TANKER IN COLLISION

Press, Volume XCIII, Issue 27961, 7 May 1956, Page 13

TANKER IN COLLISION

Crew Abandons Flaming Ship (N.Z. Press Association—Copyright) (Rec. 10 p.m.) LONDON, May 5. Thirty-seven survivors from the 9074-ton Norwegian tanker Erling Borthen, which was abandoned in flames after a collision in fog in the English Channel, landed at Dover tonight. Meanwhile, the Erling Borthen, still burning, arrived off Boulogne in tow of the French tug Jean Bart, whose crew fought the flames for hours. The tanker had 17,000 tons of oil aboard.

The crew of the Jean Bart managed to get a towline aboard although explosions were rocking the tanker and the decks were whitehot. Flaming oil cascading from the tanker set a square mile of the ChanneJ alight. Survivors landed at Dover included four wives of members of the crew. One of the crew is believed to have died in the fire which broke out after the tanker had been in collision with the Liberian vessel Santa Rosa. The 7179-ton Santa Rosa was undamaged and took six of her crew who were seriously burned to Portsmouth.

Survivors from the Erling Borthen were landed at Dover by the 700-ton British coastal steamer Harbrook, which answered a distress signal.

A Greek seaman, Fotios Nitodas, one of the .Santa Rosa’s casualties, said: “The Norwegian tanker burst into a mushroom of flames so high and intense they came all over our ship like a mountain and burst on us.”