LIFEBOAT MAGAZINE ARCHIVE

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J. W. Wearing

RHOSCOLYN, ANGLESEY.—Intelligence reached this Life-boat station on the 8th December that a vessel was in distress in the offing. The Life-boat was quickly got ready and launched and the following report subsequently furnished by the coxswain and verified by the letter appended to it, which was afterwards handed to the Life-boatmen by the master and crew of the wrecked vessel, shows what an admirable and timely rescue was effected by the Lifeboat.

The coxswain said :—.

"The Life-boat Ramon Cabrera left her moorings at 4 P.M. on Sunday, 8th Dec., 1901, blowing a whole gale from N.W. by W., proceeded to the schooner J. W. Wearing, of Lancaster, in distress about six miles S.W. of Rhoscolyn Point. On arrival at vessel made three attempts to get a line on board, then a very heavy sea struck the Lifeboat, put her on her beam ends, she filled, but righted at once, and cleared herself of water. On our fourth attempt got a line on board schooner but it parted. Ultimately we got a line on board and made fast, then we got a second line on board as life-line, and pulled two of the crew through the sea to Life-boat; this line then parted.

The vessel was now within a cable's length of the Forth Saint Rocks, so I pulled the Life-boat up under her stern and the remainder of the crew (three men) jumped on board; I then got the sails up, and only cleared the Forth Saint Rocks by a boat's length. The vessel was driven on the rocks and broken into matchwood ten minutes after we got the three men off. Some of the crew got knocked about under the vessel's stern, we lost five oars, and got a hole in the side of the Life-boat." The following is the letter addressed by the shipwrecked men to the coxswain of ,the Life-boat:— " We feel that we cannot leave Holyhead, perhaps never to meet again, without attesting and expressing our heartful and sincere thanks for the bravery of you and your crew in saving our lives from a watery grave on the evening of Sunday, the 8th inst., during the heavy gale and terrible sea and exposure, and also to testify to your splendid seamanship in handling your boat in the broken water and in the teeth of those terrible rocks, and unquestionably your courage and seamanship seamanship not only saved pur lives but those of your crew after coming into the boat.

Therefore please accept our heartfelt thanks, and convey the same to your brave crew, and may God bless all of you, and may you be spared to render similar service to our fellow-seamen.".

The Committee of the ROYAL NATIONAL LIFE-BOAT INSTITUTION awarded the Silver Medal of the Institution and a copy of the Vote inscribed on vellum and framed, to the Rhoscolyn Coxswain, HUGH HUGHES, in acknowledgment of his general gallant services in saving life from shipwreck, especially on the abovementioned occasion, besides allowing the crew double pay..