Port Erin, Isle of Man. At six o'clock on the morning of the 9th of July, 1958, a member of the branch committee telephoned the honorary secretary to say he had been woken by the noise of a ship's siren sounding several short blasts at intervals from the direction of the Calf of Man. Fog had reduced visibility to half a mile. The honorary secretary immediately made enquiries, and at 6.30 he received a message from the Douglas police that a coaster was ashore on the north side of Calf Island.

At 6.48 the life-boat Matthew Simpson was launched in a calm sea. There was a moderate south-westerly wind and an ebb tide. Shortly after the life- boat was launched the fog lifted, and the motor vessel Saint Ronan of Glas- gow was seen aground near the life- boat house. She was bound from Koping, Sweden, to Runcorn, with a cargo of felspar. Her radio was not working, and two members of her crew had climbed the cliffs and found their way to a farmhouse, where they awoke the occupant. He telephoned Cregneish radio station and reported the casualty.

The Saint Ronan was aground forward on a rock with her stern in deep water.

Her hull was slightly damaged, but she was not making water. The life-boat stood by and later made fast alongside her quarter.

The life-boat returned to Port Erin at 12.30, taking with her the ship's cook. At two o'clock she put out again, with the cook and a represen- tative of the vessel's owners aboard.

She then laid out a heavy anchor from the Saint Ronan, and at high wnter that afternoon the vessel was refloated.

The anchor wire fouled the Saint Ronan's screw while coming clear, and the vessel dropped anchor. As the vessel was then in no danger, the life- boat left for her station, reaching Port Erin at 7.30.

Later the owners' representative told the honorary secretary that it was in- tended to cut the wire and make for Runcorn. The life-boat returned to the Saint Ronan at 8.5 and stood by while the wire was cut from the propeller by the motor boat's crew. The life-boat finally returned to her station after themotor vessel was under way, arriving at 9.50. Rewards to the crew, £28 13s. ; rewards to the helpers on shore, £9 9s..