place

Whiddy Island disaster

1979 disasters in Ireland1979 in the Republic of IrelandEngvarB from October 2013Explosions in 1979Explosions in Ireland
History of County CorkIndustrial fires and explosionsJanuary 1979 events in EuropeMaritime incidents in 1979Maritime incidents in IrelandPetroleum transportPorts and harbours of the Republic of IrelandPublic inquiries in IrelandShip fires
Bantry
Bantry

The Whiddy Island disaster, also known as the Betelgeuse incident or Betelgeuse disaster, occurred on 8 January 1979, around 1:00 am, when the oil tanker Betelgeuse exploded in Bantry Bay, at the offshore jetty for the oil terminal at Whiddy Island, Ireland. The explosion was attributed to the failure of the ship's structure during an operation to discharge its cargo of oil. The tanker was owned by Total S.A., and the oil terminal was owned by Gulf Oil. The explosion and resulting fire claimed the lives of 50 people (42 French nationals, seven Irish nationals, and one British national). Only 27 bodies were recovered. A further fatality occurred during the salvage operation with the loss of a Dutch diver.

Excerpt from the Wikipedia article Whiddy Island disaster (License: CC BY-SA 3.0, Authors, Images).

Whiddy Island disaster
Goat's Path,

Geographical coordinates (GPS) Address External links Nearby Places
placeShow on map

Wikipedia: Whiddy Island disasterContinue reading on Wikipedia

Geographical coordinates (GPS)

Latitude Longitude
N 51.687222222222 ° E -9.5311111111111 °
placeShow on map

Address

Betelgeuse Incident

Goat's Path
P75 PN81 (Durrus West)
Ireland
mapOpen on Google Maps

linkWikiData (Q110264484)
linkOpenStreetMap (734878410)

Bantry
Bantry
Share experience

Nearby Places