An ‘out-of-control floating bomb’ menacing shipping off the Isle of Wight hit national headlines on 5th October 1974.
The ‘bomb’ was a blazing cargo ship loaded with 150 tons of dynamite, drifting helplessly across packed English Channel shipping lanes.
A spokesperson from the radio station at Niton warned:
“That ship is a floating bomb. If anything ran into it, armour plating wouldn’t save it.”
The drama began when a Mayday message was received from the 420-ton Cypriot registered vessel Ammersee, stating she was on fire and that the crew were abandoning ship.
It was only after the crew members had been picked up from lifeboats that it became known the blazing ship had 150 tons of dynamite on board.
Niton radio reported:
“The shipping lanes are very busy and we are very concerned. At this time of the morning, many ships’ radio operators have signed off for the night and might not be getting our messages.”
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A coastguard spokesperson claimed:
“It is much too dangerous to put a firefighting crew on board. We have alerted the Admiralty.
“I would imagine that their only chance is to sink it. You can’t have a thing like that floating around.
“150 tons of dynamite would make a hell of a mess of any ship.”
A senior officer at the Ministry of Defence commented:
“You can’t get anyone near it. Everyone is waiting for it to go up.”
Discussions were held as to whether planes or warships should be used to sink the stricken vessel. However, the Ammersee eventually drifted towards French waters, where she was sunk by gunfire from the French navy frigate Le Champennois.
Footage from 1974 below (no sound):
