IN the early morning of 12th January, 1937, a Finnish motor ship, the Johanna Thorden, passed through the Pentland Firth, between the north of Scotland and the Orkneys, on her way from New York to Gothenburg. She had thirty- eight on board, among them women and children. A whole gale was blowing, with a very heavy sea, and the weather was very hazy and cold.

Shortly before six o'clock she struck the Tarf of Swona, the southernmost point of that island, but, as appeared from the accounts of survivors later, the captain believed that he was on the Pentland Skerries, between five and six miles to the south-east of his actual position. The vessel's wireless was put out of action, but rockets were fired. Then, as there was no response, the captain decided to abandon ship and two boats were launched. Shortly before noon one of the boats came ashore near Kirkness, on the east side of South Ronaldshay, ten miles from where the Johanna Thorden had been wrecked. She capsized when near the shore, and the thirteen men aboard her were thrown into the sea. Eight suc- ceeded in getting ashore alive. This was six hours after the ship had struck.

Her rockets had not been seen by anyone at Swona, nor by any of the neighbouring look-out stations, on account of the very poor visibility.

At Longhope, five miles away, flashes had been seen in the direction of Swona, but they had been taken for lightning.

Longhope Life-boat Launches.

At noon a message was received at Longhope from the coastguard at Broughness on South Ronaldshay: " Ship ashore east side of South Ron- aldshay. Crew attempted to land in their own boat, which swamped. Some ashore, some drowned." The life- boat station asked for more information and the motor life-boat Thomas McCunn was launched at once. Twenty minutes later another message was received, this time from the Kirkwall coastguard, that she was not wanted, and she was recalled. Just as she was returning to Longhope pier a third message came that one of the ship's boats was still missing. The life-boat put to sea again, making for the east side of South Ronaldshay. On his way the coxswain came across wreck- age, remembered the flashes reported in the morning which had been taken for lightning, and followed up the wreckage, searching for survivors. The wreckage led him to the Tarf of Swona, where he found the Johanna Thorden almost submerged. He searched along the weather shore of Swona, and then went round to the lee shore, which he hailed, asking if any people had come ashore. The reply was " None." He then made for the east side of South Ronaldshay, but the life-boat could barely stem the strong ebb tide. With the heavy sea running and the poor visibility, it would have been impossible to see a boat more than a quarter of a mile away. When darkness began to come the coxswain, realizing the hopelessness of the search, made for Longhope, and arrived there at five in the evening.

Wick and Thurso Launch.

Meanwhile, just before four in the afternoon, the Wick life-boat station received a message from the Wick coastguard that a vessel was ashore on the Pentland Skerries and that one of her boats was missing. The motor life-boat Frederick and Emma was launched at once and searched the whole area of the Skerries, but found nothing. She returned to her station at 10 P.M.

An hour after the Wick life-boat had been called out, the Thurso station was informed by the Wick coast- guard that the Johanna Thorden had struck the Lother Rock, which lies off the south-west of South Ronaldshay, three miles from the Pentland Skerries, where the Finnish captain had believed himself to be, and the same distance from the Tarf of Swona, where the wreck actually lay. The message con- tinued that one boat had got ashore, but that another boat, with twenty- two men on board, two women andtwo children, was still adrift, possibly in the Pentland Firth. The Thurso motor life-boat H.C.J. was launched at 6.10 P.M., and searched the western ap- proaches to the Pentland Firth, but found nothing. She returned to her station at 11.40 that night.

The three life-boats had been out on the search altogether for sixteen hours.

The next day the missing boat and some bodies came ashore in Dingy- showe Bay, on the south side of Deerness, some eighteen miles from the wreck, and eight miles beyond the point where the other boat had come ashore. Of the twenty-five who had been in her, all were drowned. Thirty lives had been lost of the thirty-eight on board the Johanna Thorden.

It was expected that a Fatal Acci- dents Enquiry would be held at Kirk- wall, but after investigating the matter, the Procurator Fiscal decided that an enquiry was not necessary.

Rewards (already given in the last issue of The Life-boat): Longhope, £12 Os. Qd. ; Wick, £18 16s.; and Thurso, £17 17s..