LIFEBOAT MAGAZINE ARCHIVE

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Services of the Life-Boats of the Royal National Lifeboat Institution

BRIGHSTONE GRANGE, ISLE OF WIGHT.

—At 3'40 A.M. on the 2nd April, the barque Cedarine, of Bermuda, stranded near Brighstone Grange, with 234 persons on board, 191 of whom were convicts, whose period of punishment at Bermuda had expired.

The Brighstone Grange life-boat at once proceeded to their aid, and conveyed safely to the shore, in eight trips, about 130 of that number, including 18 women and children; the remainder succeeded in landing safely, chiefly by means of a hawser which had been secured to the land.

ABERDOVET.—On the 22nd April, the smack Mention Lass, of Aberystwyth, stranded on the bar off Aberdovey. The Institution's life-boat stationed there immediately proceeded to her, and although the sea was breaking completely over her, the life-boat's crew, by dint of great exertion, succeeded in getting her off the bar, and in taking her safely into the harbour with her crew of 3 men.

CAISTOR, NORFOLK.—On the night of the 3rd May, or rather at 1 A.M. on the 4th, a very gallant service was rendered by the crew of the Caistor life-boat, in rescuing, under circumstances of much danger, the crew of the schooner Trial, of Poole, 7 in number. On this occasion the boat herself was seriously damaged, having broken her stern and injured her sides against the wrecked vessel, and fractured her iron keel.

The circumstances of this very distinguished service, for which the Institution awarded 451.—being a payment of 2?. each to the life-boat's crew—cannot be better described than in the words of the coxswain of the life-boat, as follows:—"On Sunday morning, May 4, at about 1 o'clock A.M., the wind being E.N.E.

and blowing hard, with a heavy sea breaking on the beach, signal-lights of distress were seen by the night-watch of the Caistor beachmen, in the direction of the Barber Sand. The night-watch immediately gave an alarm, which brought all the company down to the beach, 40 men in number, and likewise some of the villagers. The beachmen, with the help of the villagers, directly commenced launching the life-boat, which was manned by a crew of 22 beachmen, who succeeded in hauling her off the beach and through the breakers, by the large bauling-off warp, shipping some very heavy seas, which filled her several times. We then set sail as quickly as possible, and proceeded in the direction of the signal-lights, which were still burning. On our reaching the sand, we were compelled to cross through the breakers of the sand, in order to board the vessel on the south side, as there were two wrecks standing out of the water close on the other side of her, and in so doing had to encounter the full fury of the sea; but we succeeded in getting a rope from the vessel, which proved to be the schooner Trial, of Poole, sunk, with the sea making a complete breach over her. We then hauled the life-boat up alongside to get the crew out of her, bat the sea broke so heavily into the life-boat, sea after sea, which followed in quick succession, washing her crew about in all directions, so that we could not hold her, for the sea drove her quite round under the vessel's bojv. We again hauled up alongside, and three of the ship's crew succeeded in jumping into the life-boat, when we were again driven by the violence of the sea against the ship, damaging the life-boat, and breaking her mizen-mast; and being again swept round under the ship's bow, the sea breaking heavily and quickly into the life-boat, so much so that she could not free herself; we began to think she had damaged some of her inside air-tanks, as she did not rise, and there was great fear of being swept out of her by the violence of the sea. We then veered away some distance to ascertain, if we could, the cause of her not rising, when we found that the sails were drawn down by the draught into the plug-holes, so as to stop her from freeing herself. Having made all clear, we hauled up again, the ebb-tide coming down so strong causing still more risk and difficulty to get the remainder of the crew out of the ship, as we had to haul up on the north side of her, where the two sunken wrecks lay so close to her. This time one man jumped in, being one of the life-boat's crew who had clung to the ship's bowsprit-gear when she was driven under the ship's bow in the fearful state before mentioned, for he thought she would not rise again. We were again driven away from the ship by the violence of the sea, which broke fearfully over the life-boat: we then hauled up again, doing the life-boat damage against the ship, and between the seas the remainder of the crew succeeded in jumping into the life-boat, being 7 in all.

We then had to veer away very cautiously, in order to clear the sunken wrecks before mentioned. Having got clear of the breakers on the sand, we set sail and made for our station. The captain told us that he got his own boat out when the ship first came to the ground, but the first sea took her away.

By this time we had reached abreast of our station, when we shortened sail to run her cautiously through the breakers to the beach, where we safety landed at about half past three o'clock, A.M., and procured a conveyance to take the wrecked men to the Sailor's Home at Yarmouth.

(Signed) " ROBERT GEORGE, Coxswain." FOWEY, CORNWALL.—On the llth June the Danish schooner Sylphiden, of Nakskov, at anchor in St. Austel Bay, drove into shallow and broken water; when, hoisting a signal of distress, the Institution's lifeboat at Polkerris, near Fowey, proceeded to her aid, with Mr. GEORGE STABB, Master, R.N., and Chief Officer of Coastguard, in her. The wind was blowing a heavy gale from the southward at the time, but the life-boat was rowed readily against it, and on reaching the vessel, which was then in imminent danger, Mr. STABB and a portion of the life-boat's crew were placed on board. The schooner being then put in charge of the above-named officer, he, with much skill, after making sail on her, and slipping her cable, succeeded in taking her safely out of danger, and into Polkerris Harbour, by which means the vessel and her crew of 7 men were undoubtedly saved from destruction, the gale having still more increased in violence. The behaviour of the life-boat on the occasion was reported to be " beyond praise." In addition to the usual money payment of 10s. each to the life-boat's crew, the captain of the schooner voluntarily presented the life-boat's crew of 8 men with the sum of 20L, and Mr. SIABB, who declined to receive anything for his valuable aid in saving the vessel, was awarded the thanks of the NATIONAL LIFE-BOAT INSTITUTION, inscribed on vellum.

HOWTH, DUBLIN BAY.—On the 22nd January, 1862, the schooner Liberty, of Dublin, was observed from Howth to be in a disabled state, drifting on to a sandbank during a strong gale from the south.

The life-boat of the Institution stationed there at once proceeded to her aid, and with the assistance of hawsers, after several hours' exertion, succeeded in rescuing the vessel and crew from a very dangerous position, and in getting them safely into Howth Harbour.

WHITBURN, DURHAM.—In the month of March the Whitburn life-boat was launched to the assistance of the crews of three fishing cobles, each with 3 men on board, which were caught in a strong easterly wind, a high surf running on the beach at the time.

The crews and their boats were brought safely through the surf to the shore by the life-boat.

Again, on the 12th June, this life-boat proceeded through a high surf, and rescued another coble and its crew of 3 men, under similar circumstances.

PENMON, ANGLESEY.—On the 24th July a smack, which afterwards proved to be the Frodsham, of Liverpool, was observed from Penmon at anchor with a flag of distress flying. The Pcnmon life-boat was at once launched, and proceeded to the aid of her crew; the wind blowing a gale from W.S.W. at the time. Before reaching her, the smack had slipped her cable and was running before the sea, into danger. The crew of the life-boat, however, boarded her, and succeeded in taking her safely into Llandudno Harbour, with the 2 men who formed her crew..