Valentia, Co. Kerry.—At 11.40 on the night of the 6th of June, 1956, the Dingle Coast Life-saving Service tele- phoned that the fishing boat Carraig Doun, of Dublin, had engine trouble one mile west of Ventry harbour and was being driven ashore. Another trawler, Elsie Mable, was standing by to give the position to the life-boat.

At 12.12 the life-boat A.E.D. put out in a very rough sea. A fresh westerly gale was blowing, and the tide was flooding. The life-boat reached the position at 1.32. There were several other fishing boats in the area but contact could not be made by wireless.

The life-boat approached time and again to within fifty yards of the rocks, and using the searchlight, the coxswain made every effort to sight survivors or to locate the Carraig Doun, but without success. The fish- ing boat had used up all her flares, and it was clear that even if she had not been abandoned she would have been unable to indicate her position.

There was now a west-south-westerly gale and heavy rain, and at times visibility was down to 100 yards. Seas were breaking over the life-boat. At 5.32 the coxswain saw one survivor clinging to the rocks. He was unable to manoeuvre the life-boat close in to effect a rescue, and it would have been unwise to use the breeches buoy. He therefore wirelessed the honorary sec- retary, asking for the information to be passed to the Coast Life-saving Service at Dingle. This was done, and the Life-saving Service rescued the man. All the fishing boats had by this time returned to harbour, and the life-boat went to Dingle to find out how many men had been on board the Carraig Doun. When it was known two men were missing, the life-boat put out again with a local fisherman on board and carried out a further search, but she could find nothing.

She then returned to her station, arriving back at 3.15 in the afternoon.

—Rewards to the crew, £27 19.?.; rewards to the helpers on shore, £7 7,v..