Author: Neville Merritt (Page 18 of 45)

On Friday 2nd September, a service of remembrance and dedication was held at the grave of the only crew member to be buried in the UK. Ibrahim Hussain, aged 19 was one of only five of the crew whose bodies were found following the wreck of MV Flag Theofano on 29th January 1990, only a few miles from Portsmouth Harbour. The other 14 bodies were never recovered and are assumed to be inside the wreck still.

Thanks to the campaigning of Martin Woodward, author of “The Forgotten Shipwreck” and Steve Hunt who did a lot of the organising, with the help of Portsmouth City Council and others a memorial headstone has been installed over the grave of Ibrahim Hussain. This was unveiled at a service held at the graveside in the Muslim section of Kingston Cemetery, Portsmouth. Those attending included many who had been involved in ship movements in the area at the time of the disaster, representatives from the pilots, harbour authorities and others who wanted those who had lost their lives to be remembered and not “forgotten”.

The Deputy Lord Mayor Councillor Tom Coles introduced the service before Sheikh Fazle Abbas Datoo led the service through words and prayers in Arabic and English. After a short address from Martin Woodward, the headstone was unveiled and the assembled congregation stood for a minute’s silence. Wreaths were laid by the Deputy Lord Mayor, Martin Woodward and Roger Thornton on behalf of the Southampton Shipowners Association, Port Agents, Merchant Navy, Welfare Board and Sailors Society Southampton.

If you want to know more about the story of the wreck and subsequent investigation, I recommend Martin Woodward’s book (see link at the bottom of this page to purchase a copy). Martin was one of the RNLI crew serving on the night of the wreck, and as a commercial diver assisted in the investigation. For many years, the cause of the wreck was a mystery, but this book finally provides a public account of what probably happened.

However, as one mystery is solved, others remain. It seems almost inconceivable that the damaged Dean Tail buoy which would have provided vital evidence was quickly removed and has never been seen since. Although it was possible to attempt to recover the remaining bodies from the wreck, permission was never provided. The Greek shipowners have not cooperated even 30 years later with requests for information about the ship such as internal plans which could have helped with the investigation. Was there something to hide or is this simply avoiding any potential blame? The mysteries remain. The largest peacetime disaster in the Solent area since WW2 has been forgotten or ignored by many, but hopefully this headstone will be the first of more memorials to be placed in remembrance of those who lost their lives.

You can watch a BBC South recording here featuring interviews with Martin Woodward and Steve Hunt:

The written report from BBC South Today is here

You can purchase a copy of Martin Woodward’s book here:

Author Martin Woodward MBE is probably the most qualified person in the entire world to write this particular book. Not only was he on the crew of the Bembridge lifeboat on the fateful night of the Flag Theofano sinking, he was also the professional diver called in subsequently to investigate the wreck. He has taken a lifelong interest in the circumstances surrounding the wreck and in honouring all those who perished. He lives in Bembridge, Isle of Wight on the seafront and he can see the wreck site every day.

This short book is a fascinating account of what most probably happened that night and resolves much of the uncertainty surrounding the cause of the sinking. Of course, we will never know for certain, but Martin’s assessment is highly plausible and dispels many of the myths surrounding the sinking.

I won’t spoil the story by revealing the ending, but it is worrying that there is a hint of a cover-up immediately following the sinking. This is strange because the missing evidence would not have implicated any party at the time and could have given some closure to the families of those lost.

The book contains many photographs, incredibly detailed sonar images from as recent as 2022, and excellent sketches drawn by the author to illustrate his findings and theories.

If you are local to Portsmouth, the headstone for Ibrahim Hussain (the last of the five crew members to be found) will be unveiled at 10:00 on the 2nd September. Ibrahim’s grave is at Kingston Cemetery and he is the only crew member to be buried in the UK. The grave has been unmarked for over 30 years, but now thanks to the interest created by Martin’s campaigning there will be a headstone on the grave. The unveiling will be followed by a book launch at Southsea castle.

For the price it is well worth a read and gives a lot more meaning to those two cardinal buoys and the lump on the fishfinder.

You can buy a copy here:

Hampshire Constabulary Marine Unit have produced a useful leaflet sumarising all the speed limits in the harbours and rivers around the Solent. This is helpful because they differ, and signage is often small or obscured. You can download a copy of the leaflet here.

COLREGS Rule 6 – Safe Speed

Every vessel shall at all times proceed at a safe speed so that she can take proper and effective action to avoid collision and be stopped within the distance appropriate to the prevailing circumstances and conditions.

The following factors should be among those taken into account:

1. The state of visibility
2. The traffic density including concentrations of fishing vessels or any other vessels
3. The manoeuvrability of the vessel with special reference to stopping distance and turning ability in the prevailing conditions
4. The state of wind, sea and current, and the proximity of navigational hazards
5. At night the presence of background light such as from shore lights or other back scatter
6. In instances where radar is being used, the limitations associated with your radar device and general radar navigation must be considered