On 19 February 1967,
Torrey Canyon left the
Kuwait National Petroleum Company refinery, at
Mina, Kuwait (later Al Ahmadi) on her final voyage with a full cargo of crude oil. The ship reached the
Canary Islands on 14 March. From there the planned route was to
Milford Haven in Wales.[
citation needed]
Torrey Canyon struck Pollard's Rock on
Seven Stones reef, between the Cornish mainland and the
Isles of Scilly, on 18 March. It became
grounded 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 of
air strikes from the
Fleet Air Arm (FAA) and
Royal Air Force (RAF). On 28 March 1967, FAA
Blackburn Buccaneers from
RNAS Lossiemouth dropped 1,000-pound bombs on the ship. Afterwards RAF
Hawker Hunter from
RAF Chivenordropped cans of
jet 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 FAA
de Havilland Sea Vixens from
RNAS Yeovilton and Buccaneers from the
RNAS Brawdy, as well as Hunters of No 1(F) Squadron RAF from
RAF West Raynham with
napalm. Bombing continued into the next day, until
Torrey Canyon finally sank.
[4] A total of 161 bombs, 16 rockets, 1,500 long tons (1,500 t) of napalm and 44,500 litres (9,800 imp gal) of kerosene were used.
[5
We were on holiday in Cornwall when this happened.
Is there anyone out there from the FAA/RAF who dropped stuff on it who can tell us what it was like to be involved?
Did it sink through Mother Nature or are you the one who DEFINITELY hit it??!!