Cullercoats, Northumberland.—At 12.30 on the afternoon of the 29th of October, 1955, the Tynemouth coastguard rang up to say that a steamer had reported that a fishing coble was in distress about four miles north-north-east of Cullercoats. Ten minutes later the life-boat Isaac and Mary Bolton was launched. There was a rough sea, a strong west-north-west wind was blow- ing, and the tide was flooding. The life-boat found the fishing coble Mavis, of Blyth, with a crew of two, four and a half miles north of Brown's Point.

The fishermen had been lifting crab pots, but their engine had broken down earlier in the morning. The men were suffering from exposure, but they remained in their boat, which was towed to Blyth by the life-boat. The life-boat arrived back at her station at 4.55.—Rewards to the crew, £12 5s.; rewards to the helpers on shore, £11 3s..