ON the night of the 15th November, 1937, the three-masted auxiliary schooner Invermore, of Dublin, left New Ross, Co. Wexford, for Liverpool, with a cargo of pit props. She carried a crew of five. During the following night, when she was off Holyhead, a gale from the south-east sprang up.

Her foremast and mizen-mast were carried away; her engine broke down; she drifted helplessly towards the Isle of Man. At 9.5 on the evening of the 17th a message was received at Port Sit.

Mary, Isle of Man, from the Scarlett Point coastguard look-out that a vessel was in distress ten miles south-east of the Chicken Rock Lighthouse, and that the Finnish steamer Dione was standing by her, but was unable to give any help. A whole gale was now blowing, with a very rough sea, and the weather was bitterly cold, with occasional rain. The Port St. Mary motor life-boat Sir Heath Harrison was launched at 9.30, but in spite of a thorough search, she was unable to find the vessel—which from wireless messages from the Dione was known to be the Invermore—and returned to her station at one o'clock next morn- ing, the 18th. An hour later the coastguard reported that at 1.15 A.M.

the Invermore was thought to have been seven miles off the land, between Langness Point and Douglas, and the life-boat set out again at 2.15 A.M.

The weather was still extremely bad.

The life-boat's second search was unsuccessful and she arrived back at her station at 6.20 A.M.

Port Erin, Isle of Man.

Some time after the Port St. Mary life-boat had first been launched, and while she was at sea, the coastguard received a corrected position for the Invermore and passed it to the life-boat station at Port Erin, Isle of Man. This position was seventeen miles S.S.E.

of the Chicken Rock Lighthouse. The motor life-boat Ethel Day Cardwell was launched at 11.30 P.M. on the 17th, and at 4.20 A.M. next morning she found the Invermore four"miles S.S.W. of the Chickens, with the* Dione standing by.

The master did not want to abandon ship, but asked the coxswain to send out a tug. The Dione went on her way, and the life-boat made for Port Erin, arriving at 6.45 A.M. The re- quest for a tug was passed on to the coastguard, and at 8.45 A.M., as the weather was getting worse, the life- boat again put out to stand by the Invermore until a tug arrived. She was unable to find her and returned to her station at 1.30 P.M. on the 18th.

Douglas, Isle of Man.

Meanwhile the Douglas motor life- boat Manchester & Salford had been launched at 1 A.M. on the 18th, follow- ing a report from the coastguard that a vessel was in distress near Langness.

She reached a point about seven miles off Langness, but found nothing, and returned to her station at 5.30 A.M.

Peel, Isle of Man.

At 9.28 A.M. on the 18th, nearly four hours after Douglas had returned, the coastguard reported to Peel that at 5 A.M. a vessel had been in distress ten miles north of the Chickens.

The new motor life-boat Helen Button was launched at 9.48 A.M. She searched all day, but could find no trace of a vessel in distress, and returned to her station at 5.45 P.M.

The Port St. Mary station received the same message, and as this was a different position from the first two, her crew stood by, but did not launch, as it was known that Peel had gone out, and it was found that the life- boat's propeller had become fouled by floating seaweed. This was soon cleared.

Off the Coast of Ireland.

All the day and night of the 18th the Invermore was drifting in the Irish Sea, and next morning she was off the coast of Co. Down, Ireland. She was in danger of going on the rocks at Ballyquinton Point and burned distress signals. The wind was then from the S.S.E., blowing a gale, with a very heavy sea, and rain.

Donaghadee and Cloughey Launch.

The coastguard saw her signals when she was two miles S.S.E. of Bally- quinton Point. The nearest life-boatstation was Cloughey, but communica- tions had broken down and the coast- guard could not get through. He then sent the message to Donaghadee, about eighteen miles away, and at 6.55 on the morning of the 19th the Dona- ghadee motor life-boat Civil Service No. 5 was launched. Meanwhile the news had been taken to Cloughey by bicycle by the Portavogie coastguard, and the Cloughey motor life-boat William Maynard was launched at 7.45 A.M. She reached the Invermore before the Donaghadee life-boat, which had farther to travel, and made two attempts to take her in tow, but each time the tow-ropes parted. On the arrival of the Donaghadee liferboat at ten in the morning, both life-boats took the Invermare in tow, and managed to get her into the shelter of Portaferry harbour. Her crew were by then com- pletely exhausted, and the schooner would have been totally wrecked but for the life-boat's help.

The Donaghadee life-boat then made for her station, which she reached at 4.30 P.M. The Cloughey life-boat also made for her station, but could not be rehoused, as the launching-tractor had broken down, and the beach and slipway were covered with seaweed.

Portavogie harbour was closed, so she went to Donaghadee, where she arrived at 5.30 P.M. She returned to her station four days later.

Newcastle, Co. Down.

The news of the Invermore had been sent by the coastguard also to the life-boat station at Newcastle, Co.

Down, and the motor life-boat L.P and St. Helen had been launched at 7.30 A.M., a quarter of an hour before the Cloughey life-boat had put out. Some time later it was learned that the other two life-boats were nearing the Inver- more, and the Newcastle life-boat was recalled. She returned to her station at 11.10 A.M.

So successfully ended a service in which seven life-boats had taken part.

They had been out altogether for fifty-four hours. How far the Inver- more had drifted it is impossible to say, but it must have been at least eighty miles.

The Institution made the following rewards : POET ST. MARY.—A reward of 20s.

to each of the six men who went out twice in addition to the ordinary scale reward of £l 17s. Qd., making a total reward of £2 17s. Qd. to each man.

Rewards of £2 were also paid for the assembly. Standard rewards to crew, £18 15s.; additional rewards to crew, £6 ; rewards for assembly, £2. Total rewards, £39 15s. ; PORT ERIN.—A reward of 20s. to each of nine men who went out twice in addition to the ordinary scale reward of £2 16s. Qd., making a total reward of £3 16s. 6d. to each man; and a*reward of 10s. in addition to the ordinary scale reward of 19s. to one man who went out once, making a total reward of £l 9s. Standard re- wards to crew, £23 11s.; additional rewards to crew, £9 10s. Total re- wards, £40 11s. ; DOUGLAS.—A reward of 20s. to the coxswain and each member of the crew in addition to the ordinary scale reward of £l 17s. 6d., making a reward of £2 17s. Qd. to each man. Standard rewards to crew, £11 5s. ; additional rewards to crew, £6. Total rewards, £27 8s. Sd.; PEEL.—A reward of 20s. to the coxswain and each member of the crew in addition to the ordinary scale reward of £l 8s. Qd., making a reward of £2 8s. 6d. to each man. Standard rewards to crew, £11 8s.; additional rewards to crew, £8. Total rewards, £26 9s. Qd.; CLOUGHEY.—-A reward of 20s. to the coxswain and each member of the crew in addition to the ordinary scale reward of £1 8s. Qd., making a reward of £2, 8s. Qd. to each man. Standard rewards to crew £8 lls.; additional rewards to crew, £6. Total rewards, £46 4s. ; NEWCASTLE, Co. DOWN.—Reward on the standard scale of 19s. to each man.

Total rewards, £20 12s.; DONAGHADEE.—A reward of 12s. Qd.

to the coxswain and each member of the crew in addition to the ordinary scale reward of £1 8s. 6d., making a reward of £2 Is. to each man. Standard rewards to crew, £9 19s. Gd.; additional rewards to crew, £5. Total 'rewards, £15 9s. Qd.

Total rewards to the seven stations, £216 9s. Qd..