Athina 'B' stranded at Brighton Beach

An unusual event is captured in this amazing short film from the winter of 1980 – when the Athina B pays an unexpected visit to Brighton Beach

This atmospheric film from A D Orpet captures scenes on a wintry Brighton when an unexpected visitor hits the beach. Crowds of sightseers on the beach witness the Athina B's stranding on the shingle. We see the stern and rudder assembly out of the water. With the pier in the background we get a higher view from the promenade before returning to the beach for views of the stricken ship's bow. All the while cars and people crowd the beach and the roads nearby.

The merchant ship Athina B started off her life as the MS Kojima Maru. Built in Hiroshima, Japan, she was reflagged as a Greek ship in 1979 and renamed the Athina B. Unfortunately, her new career would be cut short when she ran aground on Brighton Beach, following an engine failure and Force 8 winds, while on her way to Shoreham Harbour with a 3000 tonne cargo of pumice from the Azores. This event broke her back and she was written off and scrapped the following month. However, her demise proved a boon for Brighton's tourist trade and the stricken vessel attracted large numbers of sightseers. Even though it was January, Brighton's Volks Railway re-opened out-of-season in order to cash in on the high visitor numbers.