Yarmouth, Isle of Wight.—At 3.30 on the morning of the 28th of November, 1952, a vessel was heard to be making distress signals, and at 3.44 the life- boat S.G.E. was launched in a rough sea with a fresh east-north-easterly gale blowing. The life-boat found a yacht, the forty-ton auxiliary ketch Algue, of St. Malo, about fifty yards east of Yarmouth Pier. She was bound from Guernsey to Hamble, but was disabled by an engine breakdown and dragging her anchors. Her crew of three declined to leave, but asked to be towed to safety. The life-boat waited for the tide to rise, but as she took the yacht in tow, a rope fouled the life-boat's propellers and the yacht was blown against the pier.

After the propellers had been cleared the yacht was towed into harbour at 9;30 and moored in a safe berth.— Property Salvage Case..