Felixstowe: Victims of the European Gateway disaster to be honoured 31 years on

Survivors of the European Gateway catastrophe joined with Felixstowe’s dignitaries and the seafaring community to pay tribute to the six seamen who lost their lives on that fateful night in 1982.

On a crisp winter’s morning, overlooking the shimmering North Sea, where the macabre spectre of the capsized vessel had remained for weeks after the fatal accident, a simple plaque was unveiled.

Former mayor of Felixstowe Mike Deacon, who helped organise the memorial in response to an Ipswich Star campaign, told those gathered at the cliff tops on Wolsey Gardens that the date would remain with him forever.

“I remember leaving home with absolutely no knowledge of what had happened,” he said.

“I drove down the seafront and out of the corner of my eye I saw the wreck of the ship.

“Like the rest of the town I was in absolute shock and it cast a shadow over the community for many, many weeks.”

The cargo ferry was on its way to Zeebrugge, when it collided with the inbound Speed Link Vanguard just before midnight on December 19, 1982, prompting a heroic rescue operation, which saved all but six of the 70 people on board.

But while the disaster remained etched in the minds of those who witnessed it, there had been no official memorial to honour those that died.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=msjp8zPFGh4

Following a campaign launched by the Ipswich Star and BBC Radio Suffolk, Mr Deacon, with the permission of Felixstowe Town Council, sought suggestions for possible tributes.

The Felixstowe Society, East of England Co-operative and Perfitt stonemasons all rose to the challenge and were thanked profusely by Mr Deacon at this morning’s memorial.

Roger Baker, chairman of the Felixstowe Society, added his thanks to the organisers.

“There’s been a lot of work going on in the background and we are very proud to be associated with this partnership,” he said.

United Reformed Church minister Rev Ivor Smith led the audience in a simple prayer remembering those that had died and “all that sail the seas”.

Speaking after the event, Mr Deacon said he was “absolutely delighted” with how it went.

“I think it’s a very fitting tribute,” he said,

The current mayor, Jan Garfield, also welcomed the event.

“It was amazing to see so many ex-mariners who have known each other from various ships around the areas, and I think it’s wonderful to seem them all meeting up with each other again,” she said.

Survivors of a maritime disaster in which six people died have recalled the terrifying moment the ship began to sink and the amazing bravery that saw them safely home.

As a memorial was unveiled honouring those who lost their lives when the European Gateway sank off the Felixstowe coast 31 years ago today, many of those fortunate enough to have made it back alive gathered to pay their respects.

Simon Dowers was a 23-year-old able seamen resting in his bunk when the cargo ferry struck another vessel just before midnight on December 19 1982.

“I felt the ship take on a heavy movement then I heard the hooter sound the call to abandon ship,” he said.

“I can’t remember feeling terror or fear, I just remember my training kicking in and doing what we were supposed to do.”

After recognising the danger of the situation, Mr Dowers went to the port side of the ship to help roll out the lifeboats, only to find his path blocked by the encroaching waters. Moving across to the starboard side, this time he found the boats trapped.

“We couldn’t get them away, so the option was to climb around or to jump into the sea - I took that decision,” he said.

“My main memory is that the sea is quite cold in December - that stuck in my mind for a while.”

Though Mr Dowers was picked up by one of the rescue boats that attended, the young men he jumped with was not so lucky.

Tony Mason, was another who drowned, his name forever etched in the memory of George Lawn, a lorry driver on board, who pulled him out of the icy sea.

“I can rarely remember names, but that’s one I will never forget,” he said.

Two more truckers, Paul Clayden and Ivan Hardy, had been sharing a cabin when the warning sounded.

“I was thrown out of the top bunk and landed on something soft, which turned out to be Ivan,” said Mr Clayden.

The two men were guided out of total towards by a “pinprick of light” where they found an engineer who led them through the ship, exiting at its funnel.

There they waited with 31 other passengers and crew until a pilot boat captain risked his life to manoeuvre within inches of the sinking ship allowing them to cross to safety.

“It was an amazing act of bravery,” Mr Clayden said.

“He couldn’t have known whether the ship was going to turtle on top of him but it was a good job he was there.”