THE LIFE-BOAT FLEET Motor Life-boats, 137 :: Pulling & Sailing Life-boats, 30 LIVES RESCUED from the foundation of the Institution in 1824 to March 31st, 1938 - - - - - 65,625 Capsizing of the St. Ives Life-boat.

Medals Awarded to Coxswain and Crew.

ON the evening of 31st January, 1938, a gale from W.N.W. was blowing at St. Ives, on the North Cornish coast.

A heavy sea was running, and there were heavy squalls of rain and sleet.

About seven in the evening the coast- guard look-out at Clodgy Point, imme- diately to the westward of St. Ives Head, had a steamer under observation, and was trying to read her name.

The steamer was the s.s. Alba, of 4,000 tons, built in the United States for service on the Great Lakes, and then, after being laid up for some years, bought by a Swiss subject for ocean- going trade, and registered at Panama.

Among her crew were Hungarians, Yugoslavians and Rumanians, a Spaniard and a Portuguese. Her full speed in fine weather was seven knots, and she had a crew of twenty-three.

The Alba was carrying a full cargo of coal from South Wales to Italy. She met bad weather as she got near the Scilly Isles. Her machinery (recently converted from oil fuel to coal) began to give trouble. Her captain decided to turn back for shelter, and made for St. Ives Bay. He saw Godrevy Light once and took a bearing, but the weather was now very dirty, and the rain squalls made visibility very poor.

In these squalls, and the failing light, the captain of the Alba saw the house lights of Porthmear, and mistook them for the lights of St. Ives itself.

He turned the steamer head to wind and dropped anchor, thinking that he was in St. Ives Bay. He was, in fact, on the wrong side of St. Ives headland, which lay close to leeward of him, and before his cable held the steamer's stern had struck. She sent out a wire- less S O S and blew her siren.

The Clodgy Point look-out had lost sight of her in the rain squalls and dusk, and thought that she had passed safely round the headland, but the coast- guard housing station overlooking St.

Ives Bay discovered her ashore on the windward side of the headland, and the maroon was fired calling out the coast- guard rocket life-saving appliances (L.S.A). Meanwhile, a fisherman had told the life-boat coxswain and he had already fired the maroons summoning the life-boat crew. That was at 7.15. In less than a quarter of an hour the motor life-boat Caroline Parsons had been launched, over a hundred people taking part in the launch. In another quarter of an hour she had rounded the head- land and approached the steamer.

She found her lying almost head towind, but the heavy seas were striking her broadside on her starboard side.

The life-boat would have to go round her bows and approach her on the port side if she was to be sheltered by the wreck from the seas. The coxswain had his anchor ready unlashed to let go. He dropped it ahead of the steamer and went alongside her nearly amidships.

The Dangers Increasing.

Here the life-boat lay fairly comfort- ably, although seas, breaking right over the steamer, were falling into her. But the coxswain knew that every minute the danger was increasing, for, with , the tide ebbing, the seas were growing bigger and were breaking nearer and nearer to the wreck. Unfortunately he could not make the crew of the Alba understand the increasing danger.

They started to pass down baggage.

The coxswain refused to take it. He urged them to come at once, but it was a full five minutes before the first man came down the ladder which had been slung over the side. Slowly others followed, being continually urged to hurry. When no more appeared the coxswain asked if all were aboard the life-boat. Apparently they were not.

The second engineer had gone to do something to protect his boilers.

The coxswain waited, unable to make the foreigners understand the extreme dangers to which these delays were exposing them and the life-boat's crew. Then just as the coxswain was trying to make the captain understand that he could wait no longer if he were to save their lives, the missing man appeared. All twenty-three of the Alba's crew were now in the life-boat.

She had then been alongside the wreck nearly forty minutes.

Capsized.

The moment of danger, as the cox- swain well knew, would be when the life-boat drew clear of the wreck and met the full force of the increasing seas. If possible, she must meet them head on. The coxswain hove on the anchor to bring the bows of the life- boat round, but the loose sandy bottom was being churned up by the surf.

The anchor would not hold in it, and came home. It was got aboard and secured. There was no room in the narrow space between the wreck and the rocks of the headland to turn the life-boat. She must go astern before she could be turned head to the seas.

The coxswain ordered all the rescued men to lie down. In this way he reduced the top weight as much as possible. Then he went astern, but before the life-boat could be turned head to the seas she had passed beyond the shelter of the wreck. At that moment an extra big breaker came down on her like a moving wall; struck her broadside on ; knocked her over.

All but three of the thirty-two men on board the life-boat were thrown into the sea. The assistant motor mechanic, son of the coxswain, who was in charge of the machinery (in the absence of the motor mechanic, away doing his Royal Naval Reserve drill), was in the shelter holding the engine control wheel. He clung on to it. The bowman was wedged among the coils of the cable in the bows.

His brother was aft, re-securing the starboard fore and aft life-line, and he clung to that. So they remained as the life-boat capsized. She was of the light self-righting type. Turning com- pletely over, she was right way up again in a few seconds, with the three men still on board her.

Coxswain and Crew Swim Back.

The coxswain, when he was thrown into the sea, had been carried shore- ward. He could have got safely ashore, but he swam back to the life- boat. So did the other five life-boat- men. The coxswain took command again, and set about rescuing the twenty-three men of the Alba's crew.

They were all wearing small kapok life-belts. Eighteen were got back safely into the life-boat, but five could not be found.

Meanwhile the assistant motor me- chanic had tried to restart the engine.

As the boat was of the self-righting type, the engine had cut off automatic- ally when the boat capsized. Other- wise, when she self-righted she would have gone on, leaving the men in the water. The engine was undamaged, but the starting-handle had been struck by the mast and damaged when the life-boat capsized. The engine could not be started again.

The rescue of the Alba's crew,and the capsizing of the life-boat had been seen from the shore. The L.S.A., under the command of the district officer of coastguard, had reached the scene of the wreck just about the time when the life-boat had got alongside, but wisely had fired no rocket, as it was clear that the life-boat could rescue the crew, and a rocket might be dangerous to her. As soon, however, as she was seen to capsize a rocket was fired.

The line fell over the steamer and the life-boatmen were able to reach it.

With its help they could prevent the life-boat from being carried away by the eddy of the tide. In fact, how- ever, the seas washed the life-boat towards the rocks, where the full force of the seas was broken by the wreck.

As she got near the rocks those on board prepared to jump, but the cox- swain stopped them, for fear they would be crushed between the life-boat and the rocks. He kept them all on board, and when the time came for them to land, prevented too many of them going at once.

The People of St. Ives to the Rescue.

Others besides the company of the L.S.A. had seen the life-boat capsize, and men and women scrambled down to their rescue. Coastguard, the L.S.A. company, police, sea-scouts and private citizens all took part. In the darkness and gale, with the seas washing over the slippery confusion of the rocks, it needed determination and courage to go out far enough to reach the life-boat; and this courage was not lacking. A member of the L.S.A.

company took out a rope. He was flung against a rock and his shoulder was injured. Another member of the L.S.A. company at once took his place.

He succeeded in getting the rope to the life-boat, and with the help of those on the rocks the twenty-seven men on board her were safely landed.

The bay was searched for the five missing men of the Alba's crew. Two were not found. The other three were brought ashore, but they were dead.

In the West Country the St. John Ambulance Brigade works in par- ticularly close co-operation with the life-boat stations. Its St. Ives Brigade was ready in attendance when the life- boat was seen to c.apsize. Its super- intendent at once called on the brigades in neighbouring places, and they came at once. Artificial respiration was given without delay to all who needed it, but the three members of the Alba's crew who were rescued from the sea could not be revived. Townspeople came down with blankets and restora- tives. The Salvation Army got ready its hall for the rescued men, and those who had been injured were taken at once to hospital. The rescued men were then taken charge of by the Shipwrecked Fishermen and Mariners' Royal Benevolent Society, which ar- ranged for their return to their own country.

The coxswain (a man of sixty) and his crew were none the worse in body or spirit for their experience, except the second coxswain, who was not well when he went out on the service and was ill for some time afterwards.

The day after the rescue the cox- swain and second coxswain (in spite of his illness) went to the B.B.C.

station at Plymouth and broadcast an account of it, and the following Saturday an account was broadcast from London in "In Town To-night," by Mr. John Thomas, the St. Ives signalman.

The Damaged Life-boat.

As soon as the news of the capsizing of the life-boat reached the Institution, Captain R. L. Hamer, R.N., deputy chief-inspector of life-boats, the district inspector, the district engineer and the assistant surveyor of life-boats went to St. Ives. They found that the life- boat had been practically undamaged when the men were rescued from her, but it had been impossible to do anything with her, and the gale and tides had carried her over the rocks, and broken her beyond repair. Her engine, which was undamaged, was taken out of her.

A number of her fittings were removed, and at midnight on 2nd February the remains were burnt. This was done at the express wish of the coxswain and crew, the honorary secretary and the local committee of the station, who did not wish that the broken remains of their boat should be exhibited or taken for souvenirs.

She was a life-boat of the lightself-righting type, 35 feet 6 inches by 9 feet 3 inches, weighing 7 tons with crew and gear on board, and driven by a 35-h.p. engine. She was built in 1933 out of two legacies, one from the late Miss Caroline Parsons, of Edin- burgh, after whom the boat was named, and the other from the late Mrs.

Elizabeth May, of St. Ives, who left the legacy to provide the engine for a motor life-boat at St. Ives.

The Inquest.

On 2nd February the inquest was held on the men who had lost their lives.. The chief officer of the steamer (the captain being in hospital with an injured leg) gave evidence that the life-boat was well handled and every- thing possible done to rescue the crew.

The coxswain of the life-boat said that he was. entirely satisfied with her equipment, and the representative of the owner of the Alba thanked the life-boat's crew and all the organiza- tions and individuals who had taken part in the rescue. The coroner said that the work of the life-boat coxswain and crew had been in accordance with the highest traditions of the service.

On the same day the committee of the St. Ives branch of the Institution held a special meeting, with the Mayor presiding, and passed a resolution commending the bravery of the cox- swain and crew.

The Institution's Rewards.

In the opinion of the Institution the coxswain and crew deserved very high praise, the coxswain for his courage, high sense of duty and leadership after the disaster, the crew for their courage, high sense of duty and discipline.

These undoubtedly prevented the loss of life from being greater than it was.

The Institution has made the following awards : To COXSWAIN THOMAS COCKING, SENIOR, the silver medal for gallantry, and a copy of the vote of the medal, inscribed on vellum and framed; To each of the eight members of the crew, the second coxswain, WILLIAM PETERS, the bowman, MATTHEW BARBER, the assistant and acting mechanic, JOHN B. COCKING, JOHN THOMAS, THOMAS COCKING, JUNIOR, HENRY PETERS, WILLIAM BARBER and PHILLIP PAYNTER, the bronze medal for gallantry, and a copy of the vote of the medal inscribed on vellum and framed; To the coxswain and each member of the crew a reward of £2 in addition to the ordinary scale reward of £117s. 6d., making a reward of £3 17s. Gd. to each man. Standard rewards to crew, £16 17s. 6i; additional rewards to crew, £18. Total rewards to crew and launchers, £93 7s. 6d. In addition to the rewards the Institution has made a grant of £5 2s. 6d. to the second cox- swain in compensation for his illness due to the service ; To Mr. E. LEIGH GUPPY, the honor- ary secretary of the station, in recogni- tion of his ability, energy and devotion, an inscribed binocular glass ; To THE MAYOR AND INHABITANTS OF ST. IVES, the thanks of the Institu- tion inscribed on vellum.

The Institution has sent letters of appreciation to the following: The Board of Trade, commending the district officer of coastguard, his men, and the L.S.A. company; the Chief Constable of Cornwall, commending Sergeant Osborn and his men; the Chief Commissioner, St. John Ambu- lance, commending Superintendent Care and his men; Captain Borlase Smart, commending the Rover Sea Scouts; and the Salvation Army, commending Adjutant Higgins and his organization.

The Institution has not made awards to individual men and women who took part in the rescue from the shore, as, under its agreement with the Board of Trade, attempts at rescue from the shore are rewarded by the Board.

Letters of thanks were sent to the Mayor of St. Ives by the Hungarian and Yugoslavian Ministers in London, and by the manager of the Neptun Sea Navigation Company, from Geneva, owners of the Alba. The captain of the Alba wrote from hospital a letter of thanks to the St. Ives Times, and the chief officer sent a donation to the St. Ives branch of the Institution Messrs. A. T. Bulcomfoe, of London, presented the life-boat crew with one of their " Alba " wireless sets, which has been placed in the life-boathouse, and Miss Agnes Folker, of Braunton, North Devon, sent two pounds to each member of the crew, besides a gifttowards a new motor life-boat for St.

Ives.

' It is just thirty years this year since the first life-boats built with motor power went to their stations,1 but the St. Ives life-boat is the first motor life-boat of any type to capsize. The boat herself, which righted at once, her engine, which was cut off by its automatic switch, and the life-belts of the crew which enabled them all to get back into the life-boat, all fulfilled the functions for which they were specially designed in the event of a capsize.

The only failure was caused by the damage to the starting-handle.

St. Ives New Motor Life-boat: A Gift from Cornwall Shortly after the disaster one of the two motor life-boats stationed at Padstow was transferred temporarily to St. Ives. She is of the same self- righting type as the wrecked life-boat.

A pulling and sailing life-boat of the self-righting type was then sent from the reserve fleet to replace this boat and 1 Experiments with motor power had been begun four years earlier and several pulling and sailing life-boats had been fitted with engines before the first motor life-boats were bnilt.

to work with the other Padstow motor life-boat, which is a 61-feet Barnett life-boat, the largest and most powerful type in the Institution's fleet.

Towards providing a new motor life- boat for St. Ives a gift of £2,500 has been received from Mr. C. V. Thomas, of Camborne, Cornwall, a solicitor and a county alderman, and she will be named C. Clifford Thomas, after his eldest son, who lived at St. Ives and died there a short time ago.

The Institution will also use for this boat gifts received from 60 people amounting to over £100, which were sent for this purpose. Eighteen pounds of this sum was collected among her friends by Miss Alice Marshall, a vice- president of the Institution, and for many years the honorary secretary of its Oxford branch, and a number of the gifts were the result of a letter in the Daily Telegraph and Morning Post suggesting that those who had enjoyed holidays at St. Ives should contribute towards the new life-boat. The gifts came principally from London and Cornwall, but one was received from Sheffield, another from Edinburgh, and another from Paris..