Whitehills, Banffshire.—At 10.4 on the night of the 8th of April, 1948, the coastguard telephoned that distress signals could be seen to the west of Macduff, and at 10.13 the motor life- boat, Civil Service No. 4, was launched.

A strong north-westerly breeze was blowing, with a rough sea. At 10.48 the life-boat found the s.s. Lindean, of Leith, which had gone ashore while coming out of Macduff Harbour. Her crew were being taken off by the life- saving rocket apparatus from the shore, and the district officer of coastguard asked the life-boat to come into the harbour and stand by. This she did until the whole of the Lindean's crew had been rescued. She then returned to White- hills, which she reached about midnight.

The seas were heavy, and the entrance to the harbour is narrow, but the cox- swain did not think the seas heavy enough to make the entry dangerous.

The life-boat was just abreast of the lighthouse at the end of the pier, going at full speed, when a big sea caught her unawares, . breaking over the port quarter. She was carried forward on the crest and would not steer. The sea took her diagonally across the harbour entrance, and she struck the rocks close to a small concrete parapet on the oppo- site side of the channel to the pier.

For a moment she lay right alongside this parapet and one of the men was able to jump on it with a line. In ten minutes the whole crew of seven were on the parapet, but the seas then caught the life-boat again and carried her over some high rocks into a little gulley where she was almost afloat.

The crew were able to work her up the gulley, and got out fenders and lines to keep her from being carried any.

further on the rocks.

The accident was reported at once to head office, and at 1.45 next morning head office instructed the northern district inspector, who was 160 miles away from Whitehills, to go there. He arrived at eight in the morning. The hull surveyor and the district engineer were also sent. By running out the boat's anchor and getting a wire from the boat to the lighthouse pier, where it was passed through a block and taken back to the winch on the slipway of the life-boathouse, the district inspector was able to haul her off at high water, but he had first to get the help of six men and a compressor, which was de- molishing a military strong point in the harbour. This compressor removed about a ton of rock between the life- boat and the channel. The boat was afloat just after one o'clock in the afternoon.

It was then found that her sternpost was broken, about 14 feet of her bottom on either side of the keel torn away, her bilge keels damaged, her rudder split. Her machinery was unhurt.

The repairs would be very costly, and would take a very long time. It was decided that it was not worth while to do them. The boat, built in 1932, was a 35 feet 6 inches boat of the self- righting type. She has been replaced by another boat of the same type.— Rewards, £19 13s. 6d..