Isle of Wight diver and shipwreck enthusiast Martin Woodward has written a book on the loss of the Flag Theofano, widely considered to be The Solent’s worst modern day shipping tragedy, in which 19 people died.
The book, called The Forgotten Shipwreck — Lost With All Hands, was officially launched on September 2, will hopefully keep the story of the Flag Theofano alive in people’s memories.
Scroll through the gallery of pictures above to see more...
Martin said: “I live on the seafront at Bembridge overlooking where the ship sank three miles offshore and am constantly reminded of the tragedy, as the buoys marking the wreck are visible.
“It only happened 32 years ago off Bembridge, and 14 of the crew are still entombed in the wreck, but strangely, very few people remember it.”
He was one of the divers who investigated the wreck for the Marine Accident Investigation Branch and the vessel’s owners and insurers, and he was also second coxswain of the Bembridge lifeboat when the Flag Theofano sank in 1990.
The MV Flag Theofano was a Greek-registered cement carrier on a journey from Le Havre to Southampton carrying 3,920 tons of cement. Her crew were Greek, Egyptian or Maldivian nationals.
Approaching The Solent on the evening of January 29 in rough weather the ship was told to anchor in St Helens Anchorage off the Isle of Wight.
The last contact with the ship was at 7.32pm when it was passing the Nab Tower.
When the ship was called by radio the next morning and given permission to enter Southampton, there was no reply.
A search was carried out and when a lifeboat and two bodies were found, it was assumed the ship had sunk during the night.
Eventually an oil patch was found close to the Dean Tail buoy and the wreck was found 20 metres below the surface.
When the weather had calmed divers inspected the wreck and found the ship had settled upside down, and that the cargo of cement had already started to harden.
Of the 19 dead crew, five of their bodies were recovered, while the remaining 14 have no known grave other than within the wreck or in the sea.
Four of the recovered bodies were returned to Greece for burial, but the remaining crew member — Ibrahim Hussain — was buried in Portsmouth, after his body was found at Bracklesham Bay on February 19, about three weeks after the ship sank.
A 19-year old seaman from Kulhudhuffushi in the Maldives, Ibrahim was buried in the Muslim section in Kingston Cemetery in St Mary's Road, Fratton, Portsmouth.
Until recently his grave was unmarked. A fundraising effort, which included members of the Southampton Shipowners’ Association and people involved in the search operation or the local shipping industry at the time, has paid for the headstone, which was installed by Portsmouth City Council on September 2.
During this commemoration event, Martin also officially launched his book.
A Marine Accident Investigation Branch inquiry found that the Flag Theofano’s loss was due to capsizing in bad weather, possibly after the cargo shifted.
The inquest was held at Chichester in July 1991 and returned a verdict of death by misadventure.
Martin has been in the commercial diving industry since 1968 and is still actively diving, so he has made more recent visits to examine the wreck.
His book gives some fascinating insights into the circumstances leading up to the sinking and what could have happened to the ship.
The book is available via Amazon, priced at £7.99, as well as locally at Bembridge Lane End Co-Op and at The Shipwreck Centre at Arreton.
Like reading stories about the Isle of Wight and its characters in bygone days? Click here to visit our Looking Back section for more interesting tales.
House Rules
We do not moderate comments, but we expect readers to adhere to certain rules in the interests of open and accountable debate.
Read the rules here