THE LIFE-BOAT FLEET Motor Life-boats, 124 :: Pulling & Sailing Life-boats, 50 LIVES RESCUED from the foundation of the Institution in 1824 to August 31st, 1934 63,721 A Stormy Passage.

By COMMANDER J. M. UPTON, R.D., R.N.R., Inspector of Life-boats for the Irish District.

ON 12th March, I left Falmouth with the motor life-boat Frederick H. Pilley, formerly stationed at The Lizard, for the new station, established this year, at Port Askaig, Islay, off the west coast of Scotland.

The Frederick H. Pilley is a self- righting motor life-boat, 38 feet by 9 feet 9 inches, with a single 40 h.p.

engine. She was built in 1920 and has a fine record. She has rescued 130 lives.

With me were Travelling Mechanic Ralph Scott and a crew of four men from Port Askaig: Peter McPhee (cox- swain), Hugh Buie (second coxswain), A. McPhee (motor mechanic) and J.

McDougall. Port Askaig being a new station none of the four local men had ever been at sea in a life-boat before, though they are all four experienced fishermen.

The brief record of the passage is that it took ten days, but two of those ten we were not at sea. We put in at Penzance, Padstow, and Angle; crossed the Irish Sea to Rosslare Harbour; ran up the Irish coast putting in at Kingstown and Donaghadee; thence to Port Ellen, at the south-east corner of Islay, and so to Port Askaig. We were actually at sea for 65 hours. The distance travelled was 471 miles. This gives an average speed of 7'24 knots. The maximum speed for the boat on trial was 7'49.

Though the most was made of favour- able tides, an average speed of only a quarter of a knot under the maximum on a passage of 471 miles was certainly not bad in the weather we had.

Fortunately or unfortunately, which- ever way you look at it, with a crew who had never been in a life-boat before, the passage was made in, perhaps, the worst weather of last winter. The crew were dubious at first. They did not know the capabilities of the boat under them. The weather very quickly showed them what she could do. They soon gained confidence, and I never want a better crew in a boat with me in any weather. The weather on nearly all runs between ports was most unkind.

Nearly every morning when leaving the wind was a fair one, and blowing suffici- ently hard to give the boat a good help with the sail. This help, however, was always very shortlived, and the wind went ahead and increased considerably, especially making Angle and Rosslare Harbour, where a full gale was blowing.

The sea and swell were never true; the boat took a great deal of nursing; very heavy water came inboard. There being no shelter whatever, every sea that came inboard completely enveloped all hands. Oilskins before the day's run was finished became waterlogged and useless. On arriving at Angle and Rosslare none of the crew had on a stitch of dry clothing.

The boat behaved splendidly in every kind of sea, especially running before it.

There were no signs of broaching to.

When taking heavy water she quickly recovered, and it was only the confused state of the sea that caught her un- prepared. I can quite understand the very fine name she has got at The Lizard.

Our worst runs were from Padstow to Angle, and across the Irish Sea from Angle to Rosslare. We left Padstow on the 14th in fine weather, with wind from the south and a falling glass.

The sail was set and the wind at once began to increase, with a heavy follow- ing sea. In spite of this the boat steered well, and showed no signs of broaching to. Heavy water was occasionally taken in the waist, but it was not dangerous.

About 11.30 A.M. the wind went to the south-west, and increased to a moderate gale. Full sail was kept on and the boat made excellent speed, but at times she had to be brought up to the sea, which was very heavy and confused, being from the westward with the wind from the south-west. Heavy water was taken inboard and the cox- swain's life-lines and the float lines were used by all hands. As Mechanic McPhee said, " It's a good thing we have not to bale out with a tin." Punching into a Heavy Sea.

At three in the afternoon a heavy squall of wind and rain struck the boat, and the wind flew to north-west. We eased the engine to get in the sails and the rest of the passage, over two hours, was a punch into a very heavy confused sea, with a head wind rising to a fresh gale. Heavy water was taken inboard but the engine ran splendidly. About 7 P.M. we sighted a trawler making for Milford Haven. She kept within about half a mile of us all the way in to St.

Ann's Head. She then went ahead, but waited until we came up and. then went on into Milford. It may have been coincidence, but I think the trawler was deliberately keeping with us. We were at sea ten hours and travelled seventy-one miles, so that our average speed was over 7 knots.

Owing to the amount of stores on deck, I decided to remain at Angle the next day, during the north-westerly gale. We left the following morning.

The wind was then from the south- west and had moderated, but it was still blowing from twenty-four to thirty miles an hour, and we met a very confused sea and swell. The sails were set and good progress made, but the wind gradually increased ; rain set in making visibility very bad; heavy squalls were frequent.

A Fall Gale.

At two in the afternoon the wind went to north-west, and increased to a full gale with a heavy sea. The engine had to be eased and sails taken in.

Squalls of wind and hail were frequent.

The weather was bitterly cold. Very heavy water was taken in; we all had to use the float lines; and the helmsman had to be lashed at the wheel. For the next two and a half hours we were driving into the gale.

This was the worst passage I have ever made in a life-boat. The boat had to be carefully nursed the whole way over. It was impossible to relax for a moment. To eat or drink was impossible.

The whole crew were splendid. Cox- swain McPhee and Second Coxswain Buie steered magnificently, and Travel- ling Mechanic Scott was unceasing in his care of the engine, and unfailingly cheerful even under the worst con- ditions. The engine ran perfectly all the way.

At 4.45 in the afternoon we passed the Barrels Light Vessel and ran into Rosslare Harbour with a fair wind and tide. We arrived at six o'clock, having travelled fifty-nine miles in nine hours. Our average speed was just over 6J knots. Coxswain Wick- ham and all the Rosslare Harbour crew were waiting to take over the boat.

They had decided, if we had been half an hour later, to come out and look for us between the Tuskar and the Barrels. They moored the boat forus and refuelled, and we were able to get straight ashore in the boarding boat. The whole crew were ex- hausted ; our eyes red with salt; not a dry piece of clothing on us; even our changes of clothing, in bags, wet through.

Next morning we set out for Kings- town at eight o'clock. Our eyes were still bad ; we needed rest; but it would be easier to get our clothes dried at Kingstown than in the cottages of the crew at Rosslare Harbour. The wind was moderate, but after we passed Wicklow Head it increased and went ahead, blowing from the north with rain and hail squalls. It was bitterly cold. That day we did seventy miles.

We were all glad to spend the next day, Sunday, at Kingstown.

For the rest of the passage we had nothing stronger than a strong breeze, but on the last day but one, when we were running from Donaghadee to Port Ellen, we found that we were making no headway against the strong breeze and strong flood-tide when off Larne, so we put in there until the tide eased oft. The same day, between the Mull of Cantyre and Rathlin, the wind, against a strong ebb-tide made a very heavy sea, and we encountered many dangerous overfalls; heavy water was taken on board; the weather was again very cold; and again everyone was wet" right through.

From Port Ellen to Port Askaig, the last twenty-one miles of the 471, we had a light breeze and calm sea; our average speed was just under 8 knots; and we brought the Frederick H. Pilley safely to her new station at 4.45 on the afternoon of 21st March.

The confidence which this passage gave to the four fishermen who made it is shown by the fervent hope of all four, when we reach Port Askaig, that the practice with a full crew which is always held when a new boat reaches her station, might take place in a full gale, so that the rest of the crew might see for themselves what a life-boat can do. Unfortunately the weather was not kind. No gale came.

This passage was an exceptional experience in these days when the larger types of motor life-boat all have cabins and shelters, and passages, even in stormy weather, can be made in comparative comfort ; but to, those, coxswains and others, who took life- boats round the coast befqre the first cabin life-boat was built, eleven years ago, this account of our trip to Port Askaig will recall many long and hard days at sea, when all life-boats were open boats, and the crews faced with- out shelter the full strength of the gales..