M/S Talabot
Photo courtesy of Richard Tyler-Bemand.
M/S Talabot sinking
in Grand Harbour. Photo probably taken 26th March 1942. The ship took a direct
hit in her engine room.
The fire spread to the her cargo of ammunition, torpedoes, large bombs &
flammable goods.
On entering harbour she was left for 12 hours before unloading started. Only
a few hundred tons were unloaded before the ship was dive bombed & hit
which caused
flames to issue from the ship. The population of Malta didn't know that the
cargo was enough explosives to cause extensive damage to Floriana & the
3 cities.
Captain Toft made a decision to blow a hole in the ships side to flood the
cargo in an effort to stop it exploding. A handful of brave volunteers boarded
the ship to carry out the scuttling.
The wreck was reportedly still smouldering 6 weeks after the sinking.
Bell of the Talabot currently residing in the Malta National War Museum.
References:-
http://www.warsailors.com/singleships/talabot.html
- This a great page giving full information about the ship & the part
played in supplying Malta.
Also details of the bombing & even later salvage efforts in 1985 to clear
the wreck from the harbour.