RFA ''Bedenham'' was a naval armament carrier of the British

Royal Fleet Auxiliary The Royal Fleet Auxiliary (RFA) is a naval auxiliary fleet owned by the UK's Ministry of Defence. It provides logistical and operational support to the Royal Navy and Royal Marines. The RFA ensures the Royal Navy is supplied and supported by ...

that exploded while docked in

Gibraltar ) , anthem = " God Save the King" , song = " Gibraltar Anthem" , image_map = Gibraltar location in Europe.svg , map_alt = Location of Gibraltar in Europe , map_caption = United Kingdom shown in pale green , mapsize = , image_map2 = Gib ...

on 27 April 1951, killing 13 people and causing a great deal of damage to the town.

Cause of the explosion

The ''Bedenham'' arrived in

on 24 April 1951, tying up at Gun Wharf. On the morning of 27 April, depth charges were being unloaded into a

lighter A lighter is a portable device which creates a flame, and can be used to ignite a variety of items, such as cigarettes, gas lighter, fireworks, candles or campfires. It consists of a metal or plastic container filled with a flammable liquid or ...

when one of them ignited. Several men were organised to fight the fire from the quayside, but to no avail. Eventually all the other firefighters withdrew except George Campbell Henderson, a sub-officer with the dockyard fire service, who doggedly held a firehose into the fire. An explosion in the lighter caused a fire which spread to the ''Bedenham'', triggering a violent explosion in which the bow was blown out of the water and onto Gun Wharf, while the rest of the ship sank.

Casualties

Thirteen people were killed in the explosion, including Henderson, who was posthumously awarded the George Cross for his bravery in attempting to extinguish the fire. The

King's Police and Fire Services Medal The King's Police Medal (KPM) is awarded to police in the United Kingdom for gallantry or distinguished service. It was also formerly awarded within the wider British Empire, including Commonwealth countries, most of which now have their own hono ...

(for Gallantry) was posthumously awarded to Albert Alexander Indoe, Chief Fire Officer HM Dockyard, Gibraltar. Two dock workers, among them Jose Moss, and two traders on nearby Ragged Staff Road were killed by flying debris. One firefighter was injured. Dock overseer Salvador Bula was injured by the explosion but managed to get others who were injured to safety. Hundreds were injured and had to be taken to the

Royal Naval Hospital Gibraltar The Royal Naval Hospital Gibraltar (RNH Gibraltar), formerly the British Military Hospital Gibraltar (BMH Gibraltar), was a military hospital founded c. 1903 to provide healthcare for British military personnel and local sailors. The facility, ...

, then known as the British Military Hospital Gibraltar. The crew of the ''Bedenham'' had already abandoned the ship by the time of the explosion, with the exception of the Captain and the Naval Armament Supply Officer, both of whom were blown into the water but subsequently rescued.

Effect of the explosion

In addition to the human casualties, many of Gibraltar's buildings suffered substantial damage in the explosion, including the Cathedral of St. Mary the Crowned, the Cathedral of the Holy Trinity, and the Convent (the official residence of the

governor of Gibraltar The governor of Gibraltar is the representative of the British monarch in the British overseas territory of Gibraltar. The governor is appointed by the monarch on the advice of the British government. The role of the governor is to act as the ...

). It was locally recognized that the damage to the town would have been much worse but for the City of Gibraltar's fortress defensive walls, built between the 16th and 19th centuries, which deflected part of the explosion's blast. Another effect of the explosion was to delay the programme of housing necessary for the

Gibraltarians The Gibraltarians ( Spanish: ''gibraltareños'', colloquially: '' llanitos'') are an ethnic group native to Gibraltar, a British overseas territory located near the southernmost tip of the Iberian Peninsula at the entrance to the Mediterrane ...

who had been repatriated following their evacuation during World War II. The British Admiralty accepted full responsibility for the damage, and approximately £250,000 in Gibraltar pounds was paid out in

indemnity In contract law, an indemnity is a contractual obligation of one party (the ''indemnitor'') to compensate the loss incurred by another party (the ''indemnitee'') due to the relevant acts of the indemnitor or any other party. The duty to indemni ...

. The remains of the ''Bedenham'' were towed from Gibraltar to the Tyne by the tug ''Saucy'' on 31 May 1952, whereupon they were scrapped.RFA Bedenham
at the RFA Historical site, retrieved 5 April 2015

Notes

References

* Benady, Tito (1992) ''The Royal Navy at Gibraltar'', pp. 221–222. * Hebblethwaite, Marion (2006) ''One Step Further: Those Whose Gallantry Was Rewarded with the George Cross'', * Jackson, William (1987) ''Rock of the Gibraltarians: A History of Gibraltar'', p. 297. *

Bibliography