New Brighton, Cheshire; Beaumaris, and Moelfre, Anglesey ; Lytham-St. Annes, Lancashire ; and Llandudno, Caernarvonshire.

—25th February. Early in the morning the tanker Realf, of London, which was bound for Liverpool, in tow of the Dutch tug Witte Zee, broke away from the tug when nearing the entrance of the Mersey channel. A whole north gale was blowing, with a very heavy sea and snow. The Realf sent out a wireless message that she was adrift, but that she did not want any help at the time. A little later she asked for help, and the New Brighton No. 2 motor life-boat William and Kate Johnston put out at 7.40 A.M. and made for the position she had given. The life-boat kept in touch with the shore by means of her wireless, and at 12.30 P.M. learned that the Realf had given a wrong position, that she was then about thirty miles away, a few miles north of Great Orme, and that the Beaumaris and Moelfre life-boats were dealing with the case. She therefore made for her station, arriving at 3.40 P.M., after eight hours at sea. A message was received at Beaumaris during the morning that a vessel was drifting abreast of PuffinIsland, and the motor life-boat Frederick Kitchen was launched at 12.12 P.M. She searched for some hours, but could find no trace of the Realf, and arrived back at her station at 4.30 P.M. The gale had brought all telephone lines down, but at about 1.20 P.M. a message that the Realf was adrift off Puffin Island was taken by police car to Moelfre and the motor life-boat G.W. put out at 1.40P.M. She, too, was unable to find her. On account of the very bad weather it was impossible to return to Moelfre, and she made for Beaumaris, arriving at 6 P.M. She stayed there overnight and returned to her station next morning.

The crews of the Llandudno and Lytham-St. Annes motor life-boats were assembled, but the boats were not launched. While the three life-boats were at sea the Realf had wirelessed that she was then about five miles N.N.E. of Great Orme's Head, that her anchors were holding and that she was in touch with her tug again. She was towed into Liverpool by tugs on the 2nd March. The owners of the Realf, United Molasses Co., Ltd., sent a letter of thanks and made a donation of fifty guineas to the Institution's funds. An increase in the usual money award on the standard scale was granted to each member of the New Brighton crew. — Rewards : New Brighton, £12 7s.; Beaumaris, £8 Is.; Moelfre, £14 15s. 6d.; Lytham-St.

Annes, £1 10*.; and Llandudno, £4 10s..