ONE of the first Life-boat Stations to be provided with, a Motor Life-boat was Stromness, in the Orkneys. It was in 1903 that a Pulling and Sailing Lifeboat was first converted to motor-power.

This Boat was followed by two other converted Life-boats. Then, in 1908, the first three Life-boats designed for motor-power were built, and one of these was sent to Stromness. This Life-boat, John A. Hay, has remained there ever since. She has been launched on service 31 times. She has rescued 90 lives, and she has carried out a number of long-distance services which have shown the splendid capacity of both the Life-boat and her Crew.

Now, after twenty years of distinguished service, the John A. Hay has been replaced by a new, larger and much more powerful Motor Life-boat.

The difference between the two boats is an indication of the advance which has been made in Life-boat construction during the past twenty years. The John A. Hay is a self-righting Life-boat, 42 feet long, with a 30-h.p. engine. The new Boat is of the Barnett type, the latest and most powerful in the Institution's fleet, of which there are at present three on the coast—at New Brighton on the Mersey, Aberdeen and Plymouth.

Although of this type, the new Stromness Boat has been built to a modified design so that, instead of lying at moorings, like the other three, she may be housed, and launched down a slipway.

Her dimensions are 51 feet by 13 feet 6 inches instead of 60 feet by 15 feet, and her weight 26| instead of 44 tons. She has two engines of 60 h.p. instead of two of 80 h.p., orie cabin instead of two, and the petrol which she can carry gives her a radius of action of 75, as compared with 150 miles for the larger type of Barnett Boat. Her maximum speed on trials was nearly 8f knots.

The new Boat left the building yard at Cowes on 15th February in charge of Commander E. D. Drury, O.B.E., R.N.R., Northern District Inspector, with Mr. William Small, District Inspector of Machinery for the Northern District, the Stromness Coxswain, Mr.

William Johnston, and three men of the Stromness Crew and the Motor Mechanic.

She reached Stromness on 3rd March, so that she had taken 18 days for the journey of 1,007 miles. Five of these days, however, were spent at Guernsey, and the Life-boat was actually at sea 125 hours, so that her average speed was 8f knots, practically the same as her maximum speed on trials run on the river at Cowes in smooth water.

The Life-boat went first to Guernsey, to give the people of the island, where a Pulling and Sailing Life-boat is stationed at St. Peter Port, an opportunity of seeing a modern Motor Lifeboat.

For this part of her journey she had on board, as well as those already mentioned, the Inspector of Life-boats and the Assistant Inspector of Machinery for the South of England, and a deputation from Guernsey, which consisted of Mr. H. H. Randall, who has since become Chairman of the Branch, Mr. W.

Frampton, the Honorary Secretary, and the Coxswain.

A Rough Journey.

This first part of the journey was made in the worst of weather. The Boat met a dead-ahead south-westerly gale with a heavy sea, and by the way in which she met this test alone convinced her crew from Stromness that she was a Boat which they could trust in the worst of weather, even in the notoriously stormy waters round the Orkneys.

Cowes was left at five in the evening, and St. Peter Port was reached just before noon on the following day. This was the longest run of the whole journey, and the distance was 120 miles, giving an average speed of nearly 6J knots, or two knots below the maximum on trials, so that this run illustrates once again that quality at which we chiefly aim in the construction of Life-boat engines— not a high speed, but a great reserve of power, enabling the Boat to maintain her speed even in the heaviest weather.It deserves to be put on record that for the greater part of this run Mr.

Eandall, who is an experienced yachtsman, was at the wheel.

From Guernsey, the Life-boat crossed to Penzance, and then up the west coast, calling at Fishguard and Holyhead.

From Holyhead she crossed to Donaghadee, in Northern Ireland. Then to Campbeltown, Troon, Ardrishaig, Oban, Tobermory, Portree, Stornoway and Thurso, finally reaching Stromness early in the afternoon of 3rd March, where she was given a great reception. The ships in the harbour were dressed, flags were flying, maroons were fired, and there was a large crowd to welcome her after her journey of 1,000 miles.

It was not long before the new Lifeboat's services were needed. On 18th March a steam trawler from Hull, Lord Devonport, homeward bound from the Iceland fishing ran ashore on St. John's Head, Hoy, five miles from Stromness, and was completely wrecked. She went ashore on the 18th, but it was not until 10 o'clock on the morning of the 19th that the news reached Stromness.

Within 10 minutes the Life-boat was launched, and she reached the wreck in three-quarters of an hour, but by then, unfortunately, eight men of the trawler's crew were drowned or had died of exposure.

The remaining six were quickly rescued. Communication was made by means of the line-throwing gun, and the men were hauled through the surf.

It was a short service, but it was enough to confirm her Crow in the confidence which the journey from Cowes had given them in their new Boat.

The old Stromness Life-boat, although she has given way to a larger and more powerful Boat, is not at the end of her service. On 12th March she left Stromness in charge of Commander Drury for Belfast, which she reached on 24th March, having done the 332 miles in 66 hours, an average speed of 5 knots.

At Belfast she was reconditioned, and then went to her new Station at Fenit, Tralee Bay..