Hartlepool, Co. Durham, and Tees- mouth, Yorkshire. At 5.10 on the morning of the 13th of December, 1957, the South Gare coastguard told the Teesmouth honorary secretary that a vessel was firing rockets one mile north of the breakwater. At 5.55 the life-boat John and Lucy Cordingley was launched in a very rough sea. A strong north-easterly wind was blowing and the tide was flooding. The motor vessel in distress was later found to be the Servic, of London, with a crew of three. After the life-boat had been at sea for an hour the coxswain asked the Servic by radio-telephone to burn a flare. This was done and the life-boat found the vessel and stood by. The Services engine room was flooded, and after a time her rudder and steering gear were carried away and she lay beam on to the sea. With consider- able difficulty the Teesmouth coxswain brought the life-boat alongside and took one of the Services crew aboard.

Meanwhile, a number of other attempts were made to go to the help of the Servic. The tug The Fiery Cross was summoned from the Tees, but she was unable to cross the bar. Another tug, the Dundas Cross, managed after two hours to cross the bar and made very slow progress towards the Servic.

She eventually abandoned the attempt and returned to port. The Hartlepool life-boat The Princess Royal (Civil Service No. 7) had been launched at 7.0, and she succeeded in reaching the Servic. Her coxswain advised the two men still remaining on board the Servic to leave the vessel. This they agreed to do, and the Hartlepool life-boat took them on board at 4.15. Both the Teesmouth and Hartlepool life-boats then returned, the Hartlepool boat arriving at her station at 6.10 and the Teesmouth boat putting into Middles- brough because of bad weather con- ditions at 7.50. Hartlepool : rewards to the crew, £28 5s.; rewards to the helpers on shore, £1 16s. Teesmouth : rewards to the crew, £36 15s. ; rewards to the helpers on shore, £8 lls..