วีดีโอ

Yes, I remember that happening and being on the News. I read the details later in the Railway Press, probably the Rly.Magazine.

On the night the locals tried rescuing and you could hear screams

Many thanks for showing close-up views of the two wrecks, which I've seen many times from a distance. I've only just come across your video, but I'm a regular visitor to the canal for a walk between Purton and Sharpness, and I always pause for a few moments near the memorial plaque. I recall seeing the remains of the bridge in place in the 1960s when my girlfriend (who became my wife) and I went walking in the Forest of Dean. Many years later, during the last months of her life, we would take a walk along the towpath from Purton, as it was level and manageable for her. She would wait and rest, but send me as far as the swing bridge pier.

Great drone footage.

please drop the dramatic piano and somber tone, the rest is great

very interesting I grew up in Portishead we use to jump into the sea from in front of the lighthouse we knew how deep the water was the large building in the background used to be the naval school for boys who got into trouble now luxury apartments I remember seeing the boys training climbing the mast in the bottom corner of the parade ground which they did in all weather conditions no health and safety back then. another video you might be interested in making a video about the old railway line from Bristol to Portishead I remember traveling from Portishead by steam train, I believe they are about to reinstate the Iine soon, my Father worked at the coal power station for most of his life.

Just came across this, and have sent it to my stepdad, his brother was Tommy Carter. Told me about this when I was younger.

Music is much too loud.

Fascinating , what an interesting video.

Been there, born and live near there. It is called Crooks peak not Crook peak.

This video is just 90% padding with little to no visuals.kinda just boring.

Plink plonk can't even concentrate on the content

Thanks for the good video, fascinating 👍

Very nicely put together video. Well done

Sending 2 barges laden with inflammable liquids into fog - what could possibly go wrong? Amazing that the barges and the stumps of the bridge pillars are still there as a hazard. Interesting video!

My previos boat "Severn Iris" was one of the estuary/rivere tugs that plyed up and down on a daily basis moving spoil from the dredging on the upper Severn . On that night , the Severn Iris along with the "Traveller " now known as the "Severn Traveller" Captained by one of the well known "Savage " family tried to help . Years later after an extensive rebuild , Severn Iris was used as a yacht and continued to navigate the treachorous waters off Sharpness and gave us plenty of heart stopping moments . I dont think I ever want to navigate the waters of Sharpness and the Shoots ever again .

Agree that the unnecessary and distasteful ‘musak’ is distracting. The cement-filled cast iron column technique was used by Thomas Bouch on the first Tay Bridge. Cast iron is strong only in compression, otherwise brittle, and weak in tension. There was shoddy work on the TB, anyway. However, it’s incredibly sad and anti-ecological, that railways have been and are being destroyed, being replaced by gluts of concrete, motorways, and vehicles spitting out poisonous gasses.

I enjoyed that very much, thanks. This is a subject that has fascinated me for decades and l've visited the site a couple of times. Subbed.

Great shots, interesting details, enjoyable music. Plus I appreciate you not feeling the need to constantly talk - thus allowing the beautiful drone shots their own 'breathing room'. I'm sold! Subbed! 👍

Enjoy your life folks, you never know when it's your time

I would not be surprised if someone had to raise the price of petroleum products at that moment and they just made this situation happen.

Good that you didn't add snoring noises.

Excellent documentary. And the drone footage really shows the scale of the river. Which drives home just what those barges were dealing with.

I have visited the site of this quite a few times. I visited the old Severn bridge train station . It is fascinating. How about a video about the history of the barge boat graveyard that is there too?

While I don't live super close to the river seven (in land in a town) I know of the river but I never knew about the railway bridge that once went across the river, thou I am aware of the road bridges that span the river connecting England and Wales!

Seems like a great opportunity for someone with ridiculous amounts of discretionary cash and no need to see a return on investment. It would be an awesome place for a small hotel or B&B, a pub, and a cafe. Fix up the lifeboat stations as museums or even reopen the newer one if the RNLI wants it. The enterprise would surely lose money but it would be really cool. And none of the visitors would know about the Bat Cave you secretly built underneath.

I have only just come across this video and although very sad and interesting being none nautical I would have thought that these 2 wrecks would have been marked by a few Hazard buoys ?? even if the river has no commercial traffic, just a thought

Great vid

i never knew about this bridge have been through the tunnel hundreds of times

I have always been fascinated by this tragedy and the remains . Your superb and highly professional production here is fantastic. Thank you

fascinating...i also have received complaints regarding music on my youtube videos...on some of my videos it is barely possible to hear the narration..oh well..we live and learn

I was aware of this disaster but thank you for the very detailed explanation of the events and location 👍

A very heartfelt sad story of these two barges and loss of their lives I know its usual to leave as there tombs but for safety of shipping they would have cleared them away in time

I believe the remaining bridge sections were sold and are still in use as a road bridge in South America, Brazil?

Great video, thank you 👍

I love the plinky plonky noise

Sorry, I wanted to watch this, but had to give up after 3 minutes as the music was too distracting.

I remember the Severn rail bridge being on the TV news of the day. It would have been the second collision of the BP tanker. It is one of the first news reports that I can recall, after the awful Aberfan slag slip. I'm surprised so much of the pier foundations remain. I guess they are considered safe by way of the sand banks surrounding them.

God bless ❤

I live local to Purton and Sharpness and have seen the remains of the bridge and the many hulks and used the severn crossings umpteen times but never seen a ship sailing on the severn. The two wrecks that collided with the bridge have been raided many times for scrap metal I assume

When I saw the old image of the bridge, it made me think about the one that crossed over the river between Cumbria and Scotland.

Regular runners into Avonmouth back in the day! No chartplotter or the navigation aids like we have now and the skippers would have had excellent local knowledge of the waters! Anyone who’s ever been up to sharpness will know it’s a very demanding area of water! It’s not like they could have dropped anchor and waited, I don’t think they would have had the water over low tide back then…I know they wouldn’t today! Anyway, nice video.

Amazing testament to the strength and durability of marine boilers. After nearly 80 years in seawater and having been used as bombing practice by the RAF they still look in good condition whilst all the superstructure and hull plates have all but gone.

Are they a hazard to navigation by 'sport' vessels or are they buoyed?

I was aware that there was a Severn Bridge, and that it disappeared in the 1960s. I had assumed that it befell the Beeching axe. I never realised that the story was much more complex than that. Thanks for the fascinating video.

I thought the music went well with the clip and I enjoyed a peaceful 10 minutes, thanks 👍

Music didn’t bother me @ all

It is perhaps ironic that when the bridge was built many of the river craft were still the old sailing trows and ketches, but it was the steel motor vessels that collided with it. Perhaps a case of 'modern' expectations and pressure of time keeping irrespective of weather etc.

Very interesting and informative.

Thank you for this video. Never realised the barges were still in situ. Even without the accident the cost of maintenance of such a large steel structure in a salt water environment, to retain a single track line effectively duplicating the tunnel, would probably have ensured its closure and demolition within a few years of the ‘enforced’ closure.