Longhope, Orkneys.—At 12.38 on the morning of the 12th of April, 1951, the motor tanker Oljaren, of Gothenburg, bound for Stockholm from Curacoa with diesel oil, wirelessed that she had gone aground on Muckle Skerry in the Pentland Firth. At 12.45 she asked for urgent help but said that her crew were in no danger. These two mes- sages were relayed by the Wick Radio station to the Kirk wall coastguard.

At 1.25 he informed the life-boat authorities; and at 1.40 the life-boat Thomas McCunn was launched in a heavy sea, with a strong south-westerly gale blowing. She found the Oljaren on the west side of Muckle Skerry, and went alongside. Her crew of forty decided to remain in her, however, sothe life-boat laid off until about 1.0 next afternoon. The master then sig- nalled that his crew were abandoning the tanker. The life-boat—with great difficulty this time—went alongside her again in worsening weather and rescued twenty-four of the crew. The master and fifteen others decided to stay on board. Heavy seas were now breaking over the tanker and falling into the life-boat. She turned round in the confined space between the Oljaren and the rocky shore and made for Longhope, arriving at 3.30. Everyone was an- xious about the sixteen men still left on the Oljaren, so a message was sent to them asking if they needed the life- boat again. At 5.45 that evening the master asked for her; the Thomas McCunn then put out again. But the master and his fifteen men still would not leave their ship, so the life-boat went back to her station, arriving at 11.30 that night. At 2.35 next after- noon, the 13th, the owners telephoned the coxswain to tell the master to abandon ship. They passed this mes- sage to him, and he then asked a third time for the life-boat. At 2.45 it was launched again, rescued him and the fifteen men and reached her station again at 5.45 that evening.—Rewards: 1st service, £47 Is.; 2nd service, £11 18*..