Whitby, Yorkshire.—At 4.45 on the afternoon of the 13th of December, 1955, the no. 1 life-boat second cox- swain reported that the local fishing boat Progress, which had a crew of five, had not returned from the fishing grounds to the north-east. As the weather was bad, the no. 1 life-boat Mary Ann Hepworth was launched at 4.55 to search for her. There was a heavy sea, a strong south-south-east wind was blowing, and it was one hour and a half after high water. The life- boat searched widely in worseningweather but found nothing and arrived back at her station at 2.36 early on the 14th.

The honorary secretary asked the Royal Air Force for helicopter help at daybreak, and at 7.40 the life-boat was launched again. Two helicopters which joined in the search found no sign of the Progress in the poor visi- bility, but the life-boat continued to search all day. She too found nothing.

The local fishing boat Provider A, which had also put off with other fishing boats, found the Progress at 12.25 about twenty-two miles north- west of Whitby. The Progress had fouled her propeller the morning before and had drifted ever since. The Provider A wirelessed the news to the life-boat and stated that she would take the Progress in tow. The fishing boat Success helped the Provider A tow the Progress to Whitby, and the life-boat returned to her station, arriving at 4.30 after being at sea for a total of nearly nineteen hours. The Progress reached the harbour at nine o'clock that night. The Redcar, Runswick and Tcesmouth life-boats were also launched. Thev were at sea for thirteen hours, twenty hours, and sixteen hours respectively.-—Re- wards to the Whitby crew, £53 10s.; rewards to the helpers on shore, etc., £8 9s..