Kirkcudbright.—At nine o'clock on the morning of the 28th of December, 1956, a local resident informed the life-boat station that the tanker B.P.

Marketer was in trouble in very bad weather in Dhoon Bay. At 9.52 the life-boat J. B. Couper of Glasgow was launched. There was a very rough sea, a whole south-easterly gale was blowing, and the tide was ebbing.

The life-boat went to the position and stood by the tanker until she was aground. When the master told the coxswain that he would not need the life-boat any longer she returned to her station, arriving at noon. She remained at moorings, and at 7.20 in the evening she put out at the request of the tanker's master to stand by during high water as the weather was still bad. The tanker remained aground and the life-boat returned to her moorings at 11.25.

The next morning she put out again at 8.15. A tug had now reached the tanker, and both the tug and the life-boat tried to refloat her. They failed, and the life-boat returned once more to her moorings. Later that evening the life-boat put out for the fourth time to stand by and pass towing lines between the vessels.

The tanker eventually refloated, and the life-boat reached her station at 4.59. The Shell-Mex and British Pe- troleum companies expressed their appreciation and made a contribution to the funds of the Institution and a gift to the crew.—Rewards to the crew, £46 10^.; rewards to the helpers on shore, £12 2.9..