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A Gannet Aircraft

Coverack, The Lizard, Falmouth and Cadgwith, Cornwall.—At 8.38 oil the evening of the 19th of February, 1957, the Royal Naval Air Station at Cul- drose reported that a Gannet aircraft, with a crew of three, was believed to have crashed into the sea seventeen miles east of the Lizard. At nine o'clock the Coverack life-boat William Taylor of Oldham. was launched in a rough sea. There was a strong north- easterly breeze, and the tide was flood- ing. Fifty-five minutes later the Lizard life-boat Duke of York was also launched. Both life-boats carried out a thorough search in conjunction with aircraft all through the night until they were relieved by the Falmouth life-boat Craufurd and Constance Conybeare, which put out at 4.44, and the Cadgwith life-boat Guide of Dun- kirk, which was launched at 6.30.

The Coverack life-boat arrived back at her station at nine o'clock and the Lizard life-boat half an hour later.

The Falmouth and Cadgwith life-boats continued the search. Falmouth life- boat had to return to her moorings at 3.11 because a member of her crew had been taken ill, but the Cadgwith boat remained in the area until the search was called off. She reached her station again at six o'clock.

Coverack: rewards to the crew, £28; rewards to the helpers on shore, £8 165.

The Lizard: rewards to the crew, £28 5s.; rewards to the helpers on shore, £15 15s. Falmouth: rewards to the crew, £26 5s.; reward to the helper on shore, 12s. Cadgwith: rewards to the crew, £26 5s.; rewards to the helpers on shore, £18 5s..