Eventually all the other firefighters withdrew except George Campbell Henderson, a sub-officer with the dockyard fire service, who doggedly held a firehose into the fire. An explosion in the lighter caused a fire which spread to the Bedenham, triggering a violent explosion in which the bow was blown out of the water and onto Gun Wharf, while the rest of the ship sank.
Eventually, all other firefighters left except George Campbell Henderson, who remained steadfastly fighting the flames with a hose. The explosion from a lighter ignited a fire that spread to the Bedenham, causing a violent blast that resulted in the bow of the ship being launched onto Gun Wharf while the rest sank beneath the water.