visibility, light rain and with a light sea swell. The tug A.M. CAMPBELL left Durban on 05.07 GMT for assistance. The FORRESBANK was dead in the water.
The crew of 14 white officers and 40 Indians abandoned the vessel and were picked up by the motor vessel CITY OF YORK. Later that day the captain of the FORRESBANK on board the CITY OF YORK reported that one crew member was killed by the explosion, the Indian donkeyman Assad Ali.
Newspaper men flying over the burning ship that afternoon reported that she was still on fire, and thick black smoke was belching from the funnel and ventilators. Flames were flickering immediately in front of the funnel and what appeared to be barrels were blazing fiercely on the afterdeck, which was strew with rubble. Two of the three afterhatch covers were burned away and a steady red glow could be seen amidships at least two decks levels in depth. The vessel showed no signs of listing or foundering and rode the swell easily. At that time she was about 17 miles off the coast.
The captain and officers of the FORRESBANK were transferred to the tug when she arrived and will try to board the vessel again. It is reported that the fire started after a boiler explosion.
But due to deterioration weather the master and officers could not reboard the vessel, which was still burning. On 10 Nov. at 05.00 GMT the vessel ran aground on the Pondoland coast. Smaller explosions occurred in the vessel during the night and at dawn she was a floating mass of flames. The tug A M CAMPBELL was forced to stand well away from the blazing vessel.
The tug reported that she has located the vessel ashore 5 miles north? west of Rame Head and ¼ mile north east of Umtakaty River, still burning amidships and in no 4 and no 5 holds, with no hope of salving vessel.
She was accessible from shore but inaccessible on land, terrain very rough, and it was decided not to refloat her due mostly to the heavy damage on the vessel.
On 14 Nov, surveyor reports no hope of salvage and vessel started to break up aft of engineroom. He recommends calling for tenders for purchase “as lies or on a percentage basis”

Transkei 1994 1r05 sg317, scott302.

Sources: Mr. John D. Stevenson. Lloyds Register of Shipping 1926. Shipbuilders to the World – 125 years of Harland & Wolf, 1861 – 1986. Watercraft Philately Vol. 41 page 16. Lloyds List newspaper 1