Weymouth, Dorset.—At 11.30 on the night of the 29th of March, 1949, the coastguard reported that a drifter, attached to H.M.S. King George V, had gone ashore on Mixen Reef about a hundred yards from the pier while carrying about seventy-five naval men back to their ships. She was firing rockets. The life-boat William and Clara Ryland was launched at 11.45, in a light breeze with a moderate sea and fog, and went alongside the drifter.

Boats arrived from the warships and took off the naval men, but the drifter's crew remained on board. At the request of the naval authorities the life-boat passed a line to the drifter and pulled on it for about four hours until, on the rising tide, she refloated.

The life-boat then towed her into harbour and arrived back at her station at 6 o'clock the next morning. A letter of thanks was sent by the commanding officer of H.M.S. King George V at Portland.—-Property salvage case..