A rare summer shipwreck shocked Malta 65 years ago when the regular ferry from Sicily, the MV Star of Malta, ran aground and capsized off what is now the Westin Dragonara Hotel, killing two. Christopher Scicluna reports. 

The old ship steamed into a patch of thick fog as it was returning from Syracuse in the early morning of July 29, 1955. Within minutes, it hit the Merkanti Reef, about 80 metres off Paceville, sparking panic on board.

Some of the 57 passengers on board jumped into the sea as the vessel quickly capsized and managed to swim to shore. But the fog prevented many from actually seeing land, despite it being so close, and they waited for rescue by the many small fishermen’s boats which converged on the spot as the fog lifted.

“We could not see the land although it was only a few yards away,” one survivor later recounted.

There was a lot of shouting for help, but the thick fog also deflected the sound, Times of Malta reported at the time.

One resident of Paceville who heard the ship’s siren and the shouts for help thought something had happened in Sliema.

Some people were trapped below decks but managed to survive as the ship got stuck on the rocks, with its port side and most of the main deck above water.

A team from the Royal Navy and the Royal Marines arrived quickly and began a search below decks for any passengers trapped in cabins.

A man was spotted on the seabed and brought to the surface. CPR was applied, to no avail, and he was pronounced dead. He was later identified as Second Cook A. Grech. The other victim, Mary Borg, a passenger, remained unaccounted for.

Times of Malta reported that as the last survivors were brought ashore, the boats had to navigate among floating tables, chairs and wooden crates.

The sea was also covered with fruit which had been carried as deck cargo. Elderly residents of St Julian’s still recount how large quantities of fruit was washed up on shore.

Divers search the ship in almost total darkness

Divers from the Royal Navy’s Special Boat Section dived into the sea to search all submerged areas of the ship.

“It was a hard task, carried out in almost total darkness. Bedding floated above them as they trod into the gloom,” Times of Malta reported.

The divers were warned not to enter the engine room amid fears that the inrush of water may cause the boilers to blow up.

The police fanned out across the shore to list the passengers and crew as they swam ashore or were landed by the little boats. One constable even produced a bottle of brandy to give heart to the shocked survivors as they landed.

Prime Minister Dom Mintoff was among those who boarded the stricken ship late in the morning as the rescue operation continued.

Most of the cargo was actually salvaged, including the mail bags. There were some reports, however, about some cargo and personal belongings going missing or stolen.

The Star of Malta was Malta’s only link to Sicily at the time, but the Royal Navy sent the destroyer, HMS Scorpion, to pick up stranded passengers in Sicily.

Ship’s master blamed

An inquiry later blamed the ship’s master, Commodore S.G. Kent, for the tragedy. In view of his otherwise perfect record, however, the assessors only recommended that his master’s licence be suspended for 12 months.

We could not see the land although it was only a few yards away

The vessel was refloated within a few weeks and towed to Messina for repairs. Two months later, it was back in service and back in Malta.

In March 1966 it was sold to Cantieri Navali delle Grazie, La Spezia, Italy where it was broken up.

Major incident two years before grounding

The ship was involved in another incident two years before its grounding off Malta.

In April 1953 it developed engine trouble as it approached Syracuse in rough seas. Waves began to flood the ship and sailors formed a line to empty buckets of water back into the sea.

Victoria Pace Ross, who was on board, reported that chairs, tables and glassware in the restaurant crashed onto the deck.

Passengers were called on deck in their nightwear and most were feeling sick and worried.

“We were all assembled on the top deck where we were shown how to wear lifebelts. An SOS was sent by the captain to ships nearby asking to transfer the passengers because there was an imminent danger of sinking.

The Star of Malta was moved to Capo Passero for shelter. After some hours the crew managed to solve the trouble and the ship limped to Syracuse.

Ferry started life as luxury yacht

The Star of Malta was launched in 1925 as the luxury yacht Camargo, owned by wealthy American yachtsman Julius Fleischmann of Cincinnati. He took it on a round-the-world cruise between 1931-32.

In 1938, Camargo was sold to the president of the Dominican Republic, Generalissimo Rafael Trujillo, and renamed Ramfis.

In 1942, it was acquired by the US Navy, converted for naval service and commissioned as USS Marcasite (PY-28).

It saw service at Pearl Harbour escorting merchant ships and was later based in  Seattle as a patrol and weather station ship.

Decommissioned on October 5, 1944, the ship was then sold for commercial use and renamed Comando.

In 1947, it was acquired by the Minster SS Co. Ltd (Mitchell Cotts & Co. Malta) and renamed Westminster.

In 1952 it was sold to Paul Laferla, who converted it into a ferry, renamed it Star of Malta and operated return trips to Sicily three times a week.