ON the afternoon of the 17th of November, 1951, a south-westerly gale was blowing at Selsey and the seas were very rough, particularly in the shallow water near the Owers Banks. At five minutes past four the Selsey coast- guard reported to the Selsey life-boat station that a ship, twelve miles south-east-by-south from the life-boat house, was having trouble with her engine and had asked for a tug. She was the M.V. Swift, of Costa Rica, of 163 tons, bound with a cargo of onions from Brittany to Boston in Lincoln- shire. She had a crew of six. At 5.48 the coastguard reported that the Swedish ship Aspen had taken her in tow, and that a naval tug had been sent from Portsmouth at 4.23. At 6.20 the Aspen sent a message that the tow had parted. They were then five miles south-west-by-south of the life-boat house. At 6.59 the Aspen sent another message. The Swift was drifting towards the rocks and there was no sign of the tug. The honorary secretary replied that the life-boat would go, and at seven minutes past seven the Canadian Pacific was launched.

A Minesweeper's Attempt Fails She found the Swift, about 8.45, anchored to seaward of the Pullar Bank. At the same time H.M. Mine- sweeper Marvel arrived. The mine- sweeper attempted to fire a line to the Swift by Coston gun, but failed. She then lay off to windward. At 9.15 the tug Alligator arrived. She was successful in passing a line to the Swift which was still at anchor, and then a towing hawser, but she went too close to the Swift, fouled her cable and wrapped it round her own propeller.

The cable parted and the tug slipped the tow, drifted across the Middle Bank Grounds, and anchored. There she stayed helpless, until, some days later, she was towed away with the cable still round her propeller. The cable having parted, the Swift was no longer at anchor, but she still had her end of the towing hawser, which the tug had slipped, and this hawser, lying on the seabed, acted as an anchor.

Standing by All Night The minesweeper was still hove to, but at 2.30 next morning she left on the ebb tide. The life-boat remained all night. In that November gale it was an arduous watch; and in the heavy seas, in shoal water, it needed very good seamanship from the cox- swain to keep her position near the Swift. Twice during the night, when seas filled the cockpit, the coxswain was carried off his feet, and but for his firm hold on the wheel he would have been washed overboard. When day broke it could be seen that the Swift had dragged a mile northwards and was now on top of the Pullar Banks.

The seas were very bad indeed, and in the first light the captain signalled that he wished to abandon ship. The life-boat at once went alongside, the coxswain shouting for two men to jump. Both boats were pitching violently, but the two men landed safely in the life-boat. Again the life-boat went alongside and two more men jumped. For the third time she went alongside and the remaining two jumped. None was injured; the life- boat was undamaged.

The Coxswain Almost Blind At ten minutes past eight in the morning of the 18th the life-boat arrived back at her station. It was then thirteen hours since she had gone out. She had stood by through seven and a half hours of that night in the gale and heavy shoal seas. The crew returned exhausted and for two days the coxswain was nearly blind from the spray.

To COXSWAIN LESLIE C. PENNYCORD the Institution awarded its bronze medal for gallantry; with a copy of the vote inscribed on vellum.

To him, and each of the seven members of his crew, it gave a reward of £5, in addition to the reward on the ordinary scale of £4 each; scale rewards to crew and launchers, £39 6s.; additional rewards, £40; total rewards £79 65..