A HISTORY group has put out a call for survivors of the deadly sinking of a pleasure steamer which sailed from Minehead Harbour 45 years ago.

The MV Prince Ivanhoe was on a cruise from Minehead to the coast of Wales with up to 450 passengers and 18 crew on board when it foundered on August 3, 1981.

Disaster struck in Port Eynon Bay, on the southern Gower Peninsula, sparking a dramatic sea rescue operation.

Now, Port Eynon History Group is preparing a special exhibition over the Spring Bank Holiday weekend, May 23 to 25, to commemorate the 45th anniversary of the ship’s sinking.

The exhibition will feature personal accounts, photographs, and archive material, including a contemporary report from the Coastguard’s 1981 quarterly journal.

The history group is appealing for the public’s help to complete the story and wants to hear from anybody who was a passenger on the vessel, or who has photographs or memories of the event.

A spokesperson said: “The group is especially keen to hear from anybody who was on board the Prince Ivanhoe that day.

“First hand memories, from the moment of impact to the final rescue, would be invaluable in helping tell the full story.

“More than four decades on, the story remains one of the most remarkable maritime rescues ever seen along the Gower coast.”

The emergency began to unfold shortly after 3.30 pm when the Prince Ivanhoe struck an unseen underwater rock which tore a 60-feet gash in her hull.

With the ship taking on water, the captain made the critical decision to turn for shore, grounding the vessel in shallow water about 75 yards from the beach.

As the ship approached the bay, people on shore watched in alarm as lifeboats and life rafts were prepared and more than 460 passengers and crew put on life jackets.

The spokesperson said: “What followed was an extraordinary rescue effort.

“Lifeboats from Horton and Mumbles, Coastguard teams, and helicopters arrived with remarkable speed.

“In a testament to the skill and co-ordination of all involved, every passenger and crew member was brought safely ashore, although tragically one passenger later died after collapsing on the beach.”

A number of small commercial pleasure boats which were in the bay at the time also helped to take passengers ashore.

As well as the death of the man from a heart attack shortly after the rescue, the shipwrecked vessel was lost and eventually broke in two in the following winter’s storms, with a salvage operation three years later to remove the wreckage.

The spokesperson said: “In preparation for the exhibition, the history group has already tracked down and recorded interviews with Coastguard personnel, lifeboat crews, and eyewitnesses who watched events unfold from the shore.

“However, one vital perspective is still missing and the group is now appealing for the public’s help to complete the picture.”

Anybody who can help the history group should email to [email protected].

The 200-feet Prince Ivanhoe, built in 1951, was originally an Isle of Wight ferry named MV Shanklin.