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Sitakund

3K views 6 replies 4 participants last post by  potenkin 
#1 ·
Does anyone have any pix of the Norwegian tanker Sitakund? She exploded and caught fire off Beachy Head in October 1968, and was towed to Eastbourne bay by my late father's tug Meeching.
Thanks
Andy G
 
#3 · (Edited)
Hi Santos (AKA Chris!)

Thanks for the site details but oh no, a lot of that information is wrong! (EEK)
Sitakund was not aground when Meeching arrived. She was on fire and adrift in a shipping lane! After searching without success for survivors - most had been rescued by fishing boats and then transferred to the Royal Navy frigate HMS Mohawk - Meeching towed Sitakund towards Pevensey to try and beach her on sand and fight the fire there, but she grounded on rocks off Eastbourne. Meeching, the Dover tug Dominant and the Fire Services put the fire out and there were no explosions after firefighting had started. This is just as well as both tugs were only 5-10 meters away most of the time! They put the fire out, it wasn't left to burn. The forward section of the Sitakund was towed away quite soon after for scrap but the burnt out after section became a landmark for a long time before it was eventually towed away!

Andy G (*))

PS. The pic is not Sitakund
 
#4 ·
Hi Andy,

The Forepart of the "Sitakund" arrived in tow of the tug "Englishman" in Falmouth on 02/01/69 & i have a photo (no a cutting) taken by the local paper.

As this is the first time i have posted on this site i am not sure of the procedure to add a photo but will try??

I have tried but cannot get picture small enough.

If you have an e-mail address i could send it that way.

Charles.
 
#5 ·
Hi

Thanks.

There should be no trouble with the size of the photo. Upload it to the Ships of the World gallery and Admin will move it if they deem fit. Or you can email it to me on andy.gilbert at virgin.net (obviously replace the word 'at' with the @ sign and remove the spaces on either side) (*)) I'll upload it to my gallery and credit you and the paper for the pic.

Thanks
Andy
 
#7 ·
Some information about SITAKUND, and his final destiny scrapped in spain:

11) M / T SITAKUND (LAHW) Built by Eriksbergs mek. Verkstads AB, Gothenburg (# 409) 15,567 brt, 9400 nrt, 24,350 t.dw. 605.2 x 77.2 x 42.6 9cyl. 2T EV B&W DM (Eriksberg), 8750 bhp 1951: June: Delivered as SOGNEFJELL for A / S Dovrefjell (Olsen & Ugelstad), Oslo 1964: Dec .: Sold to Skips A / S Avanti, Skips A / S Glarona & Skips A / S Navalis (Tschudi & Eitzen), Oslo. Renamed SITAKUND 1968: 21.10 .: Came into fire after repeated explosions utf. Eastbourne on the move Wilhelmshaven - Zuleima in ballast. 37 men rescued by French trawlers, 3 men died. Sank by Beachy Head, then broke in two. 1968: 30.12 .: The foreship brought nicely and towed to Falmouth. 1969: 14.03 .: The ship arrived in Gandia, Spain, for chopping at Hierros Ardes.
 
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