ON the night of August 16th, 1938, the steam trawler Nogi, of London, went ashore about 300 yards N.W. of the lighthouse on Straw Island, which lies off Inishmore, one of the Aran Islands in Galway Bay, on the west coast of Ireland. A strong wind was blowing from the W.S.W. through Gregory Sound, and a very heavy sea was running. The wrecked trawler was in an exposed position, and in great danger. The Nogi at once launched a small boat, and her boatswain and one of the crew got into it. The boat's painter parted and the boatswain was thrown out of the boat. He managed to clutch the anchor cable of the trawler and was hauled on board. The small boat, with the other man in her, was carried away.

Trawler's Boat in Difficulties.

A sister trawler, Hatano, was an- chored about a mile and a half away.

She sent out a wireless call for help and launched a boat, with four men on board, to go to the help of the Nogi.

The boat got into difficulties at once and was carried towards the rocks.

The Hatano's SOS was picked up by the trawler Akranes which was anchored in Kileany Bay, where the Galway Bay motor life-boat William Evans is moored. The coxswain and second motor mechanic of the life-boat were on board the trawler when the message was received. The trawler sounded her whistle. The coxswain and second motor mechanic went at once to the life-boat and sounded the foghorn. The remainder of the crew put out to her with two extra men.

Twenty minutes after the SOS had been received the life-boat was on her way to the rescue. She reached the Nogi in ten minutes.

To the Rescue of the Small Boat.

As the life-boat got near, the Nogi's crew shouted to her to go to the help of the Hatano's small boat. She was already in the broken water near the rocks when the life-boat found her with her searchlight. There was no time to throw a rope and the life-boat ran straight alongside. One of the small boat's rowlocks stuck into the life-boat's fender. Motor Mechanic Joseph Doyle jumped into the small boat at once, smashed the rowlock with a hatchet and freed the life-boat.

The life-boat then took aboard the four men, and took the small boat in tow.

This done, she returned to the Nogi, but the coxswain found that he could not get alongside. He anchored to windward and veered down as near as possible. The bowman, P.' Flaherty, with four members of the crew, W.

Gorham, P. Gill, J. Flaherty and T.

Flaherty, got on board the small boat which had just been rescued. A rope was made fast to her from the life-boat, and the life-boat then veered her down towards the Nogi, the men on board her keeping her head to sea and wind by means of the oars. They got her to the lee side of the Nogi; two lines were thrown to her from the Nogi; the boat was pulled alongside. Seas were breaking right over the Nogi, and it was only with great difficulty thatsix of the eleven men on board her were taken off. The small boat was then hauled and rowed back to the life- boat, put the six rescued men aboard her, and returned to the wreck. The other five men were rescued in the same way and taken to the life-boat.

The rescue had lasted two hours and by the end of it the small boat had made about eight inches of water.

An Eight Hours' Search.

The coxswain then heard of the man of the Nogi's crew who had been swept away in the trawler's boat shortly after the Nogi struck. He transferred the eleven rescued men to the trawler Hatano and went in search of the missing man. The same five men who had carried out the rescue were landed at the lighthouse slip on Straw Island, and searched for him for two hours.

They found nothing. The life-boat then put back to the station to refuel and get food. At daylight she returned to the search, taking with her a civic guard. A party was again landed on the island. It found the missing boat, badly damaged, on the lee side. It found the oars of the boat scattered on the rocks. It found, too, a pair of boots and one stocking. The search went on for six hours and just as the party was giving up all hope of finding the man himself, they saw his head over the top of the lighthouse wall. He remem- bered nothing after getting into the boat when the Nogi struck. He was so dazed and exhausted that he had to be carried down to the life-boat.

He was taken on board the Hatano and put to bed. The life-boat then landed from her the eleven men who had already been rescued and returned to her moorings at 1.30 P.M. on the 17th, more than fourteen hours after she had first put out.

The Rewards.

This was a fine service, carried out with promptness, courage and great skill, and the Institution has made the following awards: To Coxswain JOHN GILL, the bronze medal for gallantry, accompanied by a copy of the vote inscribed on vellum; To Motor Mechanic JOSEPH DOYLE, who showed great presence of mind and pluck in jumping into the small boat, smashing the rowlock and so preventing an accident to the life-boat, the bronze medal for gallantry, accompanied by a copy of the vote inscribed on vellum; To each of the five men who manned the small boat, Bowman P. FLAHERTY, W. GORHAM, P. GILL, J. FLAHERTY and T. FLAHERTY, the bronze medal for gallantry, accompanied by a copy of the vote inscribed on vellum; To the other four members of the crew, MICHAEL HERNON, second cox- swain, MICHAEL DIRRANE, assistant motor mechanic, COLMAN FLAHERTY and THOMAS BEATTY, life-boatmen, the thanks of the Institution inscribed on vellum; To the coxswain, motor mechanic and each of the nine other members of the crew a reward of £2 in addition to the ordinary scale reward of £1 17*. 6d., making a total reward of £3 17s. 6d.

to each man. Standard rewards to the crew, £18 155.; additional rewards to the crew, £22; total rewards, £40 15s..