Brighton Past- The Album

THE ATHINA B

The Athina B left the Azores on 11 December 1979 laden with 3,000 tonnes of Pummice. Her destination was the port at Shoreham-by Sea, West Sussex. During the voyage, she had problems with her generator, gyro compass and radar, and put in at La Rochelle in France for repairs. On arrival at Shoreham on 20 January, force seven or eight winds meant she was unable to enter harbour. Her engines failed, and a Mayday call was issued. The Shoreham lifeboat Dorothy and Philip Constance took off half the crew and the captain's family, with the rest being rescued on the morning of 21 January. A total of four missions were needed to rescue all those on board. The ship drifted eastwards and eventually ran aground to the east of the Palace Pier. The ship broke her back and was declared a write-off.

The ship remained on the beach for a month, before she was eventually refloated and towed to a scrapyard at Rainham on 21 February 1980, where she was scrapped. A mobile crane was used to remove the cargo, and the ship was guarded by the police to prevent looting.

Here are some of our members photos from that time.