Sharpness, The Severn Railway Bridge c.1955

Photo ref: S502006

More about this scene

Constructed of wrought iron and completed in 1879, the Severn Bridge was the longest tied-arch, bowstring truss bridge on the British railway network. At 4161 ft in length, it carried not only the railway but a gas main. On the evening of 25 October 1960 in dense fog the bridge was struck by the estuarine tankers 'Arkendale H', carrying 400 tons of heavy fuel oil, and 'Wastdale H', loaded with 350 tons of petrol. Parts of the bridge fell onto the tankers, the gas main was fractured, and the resulting explosion brought down yet more debris onto the vessels. The heat became so intense that it welded the two ships together. Two complete sections of the bridge were destroyed. The bridge was eventually dismantled, part of it being sold to Chile for re-erection as a road bridge. The wrecks of the tankers can still be seen.