Thurso, Caithness-shire.—At eight o'clock on the evening of the 12th of October, 1952, the Wick coastguard telephoned that the trawler St. Ronan, of Hull, had run on the rocks at St.

John's Point, near John O'Groats, and at 8.25 the life-boat H.C.J. was launched. There was a rough sea, with a fresh south-easterly breeze blow- ing, and she found that a fishing vessel had taken off nineteen of the twenty- one persons in the trawler. The skip- per and wireless operator were still on board. The life-boat rescued the wire- less operator, but the skipper remained in the trawler, and the life-boat stood by him all night. Early in the morn- ing of the 13th the skipper decided to abandon the St. Ronan, and the life- boat rescued him and returned to her station, arriving at 10.30 that morning.

The trawler later slipped off the rocks and sank.—Rewards, £40 -is. 6d..