STEAMER ABANDONED IN HEAVY SEA Barrow, Lancashire.—At 10.35 on the night of January llth, 1947, informa- tion was received, through the Hoylake coastguard, from the Morecambe Bay Light-vessel, that a vessel was in distress, and the motor life-boat N.T.

was launched at 11 o'clock, with the second coxswain in command, and the town clerk of Barrow as one of the crew.

A moderate breeze was blowing from the west-south-west, but the sea was heavy. About four miles east of the light-vessel the life-boat found nine men in a ship's boat. They were the crew of the S.S. Firethorn, of London, on passage from Garston to Belfast, and had abandoned their ship when she had developed such a heavy list that it was impossible to feed the furnace. The life-boat took the men on board and arrived back at her station at 3.0 next morning. The Firethorn was eventually picked up by the fishery protection vessel Charles Mclver, and taken to Fleetwood.— Rewards, £12 2s. 6d..