| History | |
|---|---|
| Name | SSTorrey Canyon |
| Owner | Barracuda Tanker Corporation |
| Operator | BP |
| Port of registry |  Liberia |
| Builder | Newport News Shipbuilding |
| Yard number | 532 |
| Launched | 28 October 1958 |
| Completed | January 1959 |
| Identification |
|
| Fate | Sank after running aground on 18 March 1967 |
| General characteristics | |
| Type | Supertanker |
| Tonnage | |
| Length | 974.4 ft (297.0 m) |
| Beam | 125.4 ft (38.2 m) |
| Draught | 68.7 ft (20.9 m) |
| Propulsion | Single shaft;steam turbine |
| Speed | 17 knots (31 km/h; 20 mph) |
SSTorrey Canyon was anLR2 (Long Range 2)Suezmax classoil tanker with a cargo capacity of 118,285 long tons (120,183 t) ofcrude oil. She ran aground off the western coast ofCornwall, United Kingdom, on 18 March 1967, causing anenvironmental disaster. At that time she was the largest vessel ever to be wrecked. The ship is named after Torrey Canyon, a location in Ventura County, California.
When built byNewport News Shipbuilding in the United States in 1959, she had adeadweight tonnage capacity of 65,920 long tons (66,980 t). However, the ship was later enlarged by Sasebo Heavy Industries inJapan to 118,285 long tons (120,183 t) capacity.[1]
At the time of the shipwreck she was owned byBarracuda Tanker Corporation, a subsidiary of theUnion Oil Company ofCalifornia, and registered inLiberia[2] but chartered toBP. She was 974.4 feet (297.0 m) long, 125.4 feet (38.2 m)beam and had 68.7 feet (20.9 m) ofdraught.[citation needed].
On 19 February 1967,Torrey Canyon left theKuwait National Petroleum Company refinery, atMina, Kuwait (later Al Ahmadi) on her final voyage with a full cargo of crude oil. The ship reached theCanary Islands on 14 March. From there the planned route was toMilford Haven in Wales.[citation needed]
Torrey Canyon struck Pollard's Rock onSeven Stones reef, between the Cornish mainland and theIsles of Scilly, on 18 March. She becamegrounded and, several days later, began to break up.
In an effort to reduce the size of the oil spill, the British government decided to set the wreck on fire, by means ofair strikes from theFleet Air Arm (FAA) andRoyal Air Force (RAF). On 28 March 1967, FAABlackburn Buccaneers fromRNAS Lossiemouth dropped 1,000-pound bombs on the ship. Afterwards RAFHawker Hunter fromRAF Chivenor dropped cans ofjet fuel (kerosene), to fuel the blaze.[3] However, the fire was put out by high tides,[clarification needed] and further strikes were needed to re-ignite the oil, by FAAde Havilland Sea Vixens fromRNAS Yeovilton and Buccaneers from theRNAS Brawdy, as well as Hunters of No 1(F) Squadron RAF fromRAF West Raynham withnapalm. Bombing continued into the next day, untilTorrey Canyon finally sank.[4] A total of 161 bombs, 16 rockets, 1,500 long tons (1,500 t)[dubious –discuss] of napalm and 44,500 litres (9,800 imp gal) of kerosene were used.[5]
Attempts to contain the oil using foam-filledcontainment booms were largely unsuccessful, due to the booms' fragility in high seas. Soldiers from9 Independent Parachute Squadron RE were tasked to clear several Cornish beaches affected by the spill.[6]
When the oil reachedGuernsey seven days after the grounding, authorities scooped up the oil into sewage tankers and siphoned it off into a disused quarry in the northeast of the island. Some time later, micro-organisms were introduced to see if they could break the oil down intocarbon dioxide and water.[7] This was a limited success, so in 2010, a bio-remediation process was initiated to speed up the process.[8]
An inquiry inLiberia, where the ship was registered, foundShipmaster Pastrengo Rugiati was to blame, because he took a shortcut to save time to get to Milford Haven. Additionally a design fault meant that the helmsman was unaware that the steering selector switch had been accidentally left on autopilot and hence was unable to carry out a timely turn to go through the shipping channel.[9]
The wreck lies at a depth of 30 metres (98 ft).[citation needed]
Shipwrecks and maritime incidents in 1967 | |
|---|---|
| Shipwrecks |
|
| Other incidents |
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50°02′30″N6°07′44″W / 50.0417°N 6.1288°W /50.0417; -6.1288
