Stromness, Orkneys.—At ten o'clock on the morning of the 23rd of October, 1952. a local man telephoned that he had seen two trawlers off Ness Battery, one of which appeared to be in diffi- culties. The life-boat honorary secre- tary and chairman went to the position and saw that the steam trawler Strathelliot, of Aberdeen, with a crew of twelve, had stranded in Hoy Sound, between Bow Rock and Taing of Sel- wick. The weather was fine and she was not in danger. She was still all right at high water, and the coastguardat Kirkwall put a man on duty to watch the trawler that night. At 9.25 in the evening the local man again telephoned to say he had heard on his wireless set the trawler broadcasting distress signals. At 9.36 the life-boat J.J.K.S.W. was launched in a very heavy swell, with a light southerly breeze blowing, and found the trawler surrounded by a heavy broken swell and shallow water. The other trawler had left the Strathelliot because of the weather, and the life-boat tried to approach her twice, but the seas were too heavy. The coxswain then decid- ed that the only way to rescue the trawlermen was by breeches buoy operated from the shore. He there- fore took the life-boat back to Strom- ness at 11.10 and embarked the Stromness coastguard rocket life-sav- ing apparatus. Heavy rocket appara- tus had been sent to the position by road from Longhope, and the life-boat took on board two Stromness coast- guardsmen and made for Hoy. The gear and two men were put ashore there, and the trawler's crew were rescued by the coastguard. The life- boat then took the twelve trawlermen on board, re-embarked the gear and two coastguardsmen, and returned to her station, arriving at 10.30 on the morning of the 24th.—Rewards, £28 10*. Qd..