Marchioness disaster

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The Marchioness disaster occurred on the River Thames in London, England, on 20 August 1989, when the pleasure boat Marchioness sank after being run down by the dredger Bowbelle. The two boats collided under Cannon Street Railway Bridge. 51 of the 132 passengers on the Marchioness, who were attending a private birthday party, were drowned.

The party was organised to celebrate the 26th birthday of Antonio de Vasconcellos, who worked in a merchant bank. Many of those at the party were in their 20s, and many were working in the fashion industry. The dead included Francesca Dallaglio, sister of Lawrence Dallaglio, who later became captain of the England national rugby union team.

The disaster was found by the Marine Accident Investigation Branch to have been caused by the poor visibility from each ship's wheelhouse, the fact that both vessels were using the centre of the river, and that no clear instructions were given to the look-out at the bow of the Bowbelle. The skipper of the Bowbelle, Douglas Henderson, was tried for failing to keep a proper look-out but after two juries were deadlocked he was formally acquitted. A Coroner's inquest on April 7, 1995 found the victims had been unlawfully killed. John Prescott as Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions ordered a judicial inquiry under Lord Justice Clarke on August 18, 1999.

Subsequently the Government asked the Maritime and Coastguard Agency, the Port of London Authority and the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) to work together to set up a dedicated Search and Rescue service for the tidal River Thames. Consequently, on the 2 January 2002, the RNLI set up four lifeboat stations at Gravesend, Tower Pier, Chiswick Pier and Teddington.

A memorial to the victims can be found close to the site of the disaster in the Nave of Southwark Cathedral.