HELPLESS IN A HEAVY SEA Fraserburgh, Aberdeenshire.—At 6.40 in the evening of the 22nd of September, 1947, the fishing boat Victoria was seen approaching harbour with the seine-net motor fishing boat Atomic Star in tow.

A fresh north-westerly gale was blowing, with a heavy sea. A quarter of an hour later the coastguard telephoned to the life-boat station that the tow- rope had parted, the Victoria was making for harbour alone and the Atomic Star had anchored, but the anchor was dragging. Five minutes later the motor life-boat John and Charles Kennedy put out and found the Atomic Star, which was firing red Very lights, five miles east of Fraser- burgh. She took the boat in tow, but the tow parted. Again the tow was fixed, but the life-boat could make little headway against the gale so she cast off the tow and at 10.30 returned to harbour to get help. Four minutes after midnight she again put out with the steam drifter Crannock, and they brought the Atomic Star and her crew of four into harbour. The life-boat arrived back at her station at 5.14 in the morning.—Rewards, £23 4s..