Whitby, and Scarborough, Yorkshire.— On the morning of the 23rd of Novem- ber, 1955, the Whitby fishing fleet were still at sea in worsening weather, and it was thought advisable that a life-boat should stand by the harbour bar to escort them in. At 11.25 the Whitby no. 1 life-boat Mary Ann HepKorth was launched in a rough sea.

A north-westerly gale was blowing and the tide was ebbing. The life-boat escorted in the smaller boats of the fleet and remained at the harbour bar to await the arrival of the larger boats.

About one o'clock the coastguard reported that the fishing boat Progress was flying distress signals some three miles to the north-east. A steamer was standing by her, but the life-boat put to sea at once and found that the Progress, which had a crew of five, had broken down. The life-boat took her in tow. As the weather had made conditions at Whitby dangerous, the life-boat towed the Progress to Scar- borough, having difficulty in doing so. At 2.28 the Scarborough coast- guard told the Scarborough life-boat station, which spoke the Whitby life-boat by radio telephone. The Whitby coxswain reported the diffi- culty he was having in towing the Progress, and at 4.32 the life-boat Annie Ronald and Isabella Forrest, on temporary duty at Scarborough, put to sea. She came up with the WThitbylife-boat and the Progress three miles north of Scarborough and escorted them to the harbour, which was reached at 6.13. The Whitby life-boat remained at Scarborough until the 25th.—Whitby: rewards to the crew, £33 10s.; rewards to helpers on shore, £8 19s.—Scarborough: rewards to the crew, £9; rewards to helpers on shore, £10 105..