Stromness, Orkneys.—At 9.10 on the evening of the 20th of December, ] 955, the Kirkwall coastguard rang up to say that flares had been seen between Hoy Head and Graemsay. At 9.23 the life-boat Archibald and Alexander M. Pater son was launched. There was a heavy ground swell, a light north- westerly breeze was blowing, and the tide was flooding. It was snowing heavily. The life-boat made a search in very bad visibility but found noth- ing. At 11.14 the coastguard reported that the fishing boat Ivylea had stranded a quarter of a mile east of Outtaing, in Hoy Sound. Her crew of four had scrambled ashore, but they asked if the life-boat would pick them up at Hoy pier. This request was passed to the life-boat by radio- telephone, and the life-boat took them on beard and landed them at Strom- ress at two o'clock on the morning of the 21st.—Rewards to the crew, £12 5s.; rewards to the helpers on shore. £1 16s..