A permanent memorial honoring the 15 victims of the 1966 Prince of Wales pleasure boat tragedy was unveiled in Penmaenpool, Gwynedd, on July 22, 2026, marking the disaster's 60th anniversary.
Organized by Dolgellau Town Council, the ceremony paid tribute to the passengers who drowned when the ferry struck the Penmaenpool toll bridge on the Mawddach Estuary.
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The event also recognized the local residents who rescued 28 survivors.
The tragedy occurred when the overcrowded vessel carrying 42 people sank during an eight-mile trip from Barmouth.
A Board of Trade inquiry subsequently found skipper Edward Llewelyn negligent, citing an excessive passenger load and a severe lack of accessible life-saving equipment.
The inquiry prompted major reforms in British pleasure boat safety regulations.
Peter Watts, who lost his parents Doreen and Frederick George alongside his nine-year-old sister Angela and ten-year-old brother David in the disaster, returned to the site for the ceremony.
"It's something you don't get over - you learn to live with it," said Watts.
The loss left a permanent mark on his life after he spent hours waiting at the harbour for family members who never returned.
"We'd been on holidays in previous years and I'd been on this boat trip [before] and I didn't want to go again," said Watts.
He recalled sitting at the police station for hours while officials took down his details following the accident.
"This happened in the morning, at about 11 in the morning, and I was just waiting hours and hours for them to come back - and they didn't come back," said Watts.
