Wick, Caithness-shire, and Longhope, Orkneys. At 11.26 on the night of the 7th of October, 1958, the coastguard at Kirkwall informed the honorary secre- tary at Longhope that the trawler Ben Meidie of North Shields was ashore on the Pentland Skerries. Four minutes later the message was passed to the honorary secretary at Wick. The Long- hope life-boat Thomas McCunn was launched at 11.52, and the Wick life- boat City of Edinburgh put out at 11.45.

The life-boats found the trawler ashore on Critlay Rock with a forty-five degree list to port. It was decided that the Wick life-boat should first go alongside the port side of the trawler. She did so and rescued the crew of thirteen.

During the rescue operations the second coxswain's foot was injured. The two life-boats then returned to their stations, the Longhope boat arriving at 3.45 and the Wick boat at 3.50. The trawler became a total wreck. Wick : rewards to the crew, £10 5s. ; rewards to the helpers on shore, £4 4s. Longhope : rewards to the crew, £15 ; rewards to the helpers on shore, £4 5s..