Wreck of the Victory Trooship

[John Rogers]

While surfing for nautical sites I ran across this story of a young RAF man that was on his way home from Australia after the end of the war. He and other RAF and RN personnel were placed on a Victory ship for repatriation back to blighty; the Victory ship had been designed to be a troop carrier.
The troops had been told to pack their kits as they would be docking in Glasgow the next day so many of them were just laying in their cots waiting to disembark after such a long voyage. The ship was off the Irish coast when the troops felt this awful grinding noise and a loud crash, people fell out of their bunks, steam and water pipes burst and the lights went out, troops ran up to the deck to find themselves securely beached on the Irish coast, boats and nets were lowered and the troops climbed down into them with bags and suit cases strapped to their backs, some even waded ashore as the water was only waist high in places. The ship had broken her back and began to break up on the beach. Within an hour busses began to appear on top of the cliffs and the troops were taken to a nearby base, next morning they were sent off to Scotland for demobilization.
A picture of the ill fated Victory ship is posted in the gallery.
Anyone have any more information on this wreck?
John.

[Bruce Carson]

http://www.library.georgetown.edu/dept/speccoll/guvict.htm
John, this may be the wreck that you're referring to.
It's hard to believe that the Powers That Be could crowd 1,400 on to a Victory.
It looks as if it's just as built, with no additional superstructure.

Bruce C.

[ruud]

Ahoy John,

This should be her:

http://img329.imageshack.us/img329/1633/georgetownvictorynewspaper2jl.th.jpg (http://img329.imageshack.us/my.php?image=georgetownvictorynewspaper2jl.jpg)

[fred henderson]

Ahoy John,

This should be her:

http://img329.imageshack.us/img329/1633/georgetownvictorynewspaper2jl.th.jpg (http://img329.imageshack.us/my.php?image=georgetownvictorynewspaper2jl.jpg)

I like the line that she was chartered from the US in exchange for the Queen Mary. Seems as though USA had the better deal!

Fred

[ruud]

Ahoy Fred,

Sorry it wasn't me who wrote that, came from the Herald, but as always, journalists, aren't that well informed as they write/wrote articles about sea/ships/merchant navy and so on, they just want sensation.Even nowadays, when you follow the news at your tv.;when something happens in the maritime world.

[fred henderson]

Ahoy Fred,

Sorry it wasn't me who wrote that, came from the Herald, but as always, journalists, aren't that well informed as they write/wrote articles about sea/ships/merchant navy and so on, they just want sensation.Even nowadays, when you follow the news at your tv.;when something happens in the maritime world.

Fully agree ruud. Whenever I read a press article where I know the story, there is almost always something wrong in the report. Yet I still believe all of the other stories in the paper! (Read)

[John Rogers]

Thanks for the information, after reading the newspaper clipping and the firsthand story from one of the men its seems there are a couple of contradictions in the story, the paper said they lost all their belongings and presents yet one of the survivors said they saved their baggage. The other item that caught my eye was the fact that one of the ABs was from Birkenhead yet the paper said it was an all american crew. I would like to know how it happened, someone asleep at the wheel and on the bridge.
John