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A Vampire Jet Aircraft (1)

Dungeness, and Dover, Kent; and Hastings, Sussex.—About 9.25 on the night of the 18th of December, 1952, the Dungeness life-boat Charles Cooper Henderson had just returned from a service launch to a steamer aground a mile east of the life-boat station, when she heard a broadcast from the North Foreland radio station that a Vampire jet aircraft was believed to have crashed in the sea fifteen miles from Dungeness. The life-boat was launch- ed again at once in a moderate sea with a strong southerly breeze blowing, thick sleet and rain. North Foreland radio station asked her to search five miles each side of Dungeness to a position seven and a half miles to the south-east. At 9.22 the Fairlight coastguard had informed the Hastings life-boat station, and at 9.41 the life- boat i/.T.C. was launched. The Sandgate coastguard telephoned the Dover life-boat station at 9.20, and at 9.55 the life-boat Southern Africa put out. The three life-boats searched all night, but no trace of the aircraft or her crew of two was seen, and the life-boats returned to their stations the next morning. Dungeness arrived at 8.45, Hastings at 10.10, and Dover at 11.30. At 10.20 that night the Lade coastguard telephoned the Dun- geness life-boat station that an air- craft had seen an object with a white light thirteen miles east-south-east of Dungeness, and the Charles Cooper Henderson was launched again at 10.35 in a choppy sea with a light westerly breeze blowing. She found nothing and reached her station again at two o'clock on the morning of the 20th.—Rewards: Dungeness, 1st ser- vice, £61 17s.; 2nd service, £31 6*.; Hastings, £52 8*. 6d.; Dover, £30 10s..