T/ie following is an abbreviated version of a graphic account of a fine service to a British vessel which appears in De Reddingboot, the journal of the North and South Holland Life-saving Society, for last June. The three Life-boats engaged in this service have each been awarded by H.M. the King, on the recommendation of the President of the Board of Trade, the British Government's Silver Medal for Gallantry in saving Life at Sea (Foreign Services). ON the morning of Friday, 17th February, 1928, the British steamship Shonga, of the Elder Dempster Line, left the harbour of IJmuiden at 10 A.M.

There was a stormy W.S.W. wind, which when she got clear of the piers carried her towards the shore. She dropped both anchors and hoisted the distress signal. The position was such that tugs could not come out. Heavy seas beat over the vessel. The anchors dragged, the stern struck the bottom and the propeller was lost. Then both anchorchains broke, and the forward part of the ship was wrenched away from the firmly-jammed stern part, on a level with the after bulkhead of the engine-room. The forward part of the ship, on which were, fortunately, the whole of the crew, drifted another 100 yards to the coast, on the northern side of the North Pier. There it went aground, with its stern towards the land. All this took place in a few moments, and at 10.30 A.M. the first report reached the North and South Holland Life-saving Society in Amsterdam.

The Life-boat from Wijk aan Zee, a little way up the coast, was called out, and although the road to the shore at Wijk aan Zee is not easy, and the shore itself was speedily strewn with bags of cocoa beans which were washed from the after-part of the Shonga, the Lifeboat succeeded in reaching the place of stranding at 1.30 P.M.

Meantime the force of the storm remained unabated. It seemed impossible to get a boat away from the shore, and even had it been possible to reach the stranded forward half of the ship, it would have been impossible to get alongside, for the ship was giving no lee. Therefore nothing remained but to wait, it being remembered that the crew of the Shonga, for the moment, were in no danger. In the strong desire, nevertheless, to make an effort to get them off before the night, the stout crew from Wijk aan Zee, who are farm labourers, completed by three men from Egmond aan Zee, who as soon as they heard of the wreck had set out to walk the nine miles along the coast, put to sea ; but they had to return, the force of the storm was too great.

Thus night fell, with the disquieting knowledge that on board the Shonga there were a large number of people, about forty, who were, it is true, in no immediate danger, but whose fate was uncertain if the storm continued. It was also not known whether or not there were any people still on the afterpart of the vessel.

In the evening the Signal Station was continually in communication with the Shonga by Morse lamp. The crew were told that they could rely that when day broke an effort would be made. The Shonga asked for the weather report, which was given, and replied that the men were keeping a stout heart and firmly relied on IJmuideu.

As there was very little certainty that the conditions of wind and sea would, on the following morning, permit of the rescue from land or by means of the shore Life-boat, the Motor Life-boat Dorus Rijkers * at Helder, which had been already fully informed during the day, was called out. In case of the Dorus Rijkers being unable to reach the wreck, further steps were taken.

There are three Pulling and Sailing Life-boats at Umuiden itself, one in the harbour, one to the north and one to the south. The northern station was temporarily closed, owing to extensive alterations to the harbour, and the harbour Life-boat could not be used, as even the tugs could not get out. It was therefore decided to take the southern Life-boat inland until the ship-canal from Umuiden to Amsterdam could be crossed, and then along the north bank of the canal to the shore north of the harbour, where the wreck lay. This journey by night of over twelve miles was successfully carried out with the help of the launching tractor.f The Dorus Rijkers left at 9 P.M.

in a stormy N.W. wind and rough sea on her long night journey, a distance of some forty miles. At 3 A.M. sheAvas in the port of IJmuiden. She had had a bad night, but everything had passed off well. The crew were in the after-cabin, where everything was ready for service, including the Schermuly line-throwing pistol, should this be found necessary.

The rescue which was now to be tried by the Dorus Rijkers was dangerous, not so much on account of the wind and sea—which had gone down somewhat during the night—as on account of uncertainty with regard to the depth of water at the wreck. The wreck had to be approached from windward, as it lay on shore, which is more dangerous than * Named after Theodorus Rijkers, who died in April of this year, aged 81. He was Coxswain at Helder for 25 years, retiring in 1911. He took part in the rescue of 487 lives, of which over 300 were from British ships.

An account of his services and hi? portrait were published in The Lifeboat for February, 1921.

•f The tractors used by the North and South Holland Life-saving Society are British, the same as those originally used by the Institution.

if it were on a bank away from the coast, for then, as a rule, it can be approached from leeward, and in any case deep water will be found all round the bank.

The water had dropped 4| feet during the night and the sea was still very heavy.

At about six o'clock the Dorus Rijkers started out. Skipper C. Bot steered her first between the pier and the after-half of the ship in order to make sure whether there were still any people on it. He then got abeam of the forward half of the ship and there made soundings and found sufficient water. He next tried the powers of the Dorus Rijkers in the surf, and found that he had the mastery of it. Then he got alongside the forward half of the ship. Just a little later, the IJmuiden Life-boat, with Skipper P. J. A. Kramer, also reached the Shonga, and found a fine berth behind the Dorus Rijkers.

Although very heavy seas were still running, the rescue now proceeded speedily, especially owing to the good order which prevailed on board the Shonga. From the shore, when it grew somewhat lighter, the people were clearly observed jumping over, and at last the N.C. signal was seen being lowered on board the Shonga and one more man jumping over. Then both the Dorus Rijkers and the IJmuiden Life-boat returned. The latter landed nine men on the shore, and the Dorus Rijkers thirty-two men at IJmuiden, in the port.

A few days later the North and South Holland Life-saving Society received the following letter : " We the undersigned, Master, officers and crew of the ill-fated British steamship Shonga, desire to place on record our sincere and heartfelt thanks for the magnificent response made by the Life-boat Institution whilst we lay in deadly peril of our lives on the beach, north of IJmuiden." Thanks also came from the Elder Dempster Line, which sent a contribution of £150, by which the expenses incurred by the Life-saving Society were fully covered, and, in addition, a sum of £100 to be distributed among the crews of the Life-boats..