DURING 1937 help was given by foreign life-boat services to 21 British vessels.

Four of these services were by France, 2 by Iceland, 1 by Holland, 1 by Belgium, 1 by Norway and 15 by the United States.

Belgium.

On 17th November the s.s. Ino sank off the Belgian coast and her life-boat with 19 people on board was picked up and brought into Ostend.

The Belgian life-boat service has 7 stations with 5 motor life-boats, 7 pulling life-boats and 1 tug. Each station has a life-saving apparatus and there is one station with this apparatus only.

Denmark.

There were no services to British vessels. The Danish life-boat service has 62 stations, with a fleet of 22 motor life-boats and 36 pulling and sailing life-boats. Twelve of the stations have rocket life-saving apparatus only.

France.

There were four services by French life-boats to British vessels.

On 26th February the motor life- boat at Port Vendres went out to the help of the Llandovery Castle, of the Union Castle Line, which had struck a mine off the Spanish coast and was leaking, and stood by while her passen- gers were taken off and the steamer was got into harbour.

On 15th May the motor life-boat at Molene rescued the crew of 19 men of the Beatsa, of London, which had run aground.

On 25th May the motor life-boat at Boulogne helped to refloat the steamer Almeda Star, which had run aground.

On 18th August the motor life-boat at Calais went to the help of the yacht The Lydia, of Ramsgate, which was in a dangerous position, with her engines broken down, and towed her in.

Germany.

There were no services to British vessels.

The German fleet has 33 motor life- boats and 62 pulling and sailing life- boats. There are also 19 stations with rocket life-saving apparatus, and 53 stations have this apparatus as well as life-boats.

Holland.

On 23rd December the motor life- boat at Ijmuiden and the pulling and sailing life-boat from Egmond aan Zee, both of the North and South Holland Life-Saving Society, stood by the s.s. Gateshead, which had run aground, until she was refloated by tugs.

The North and South Holland Life- saving Society has a fleet of 14 motor life-boats and 19 pulling and sailing life-boats. It also has 19 rocket life- saving apparatus.

The South Holland Society for Saving the Shipwrecked has 7 motor life-boats and 4 pulling and sailing life-boats.

This makes a total fleet on the Dutch coasts of 21 motor life-boats and 23 pulling and sailing life-boats.

Iceland.

On 6th March the trawler Favorita, of Grimsby, stranded on Gardskagi and became a total wreck. Eight of her crew were rescued by another British trawler, Northern Reward, and nine by the life-saving apparatus from the shore.

On 25th December another Grimsby trawler, the Regal, was wrecked off Gerdar in Gardur. She became a total wreck. Her whole crew of 13 were rescued by life-saving apparatus from the shore.

The National Life-saving Association of Iceland now has a cruising motor life-boat of 60 tons, which follows the fishing fleets, and 8 pulling and sailing life-boats. It also has 36 stations with pistol rocket life-saving apparatus.

Japan.

t There were no services to British vessels.

The Japanese life-boat fleet has 76 motor life-boats and 142 pulling and sailing life-boats.

Norway.

On 31st January the life-saving ketch at Rasvag went to the help of the Grimsby trawler Thunderstorm, which was short of provisions and had a pipe broken in the engine-room, and piloted her into Flekkefjord.

The Norwegian Society for Saving the Shipwrecked has a fleet of 15 motor ketches and 10 sailing ketches. It also has 2 shore stations with pulling life- boats and life-saving apparatus and 32 stations with life-saving apparatus only.

Portugal.

There were no services to British vessels.

The Portuguese Institution for Saving the Shipwrecked has 8 motor life-boats and 39 pulling and sailing life-boats.

It has also 58 life-saving apparatus.

Spain.

The Spanish Society for Saving the Shipwrecked writes : " We do not know if in 1937 our stations had occasion to rescue British ships, since, owing1 to the exceptional circumstances through which our country is now passing, we seldom receive reports from local committees." The Spanish fleet consists of 18 motor life-boats and 27 pulling and sailing life-boats. There are also 15 stations with life-saving apparatus only.

Sweden.

There were no services to British vessels.

The fleet of the Swedish Society for Saving Life from Shipwreck consists of 3 cruising motor life-boats, 8 motor life-boats, and 5 pulling and sailing life-boats. One of its motor life-boat stations, and its 5 pulling and sailing life-boat stations, have life-saving ap- paratus, and there are 3 stations with this apparatus only.

The Government maintains 12 pulling and sailing life-boats. Eight of its 12 stations have also life-saving apparatus, and there are 6 stations with this apparatus only. This makes a total Swedish fleet of 11 "motor life-boats and 17 pulling and sailing life-boats.

Turkey.

There were no services to British vessels.

The Turkish fleet consists of 7 pulling and sailing life-boats.

The United States.

The life-boats of the United States went to the help of 15 British vessels.

They also went to the help of 14 Canadian vessels.

The United States fleet consists of 2 large motor life-boats, 142 self- righting motor life-boats, 155 motor surf-boats and 265 pulling surf-boats, making 299 motor life-boats and 265 pulling life-boats, a total fleet of 564 life-boats.

Finland, Latvia, Roumania and Russia.

No information has been received from Finland, Latvia, Roumania and Russia.

British Services to Foreign Vessels.

During the year British life-boats helped 20 foreign vessels, belonging to 8 different countries; rescued 101 lives from them ; and saved, or helped to save, 4 of the vessels. They were also called out to 18 other foreign vessels, but their help was not needed.

Of the 20 vessels to which help was given 5 were Dutch, 3 Danish, 3 French, 2 Belgian, 2 German, 2 Italian, 2 Norwegian, and 1 Greek. Forty-four lives were rescued from the Italian vessels, 27 from the Danish, and 21 from the Greek vessel.

The British fleet at the end of the year consisted of 138 motor life-boats and 29 pulling and sailing life-boats-.