THE LIFE-BOAT FLEET Motor Life-boats, 109 :: Pulling & Sailing Life-boats, 71 - 62,965 LIVES RESCUED from the foundation of the Institution in 1824 to September 29th, 1932 The Third International Life-boat Conference.

By Lieut.-Col. C. R. Satterthwaite, THE Third International Life-boat Con- ference was held in Holland on 22nd and 23rd June.

Our own Institution inaugurated the series of Conferences in its Centenary Year, 1924, when representatives of eight nations met in London. The, second Conference was held four years later in Paris, seventeen nations being represented, and it was fitting that the organization of the third should have fallen on the North and South Holland Life-boat Society, the second senior of all the Life-boat authorities, founded as it was in 1824, only a few months after our own. It is to be hoped that Con- ferences will follow at intervals of four years.

The Life-boat Service in Holland is supported by voluntary contributions like our own. There are two entirely separate Life-boat Institutions. The senior—the Noord-en Zuid-Hollandsche Eedding - Maatschappij, with head- quarters in Amsterdam, covers the coast from the north of the Hook of Holland to the German frontier, including the dangerous islands which lie at the mouth of the Zuidersee. The Zuid- Hollandsche Maatschappij tot redding O.B.E., Secretary of the Institution.

van Schipbreukelingen, with head- quarters at Rotterdam (founded in 1824, only a few days after the other Society) covers the coast from the Belgian frontier to the Hook of Holland, inclusive. It might perhaps be expected that such divided control would lead to difficulties, but the two Societies have always worked in the closest touch and in complete accord, and, since they are both fortunate in being able to call on the services of the eminent Professor Vossnack, of the University of Delft, as Technical Advisor, there is considerable uniformity in the design of their boats and equipment.

Twelve Nations Represented.

Thirteen nations contributed papers to the Conference, and twelve sent representatives. That this number was less than in 1928 is, I feel sure, not due to any loss of interest in Life-boat work on the part of any nation, but rather to the prevailing economic conditions. The United States had intended to be repre- sented, but the sudden death of Admiral Billard, the head of the U.S. Coastguard, made this impossible, though papers were contributed.

The complete list of delegates follows:— BELGIUM.

M. Henry de Vos, Directeur General de la Marine.

le Commandant Georges Goor, Con- seiller Nautique.

GREAT BRITAIN.

Royal National Life-boat Institution.

Sir Godfrey Baring, Bt., Chairman of the Committee of Management.

Lieut.-Colonel C. R. Satterthwaite, O.B.E., Secretary.Commander E. D. Drury, O.B.E., R.D., R.N.R., Chief Inspector of Life-boats.

Engineer-Captain A. "G. Bremner, O.B.E., R.N., Superintendent Engineer.

Mr. J. R. Barnett, O.B.E., M.I.N.A., Consulting Naval Architect.

Mr. Walter Riggs (Honorary Secre- tary of the Aldeburgh Station).

Lieut.-Commander P. E. Vaux, D.S.C., R.N., Eastern District Inspector.

Sir George Shee, the late Secretary, also attended the Conference.

H.M. Coastguard.

Captain V. S. Rashleigh, C.B.E., R.N., Chief Inspector.DENMARK.

Det Danske Redningsvcesen.

Mr. C. V. Fabricius, Bestyrer af Redningsvsesenet.

FRANCE.

Societe Centrale de Sauvetage des Naufrages.

le Vice-Amiral Lacaze, Ancien Ministre de la Marine, President.

le Commandant Le Verger, Adminis- trateur delegue.

le Commandant Cogniet, Chef du Service de Flnspection.

ns, and Mr. C. Oud.

le Commandant Chollet, Inspecteur- Secretaire.

M. Barillon, Ingenieur General du Genie Maritime.

GERMANY.

Deutsche Gesdlschaft zur Retlung Schiffbruchiger.

Generalsekretar Johannes Rosing.

Inspektor Benno Mentz.

Ingenieur Fr. W. Sander.

HOLLAND.

Noord-en Zuid-Hollandsche Redding- Maatschappij, Amsterdam.

Mr. P. E. Tegelberg, President.

Mr. H. de Booy, Secretary.

Mr. M. C. Koning, Treasurer.

Mr. J. H. Hummel.

Mr. Paul den Tex.

Mr. P. H. Galle.

Mr. G. L. de Vries Feyens.

Mr. Th. P. van den Bergh.

Mr. H. Th. de Booy, Assistant Sec- retary.

Zuid-Hollandsche Maatschappij M red- ding van ScMpbreukelingen, Rotter- dam.

A. A. Baron Sweerts de Landas Wyborgh, President, Treasurer.

Mr. J. Eypperda Wierdsma, Vice- President.

Mr. C. D. Julius, Secretary.

Mr. Jan Lels.

Mr. A. C. Mees.

Mr. B. E. Buys.

Mr. A. J. M. Gourdriaan.

Mr. E. D. Eust.

Mr. A. J. Drenth, Inspector.

Professor E. Vossnack (Technical Advisor of the two Societies).

ITALY.

Societa Italiana di Soccorso ai Naufraghi.

Dominique Bastianini, Captain of the Italian Navy.

Cav. Uff. Dott. F. Luppis, Italian Consul General at Amsterdam.

Commandatore Gino Berri, Italian Consul at Eotterdam.

JAPAN.

Teikoku Suinan Kinsaikai.

Captain Shiro Takasu, Imperial Japanese Navy.

NORWAY.

Norsk Selskab til Skibbrudnes Redning.

Mr. Ottar Vogt, Secretary.

SPAIN.

Sociedad Espanola di Salvamento di Ndufragos.

Mr. L. Emmeriks, Spanish Vice- Consul at Amsterdam.

SWEDEN.

Svenska Sdllskapet for Radnning af Skeppsbrutne.

Mr. Edvard Lithander, Member of Parliament, formerly President.

Captain Sten Isberg, member of the Board of Directors and Secretary.

TURKEY.

Captain Nedjmeddin bey, Secretary of the Turkish Life-saving Service of the Black Sea.

A few personal notes may not be out of place. As regards the British delega- tion, it was a signal indication of the importance which the British Govern- ment attaches to the Institution's work that the Board of Trade should have permitted the attendance of the Chief Inspector of H.M. Coastguard. It was delightful again to have Sir George Shee among us, looking well, and with his interest in our work as great as ever.

Mr. Walter Eiggs, the Honorary Secre- tary of the Aldeburgh Branch (who has since been co-opted a Member of the Committee of Management of the Institution) sailed across the North Sea in his 15-ton yacht, bringing with him as crew Lieut.-Commander P. E. Vaux, the Eastern District Inspector. The French delegation included Vice- Admiral Lacaze, who has taken the place as President of the French Society of the late Admiral Touchard, who pre- sided over the Conference in Paris in 1928, and M. Barillon, an eminent marine engineer. Germany sent her veteran Secretary—Herr Eosing, now in his thirty-second year of secretaryship.

Practically all the work of organiza- tion of the Conference fell on the shoul- ders of Captain de Booy, the Secretary of the North and South Holland Society.

Those who know him will not need to be told that everything passed off with- out a hitch of any kind. Complete efficiency and a strong sense of humour are necessary qualities in the Secretary of a Conference, and Captain de Booy possesses them. It is pleasant to know that his son, recently in the Royal Dutch Navy, has now joined him as Assistant Secretary, and, though the Secretary's retirement should be many years ahead, the succession will be in safe and capable hands.

The Conference was honoured by the presence, at the Demonstration at the Hook of Holland on the 21st and at the dinners at Rotterdam and Amsterdam, to which the delegates were invited, of His Royal Highness the Prince of the Netherlands, the Consort of Queen Wilhelmina.

Demonstration of Line-throwing Devices.

The delegates assembled at Rotter- dam on the morning of Tuesday, 21st June, and the day was occupied by an inspection of Life-boats belonging to the South Holland Society at the Hook of Holland. The party proceeded down river in the paddle steamer Merwede I, lunch being served on board. On arrival at the Hook, we landed and saw first a demonstration of line-throwing devices. By means of mortars firing a spherical ball by a charge of black powder, lines were thrown to a range of some 300 yards, and by a shoulder-type line- throwing gun, somewhat similar to our own type, but with a bolt breech-action, to about 150 yards. The party then distributed themselves among three Motor Life-boats, and proceeded to sea.

These boats were the 58 feet 6 inches Roningin Wilhelmina and President Jan Lels and the 52 feet President J. V.

Wierdsma, two being stationed at the Hook, and the other at Stellendam, to the southward.

Design of the Dutch Motor Life-boats.

Since the general design of these boats is similar to that of the boats belonging to the senior Society, which we saw on the 24th, and since they differ notably from our own types, it may not be out of place to give a short description of them. They are built of steel and have heavy oil engines. In twin-screw boats the engines are in separate compartments placed in eche- lon. The main engine controls are below, so that two engineers, one in each engine-room, are necessary when at sea. Self-righting is provided for by a tank which is situated on one side of the keel and which fills with water when the boat is capsized, thus rendering her unstable when upside down. The nor- mal complement of crew is six, and, judging from the men we saw, both at the Hook and on the Zuidersee, the crews are the finest possible type of Life-boatmen. Wireless telephony in- stallations are fitted in the larger boats.

Use of Aeroplanes in Life-Saving.

Outside the entrance to the river two small boats with a line between them were moored to represent a wreck. A demonstration was now given by two military aeroplanes of the dropping of a line over a wreck. If a vessel is stranded within a comparatively short distance from the shore, an aeroplane may be able so to drop a line that one end falls on shore and the other over the wreck. Colonel van Santen, of the Royal Dutch Air Force, Commandant of the Military Aerodrome at Soester- berg, was with us on board the Life- boat, and he afterwards, at the Con- ference, gave us a very clear description of the manoeuvre. The aeroplane lets out a light line towing a " wind-sleeve " ; at the appropriate moment a stream- lined wooden weight is placed on the line by the pilot, and the whole cast adrift. In certain wind conditions it is desirable to cast adrift the wind-sleeve before dropping the line, and an in- genious device enables this to be done.

The trial carried out was not abso- lutely successful, but it demonstrated the possibility of rendering aid to the shipwrecked in certain conditions, when perhaps no Life-boat could approach the wreck owing to rocks and surf, and no rocket apparatus was available.

The delegates returned to Rotterdam by train, and in the evening were enter- tained to dinner on board the beautiful motor ship Baloemn, of the Eotfcer- damsche-Lloyd. Telegrams of loyalty were sent to the Queen of Holland and the Queen Mother, and gracious replies were received. Baron Sweerts, President of the South Holland Society, proposed the health of the Life-boat Crews of all nations, and Sir Godfrey Baring replied.

The Conference.

On Wednesday, 22nd, the delegates went to Amsterdam by train, and the Conference opened at 11 A.M. at the Koloniaal Instituut. The chair_ was taken by Mr. P. E. Tegelberg, President of the North and South Holland Society.

Until 5 P.M. on the 23rd, with short intervals for lunch, the Conference con- tinued, the full agenda being as follows, the titles being those of the papers con- tributed by the delegates of the various nations : UNITED STATES OF AMERICA.

Characteristics of Hull Designs of Different Types of American Life-boats, by Constructor F. A. Hunnewell, Super- intendent of Construction and Repair.

Motor Installations in Different Types of American Life-boats, by R. B.

Adams, Engineer-in-Chief, U.S. Coast- guard.

Establishment of Connection between the Shore and the Stranded Vessel as practised in the American Service, by Mr. Oliver M. Maxam, Chief of the Division of Operations, United States Coastguard.

ORGANIZATION.

GREAT BRITAIN.

Some Features of a Modern Life- saving Organization, by Captain V. S.

Rashleigh, C.B.E., R.N., Chief Inspector of H.M. Coastguard.

HOLLAND.

Co-operation and Centralization, by H. de Booy, Secretary of the Noord-en Zuid - Hollandsche Redding - Maats- chappij.

ITALY.

The Societa Italiana di Soccorso ai Naufraghi: Its Past, Present and Future.

A communication from its President, Grand Admiral Paolo Thaon de Revel.

FRANCE.

Conditions of Efficiency of Life-boat Stations.

Report on the Trial of a Life-boat.

TECHNICAL STUDIES.

FRANCE.

Technical Studies on Models of Life- boats, by M. Barillon, Ingenieur Geneial du Genie Maritime.

The Protected Rudder before the Sternpost, by M. Barillon.

HOLLAND.

Some Interesting Points in the Design of Dutch Life-boats, by E. Vossnack, Professor of the Technical University of Delft, technical adviser of the Dutch Life-boat Societies.

GREAT BRITAIN.

Recent Developments in the Motor Life-boats of the Royal National Life- boat Institution, by J. R. Barnett, O.B.E., M.I.N.A., Consulting Naval Architect to the Royal National Life- boat Institution.

HOLLAND.

The Action of Oil on Broken Water, by Engineer J. D. Banting, with an intro- duction and final word by H. Th. de Booy, Assistant-Secretary to the Noord- en Zuid-Hollandsche Redding-Maats- chappij.

GREAT BRITAIN.

The Royal National Life-boat Institu- tion's High Speed Petrol Engine Instal- lation, by Engineer-Captain A. G.

Bremner, Superintendent Engineer.

GERMANY.

Recent Experiences with Crude Oil Diesel Engines.

LIFE-BOATS.

GERMANY.

Description of the Latest Decked T win- screw Motor Life-boat, now under con- struction for the Cuxhaven Life-boat Station at the mouth of the Elbe.

NORWAY.

The Motor Life-boat Andreas Aaro, by Ottar Vogt, Secretary of the Nor- wegian Society for Saving the Ship- wrecked.

HOLLAND.

A Motor Life-boat for the Beach: An Experiment, by H. de Booy, Secretary of the Noord-en Zuid-Hollandsche Redding-Maatschappij.

GERMANY.

Auxiliary Sails and Steering ability.

CREWS.

DENMARK.

The Manning of Life-boats, by C. V.

Fabricius, Manager of the Danish Life- boat Service.

HOLLAND.

The Altered Relation between the Life-boat Society and the Crew as a result of the introduction of Motor Life-boats, by C. D. Julius, Secretary of the Zuid-Hollandsche Maatschappij tot Redding van Schipbreukelingen.

ROCKETS, BREECHES BUOYS APPARATUS, ETC.

GERMANY.

Improvements of Line-throwing Ap- pliances (rockets and pistols).

FRANCE.

Installation of a Breeches Buoy Appa- ratus on Trailer.

SPAIN.

The Organization and Methods of the Sociedad Espanola di Salvamento di Naufragos.

RADIO TELEPHONY.

HOLLAND.

Experiences with Radio-telephony on Life-boats of the Dutch Societies, by H. Th. de Booy, Assistant Secretary of the Noord-en Zuid-Hollandsche Redd- ing-Maatschappij .

A Heavy Oil Engine.

The proceedings were in English, and without any doubt the interchange of ideas, covering every aspect of life- saving work on the coast, was as profitable as it was interesting to all. I brought away the impression that while our own designers are not likely to adopt steel construction, with its attendant danger of rivets being sprung when boats bump on the banks, nor the tank prin- ciple of self-righting, they will be even more anxious to discover and adapt an efficient, light and powerful British- made heavy oil engine.

The description of the newest German Motor Life-boat built for the Station of Cuxhaven at the mouth of the Elbe, where she may often have to make long journeys to the outlying banks, was particularly interesting. This boat, which is 56 feet long, though con- structed of steel and with heavy oil engines, follows more closely the lines of our Barnett type than do the Dutch boats ; and many points in her design are due to consultation between the German Institution and our own before she was laid down.

The theoretical studies and experi- ments on models carried out by M. Barillon were also of great interest and value, particularly in regard to unex- pected difficulties arising from the adoption of protected rudders ; and an excellent paper on the use of oil on broken water was contributed by Mr. Banting.

During the Conference, Sir George Shee delivered messages of encourage- ment entrusted to him personally by the Pope and by Signer Mussolini, at audiences recently granted him in Rome.

At the close, Sir Godfrey Baring pro- posed a resolution of thanks to the two Dutch Societies for their initiative in calling the Conference, and for the admirable arrangements made, and expressed the thanks of the delegates to the Chairman, Mr. Tegelberg.

In the evening the delegates were the guests of the North and South Holland Society at dinner at the Amstel Hotel.

Speeches were made by Mr. Tegelberg, by Mr. P. J. Reymer, the Minister of Public Works, and by Vice-Admiral Lacaze.

Visit to the Zuidersee.

On Friday, 24th, the delegates were given an opportunity of seeing the work already accomplished, and still in pro- gress, on the enclosure and partial drainage of the Zuidersee. This was of absorbing interest, particularly to me as an engineer. It is undoubtedly the largest scheme of land reclamation ever carried out, and its ultimate result will be an addition of some 860 square miles to the area of Holland. The great dam, stretching for eighteen miles from the Island of Wieringen to the coast of Friesland, has just been been closed, and what remains of the Zuidersee has now become " Lake Yssel." The general scheme of the work has consisted in tie construction of this dam, with sluice gates and locks for traffic entrance at each extremity, and the enclosure by dykes of four " Pol- ders," or areas of reclaimed land. Of the Polders, that on the north-west, with an area of eighty square miles, has been enclosed for some two years ; the others remain to be enclosed in future years. The Polders will be below sea level, and will be drained by canals and pumping stations, while the level of the water in Lake Yssel will be so regulated as to provide for drainage from the canals in each Polder.

The New Polder.

The party left Amsterdam at 8.30 in a fleet of cars. Mr. Verhey, an engineer who has been engaged on the work, was ia general charge, and at all interesting points he gave us the clearest possible explanation in English and French.

The first stop was south of Hoorn, where we were in the area of a Polder which was reclaimed from the sea in 1682. Here there are many beautiful red- brick farmhouses bearing dates of that period. We then went on to Medem- blik, at the south-east corner of the new Polder, and saw the new pumping sta- tion. Then we proceeded round and across the new Polder, and visited the brand-new village of Slootdorp. This little township, standing in what was the sea bed two years ago, already has many substantial houses, and no less than three churches. All around there were Frisian cattle grazing on the re- claimed land, and many fine crops of barley. We crossed the dyke to the Island of Wieringen, and were given an excellent lunch at Hyppolitushoef. Then to Den Oever, where the great enclosing dam begins. The dam will eventually carry a railway track and roadway, and a path for bicycles. The roadway is completed for some miles and we drove to its end. We saw the immense triple sluice gates, and examined specimens of the tenacious boulder clay which is dredged from the sea bed, and of which the core of the dam is composed.

Motor Life-boats of the North and South Holland Society.

We all then went on board the Motor Life-boats of the North and South Holland Society, which had been assembled in the basin. These were the G. A. de Tex, the Hilda, the Dorus Rijkers, the Brandaris, the Insulinde, and the Neeltje-Jacoba, ranging in age from fifteen years to three, and in length from forty to sixty feet. Nothing could have been smarter or more work- manlike than the appearance of boats and crews, and we all regretted that time did not permit of a trip to sea. Then back to Amsterdam and home.

So ended a week that will live in the memories of us all. We shall remember the hospitality of our Dutch friends, and the efficiency of their organization ; and the first sight, to many of us, of a fas- cinating country seen under the happiest possible conditions. We made many new friendships, and renewed many old ones.

We all learnt a great deal, and perhaps some of us were able to help others less experienced. But what we shall, I think, remember most vividly is the spirit of comradeship which inspired the delegates without exception. I cannot help feeling that the cause of inter- national friendship was advanced by the Conference, and that those who work for the Life-boat Cause in every land can truly feel that in helping on this great Service, which knows no national frontiers, they are contributing more than they realize towards the healing of the wounds of a troubled world..