THE LIFE-BOAT FLEET Motor Life-boats, 142 :: Pulling & Sailing Life-boats, 20 LIVES RESCUED from the foundation of the Institution in 1824 to February 28th, 1939 - 66,142 The Great Gale of 23rd November, 1938.

ON 23rd November, 1938, the severest gale since the great gales of the winter of 1929 to 1930, struck the British Isles.

The wind reached a speed of 108 miles an hour. Much damage was done on land. Cattle were swept out to sea; telegraph poles, trees, hoardings and walls blown down; roofs torn off; roads flooded; a railway bridge washed away; and thirteen lives were lost.

Life-boats were launched all round the coast; on that one day there were 27 launches. Life-boats rescued 36 lives. Life-boatmen at New Brighton, Aldeburgh, and Great Yarmouth and Gorleston won six medals and four vellums for gallantry, and the Institu- tion made rewards and other pay- ments to life-boat crews- amounting to nearly £500.

NEW BRIGHTON.

The outstanding service of the day was at New Brighton on the Mersey.

At 9.15 in the morning, news was received at the life-boat station that a fishing boat was in difficulties E.N.E.

of the Crosby Light-vessel; it lies about 6i miles from the life-boat berth. A whole west gale was blowing, with a rough sea. There were gusts of wind at 108 miles an hour. There were frequent and very heavy squalls of rain and hail.

Within eight minutes of the assembly signal the life-boat, William and Kate Johnston, was away. It was then 9.55. The life-boat was drawing near to the position given about 10.30 and could see a fishing boat. She appeared to be labouring heavily in the sea.

It was the Progress, of Hoylake, with a crew of three. At the same time, the life-boat saw a schooner drifting towards the shore with her sails blown away. She was the Loch Ranza Castle.

of Annalong, laden with stone and carrying a crew of four.

The coxswain had to decide at once which of the two vessels was in the greater need of help. As the fishing boat was the smaller of the two, and as she was anchored and in deeper water, he decided to go to her help first. The life-boat went alongside, and after two or three attempts, rescued the three men. Shortly afterwards the fishing boat sank.

Right in tjie Surf.

The life-boat then set course for the schooner. The weather had become steadily worse, and a very heavy sea was now running. The squalls were terrific, and the spindrift and spray made it very difficult to see. By this time the schooner was right among the surf. She was drifting rapidly ashore.

Her crew had taken to the rigging.

The surf was breaking between 200 and 300 yards from the shore, and the coxswain took in the life-boat until she was between 150 and 200 yards from the schooner. There he took sound- ings, headed seaward again, and let go his anchor. Those on the life-boat could see now that the Loch Ranza Castle had sunk. The crew were in the starboard and port rigging.

The Life-boat Over the Wreck.

The coxswain veered the life-boat down, with the engines working, took her over the wreck, and after several attempts, succeeded in rescuing the two men who were in the starboard rigging. The other two men were on the port side. One of them was seen to climb further up and cross over to the starboard rigging. The other was seen to get rid of his seaboots, but he remained where he was. Again the coxswain took the life-boat over the wreck and rescued the third man.

From him it was learnt that the fourth was too exhausted to do anything. He was in a very critical position, and the coxswain realized that there was no way of helping him unless he could take the life-boat round under the port rigging where the man was clinging.

The rescue of the three men had taken an hour; the tide had eased; but, by this time, none of the deck fittings, not even the gunwale, were showing, and blocks, yards and rigging were falling from the masts.

Rescued Unconscious.

The second anchor cable of the life- boat was bent on to the cable by which the life-boat was already anchored, and the coxswain veered her down stern first, passed under the bowsprit of the wreck, and so, with the help of the engines, got right alongside the port rigging. The man by now was scarcely conscious and was quite in- capable of helping himself. The cox- swain kept the boat alongside the rigging and, after some very anxious minutes, the crew succeeded in getting the half-conscious man into the life- boat. There he was at once given first aid by the second motor mechanic.

The coxswain then manoeuvred the life-boat clear, cut his cable, and made for the New Brighton landing stage, where she arrived at seven minutes to one. The life-boat was down nearly three feet by the head. Her two forward compartments and the cabin were flooded. It was clear that she had been severely damaged when she was taken over the wreck to rescue the three men in the starboard rigging. The life-boat would normally have gone to her moorings, and the crew and the rescued would have been landed in the boarding boat, but in view of the damage to the life-boat, and in view, too, of the condition of the last man to be rescued (he was sixty- five years old), the coxswain decided to go alongside the landing-stage, a manoeuvre calling for great skill and seamanship. It was successfully carried out and the rescued were landed.

The life-boat was taken next day to a yard at Birkenhead for repair, and there it was found that, besides much other damage, there was a hole three feet by three inches in the skin of the fore cabin, and another hole nine inches in diameter in the skin of another compartment, while the skin of a third compartment was also holed.

The Rewards.

It was a service in which the cox- swain showed great gallantry and tenacity, and exceptional seamanship.

The way in which he handled his boat after she had been damaged is worthy of the highest praise. He was ad- mirably supported by his crew, especially by the second coxswain and the two motor mechanics. The In- stitution has made the following awards: To Coxswain W. H. JONES, the silver medal for gallantry, accom- panied by a copy of the vote inscribed on vellum; To the second coxswain, J. NICHOL- SON and the motor mechanic, W.

GARBUTT, second-service clasps to the bronze medals for gallantry which they already hold, accompanied by copies of the votes inscribed on vellum; To the second motor mechanic, J.

MASON, the bronze medal for gallantry, accompanied by a copy of the vote inscribed on vellum; To the bowman, W. S. JONES, and the other members of the crew, J. STONALL, H. STONALL and W. DOUGLAS, thethanks of the Institution inscribed on vellum; To the coxswain and each member of the crew a reward of £3 in addition to the ordinary scale reward of 19s.

Standard rewards to the crew, £5 14s.; additional rewards to the crew, £24; total rewards, £33 4s. 6d.

Four days after the service Mr. J.

Stonall collapsed while out fishing and died of heart failure. He left a widow and two children. As he had not died on life-boat service, or as a direct result of it, his widow was not eligible for a pension, but the Institution decided to make her an allowance of fifteen shillings a week during her widowhood, and five shillings a week for each of the children until they were sixteen.

The motor life-boat, Oldham, of Hoylake, was also launched on the same service. It was known that the New Brighton life-boat had put out, but it was thought that in the very heavy weather the Oldham might also be wanted. She was launched at 11.13 A.M. and reached the Crosby Channel at 12.40. There she was hailed by the Mersey Dock tender, Vigilant, which told her that the crews of both vessels had been rescued by the New Brighton life-boat. She arrived back at 2.20 P.M.

Rewards, £11 18s.

ON THE EAST COAST.

On the same day, on the east coast, a gale was blowing from the south and south-east, with very heavy seas, and barges were running helplessly before it.

At 7.56 in the morning the maroons were fired at Aldeburgh. Three barges were in distress two and a half miles north-east of the station. They were the Grecian and Astrild, of Rochester, and the Decima, of London. The motor life-boat Abdy Beauclerk was launched in nine minutes, in itself a notable feat, for the launch off the open beach at Aldeburgh is very difficult and dangerous. The life-boat went first to the Grecian, but her crew declined help. She then went to the Astrild which was riding to an anchor near Sizewell Bank. Her topsail had been blown away; she was con- tinually swept by heavy seas; the running rigging of the mainsail had parted; the sprit (the heavy spar which supports the mainsail) was swinging violently about; and the barge herself was sheering about so wildly that the coxswain had to make five attempts before he could get the life-boat's stem alongside the barge's rigging and the two men were able to jump aboard.

The life-boat's stem was slightly damaged.

The life-boat then went to the Decima but she declined help and ran north; so the life-boat returned to the Grecian and this time her crew of two were very glad to leave her. They were rescued in the same way as the crew of the Astrild.

It was impossible for the life-boat to be brought ashore at Aldeburgh in the heavy seas, so she ran for Lowestoft where she arrived at 1.15 P.M.

It was a fine service, very skilfully carried out, and the Institution has made the following awards: To Coxswain GEORGE E. CHATTEN, the bronze medal for gallantry, accom- panied by a copy of the vote inscribed on vellum; To Lieut. D. DAY, R.N., honorary assistant secretary, and Mr. H. L.

GOODSON, a member of the local committee, letters of thanks; To the coxswain and each member of the crew a reward of £1 in addition to the ordinary scale reward of 19s.

Standard rewards to the crew, £8 11s.; additional rewards to the crew, £10; total rewards to crew and helpers, £49 14s. lid.

TO THE HELP OF SEVEN BARGES.

Further north on the east coast the Great Yarmouth and Gorleston motor life-boat, John and Mary Meiklam of Gladswood, went out to the help of no fewer than seven barges. She was out almost continuously for over eleven hours; saved two barges with their crews of four men; rescued the crews of three more barges, six men in all; and stood by two other barges.

The first call came at seven in the morning. A gale was blowing from the south-east, with a very rough sea and heavy rain. The life-boat found the sailing barge Ailsa, of London, about a mile south of Gorleston pier. The barge was anchored, but the anchorwas dragging and she was driving towards the beach, with seas breaking clean over her. A tug had got a hawser aboard her. The coxswain took the life-boat alongside; three of his crew jumped on board the barge; with their help the hawser was secured and the anchor heaved up. The tug then towed the barge in with the life-boat standing by.

The coxswain then saw another barge, the Britisher, of London, to the north-east of the harbour with her sails blown away. On the advice of the coxswain, the barge anchored.

The life-boat then took off her two men, and, backing clear, stood by to see how the weather went. Half an hour later a tug came out. The life-boat put the two men back on the barge, with three life-boatmen to help them, and the tug's tow-rope was secured; the anchor was got up; and the barge was towed in with the life-boat standing by.

Running Before the Gale.

It was now eleven in the morning.

The life-boat collected the six men of her crew from the two barges and no sooner was this done than the coast- guard reported other barges running north, with their sails blown away.

The life-boat left harbour again at 11.30 and spoke to the barges Raybell and Royalty, both of London.

Raybell said she needed no help but Royalty was taken in tow by a tug, with the life-boat standing by. The life-boat then returned to the Raybell. The wind had now veered to the south-west and was blowing with increasing force.

The Raybell had anchored south of Gorleston pier, but her anchor was dragging and she was driving rapidly out; still the skipper said that he did not need help. He dropped a second anchor and then a third; but the barge did not hold. With the strong ebb and heavy sea the barge was driving towards the Scroby Sands.

With the three anchors failing, the skipper at last asked for help. A tug had now come out, prepared to take her in tow, if it was not too late, for the barge was now very near the sands.

The life-boat coxswain told the skipper and his mate to be ready, if they failed to pick up the tow, to jump aboard the life-boat. The men got their gear on deck, but after several attempts, they made fast the hawser from the tug.

The Life-boat in Pursuit.

As soon as he saw her in tow and well clear of the sands, the coxswain made for another sailing barge which had passed the harbour and was running northward with a flag in her rigging.

She was the Cetus, of London. The life-boat followed her at full speed and came up with her abreast of Caister.

The skipper told the coxswain that he had lost all his anchors, and that his barge was unmanageable. She con- tinued to run northward and when abreast of Winterton Lighthouse, the skipper decided to abandon her. The life-boat came under her lee quarter, and the two men of the barge jumped aboard her, but the barge was being carried so rapidly to leeward that the life-boat was damaged by her; and the life-boat's crew narrowly escaped injury when she went under the barge's bowsprit.

A Rescue Just in Time.

It was now about three in the after- noon and the life-boat returned to Gorleston. When she was close to Britannia Pier the coxswain saw another barge in danger, the Decima, of London. Driving at full speed against the strong ebb and the heavy sea he reached her just as she got into the breakers on Scroby Sand. At full speed he went alongside, and the two men on board jumped into the life-boat. A few minutes later the barge was ashore on the sands.

The four men from the two barges were landed and the life-boat went to her moorings at 4.30, to learn that yet another barge, the Una, of Ipswich, was ashore on Yarmouth beach.5* It was now dark and the sea on the beach was very heavy. The coxswain anchored and dropped down to the barge. The life-boat herself struck the ground and bumped heavily. She was knocked by the seas towards the Una. The two men were ready. They threw their dog aboard the life-boat then jumped themselves; and the life- boat, hauling on her cable, drew out into deep water and at last reached her station at 6.30 in the evening.Rewards.

It was a series of difficult services in which the coxswain showed fine initiative and seamanship, and the In- stitution has made the following awards: To Coxswain CHARLES A. JOHNSON a second service clasp to the bronze medal for gallantry, which he won in 1922, accompanied by a copy of the vote inscribed on vellum; To the motor mechanic, B. J. DARBY, a letter of appreciation ; To the coxswain and each member of the crew a reward of £l in addition to the ordinary scale reward of £2 7*. Qd.

Standard rewards to the crew, £23 15s.; additional rewards to the crew, £11; total rewards, £36. 2s. The services to the Ailsa and Britisher were property salvage cases.

17 OTHER LIFE-BOATS OUT.

Seventeen other life-boats were out on that day of gales. On the east coast at Southend-on-Sea (where the life-boat was on almost continuous service for twelve hours), Clacton-on-Sea, South- wold, Lowestoft and Skegness; on the north-east coast at Bridlington, Flarnborough, Filey, Scarborough and Hartlepool; in the Isle of Wight, at Bembridge; on the south-west coast at Padstow and Barry Dock; on the east coast of Scotland at Arbroath and Gourdon; on the west coast of Scotland at Portpatrick; and on the Irish coast, at Portrush. Accounts of these launches are given under "Services of the Life-boats" on pages 32 to 34 and 38..