Southend-on-Sea, Essex.—At 6.26 on the morning of the 7th of March, 1954, the coastguard reported a vessel ashore on the Middle Shoebury Sands, but there were no distress signals. The weather deteriorated during the morn- ing, and at 10.12 the owners of a tug which had put out asked if the life- boat would help, as the tug could not come close to the vessel. At 10.58 the life-boat Greater London, Civil Service No. 3 was launched in a very choppy sea, with a fresh south-westerly breeze blowing. She found the S.S. Cape Clear, of Glasgow, with a crew of twenty-three, one mile north-east of Middle Shoebury Buoy. The life-boat passed a rope to her from the tug, stood by until she refloated at high water, and then returned to her station, arriving at 2.26.—Property Salvage Case..