Great Yarmouth and Gorleston, and Caister, Norfolk.—On the morning of the 3rd of December, 1952, the fast patrol boat Havoernen, of the Royal Danish Navy, with a crew of twenty-four, which was taking part in exercises with British coastal forces, ran hard aground on the Scroby Sand about three miles north-east of Great Yar- mouth in a fog. At 7.10 the Gorleston coastguard telephoned the Great Yar- mouth and Gorleston life-boat station, and at 7.30 the life-boat Louise Stephens was launched in a northerly gale with a very rough sea. She found the Havoernen high and dry, but could not get within three hundred yards of her. At 7.35 the Great Yarmouth coastguard informed the Caister life-boat station, and the life- boat crew assembled. The coxswain passed a message to the men in the patrol boat through the coastguard, asking if they wished to be taken ashore. They replied that they did, but would leave two men on board who could be taken off later by heli- copter. At 1.55 the life-boat Jose Neville was launched. She reached the Havoernen at 2.30, took a rope to her from the Louise Stephens, and rescued nine of her crew. The Jose Neville was then towed clear by the Louise Stephens.About this time a Royal Naval heli- copter arrived from Gosport and rescued another four men by lowering a line. The Great Yarmouth and Gorleston life-boat then returned to her station, arriving at 5.5, and the Jose Neville put the nine men she had rescued aboard a British motor torpedo boat, which took them to Lowestoft.

As the weather was too bad to allow her to be rehoused at Caister, the Jose Neville made for Great Yarmouth harbour, which she reached at 5.40.

She returned to Caister the next day.

The men remaining in the patrol boat kept in touch with the Caister life-boat by wireless in case they should need her. The naval author- ities at Lowestoft later asked if she would help to connect a salvage vessel to the Havoernen, and at eight o'clock on the morning of the 5th the Jose Neville was again launched in a calm sea, with a light north-westerly breeze blowing, and fog. She found the salvage vessel anchored to the east- ward of the Havoernen and piloted her to the sands. She passed wires across and connected her to the patrol boat and then returned to her station, arriving at 2.50. At 12.40 early on the morning of the 6th the naval authorities telephoned that the salvage vessel had parted the wires, and asked if the life-boat would connect them again at six o'clock that morning.

At 5.20 the Jose Neville was launched again in calm weather and passed the wires across, completing the operation by 8.30. The life-boat afterwards took a salvage officer to the casualty, then to a Danish tug, which had just arrived, and then back to the salvage vessel, where a hot meal wras given to the life-boatmen. She then re- turned to her station, arriving at 10.45. The Royal Danish Navy expressed its thanks, and the Danish Ambassador in London, Count Revent- low, wrote a letter to the Great Yarmouth and Gorleston branch ex- pressing the thanks of the Danish Government.—Rewards: Great Yar- mouth and Gorleston, £31 5s.; Caister, 1st service, £31 9s.; 2nd and 3rd services, Property Salvage Cases..