AT 7.8 on the evening of the 18th of November, 1959, the coastguard at Banff informed Coxswain William Pirie of Whitehills that red flares had been seen four miles off Portsoy. At 7.30 the Whitehills life-boat St. Andrew (Civil Service No. 10), which is one of the 41-foot Watson type, was launched.

The sea was very rough, a strong gale was blowing from the north-east, and it was an hour and a half before low water.

The vessel in distress was the Dutch coaster Geziena Henderika of Delfzijl.

While on her way the life-boat received a radio-telephone message that the coas- ter was some fifteen to twenty miles to the northward of the position first given.

Between eleven o'clock and 11.30, when the life-boat was approximately twelve miles north of Portsoy, a very heavy, breaking sea struck her. The acting bowman, Alex Wiseman, was at the wheel at the time. On seeing the heavy sea approaching he called out to the crew to hang on. The life-boat's bows, rising to the sea, paid off to star- board, and after a possible initial roll to port she rolled violently to starboard, certainly more than 90° and possibly considerably beyond the theoretical maximum of 98°. One member of the crew, Alex Johnstone, who was stand- ing beside the acting bowman, was thrown overboard on to the starboard side. He clung to a lifeline and was hauled back into the boat.

The life-boat slowly righted herself and cleared herself of water. Both engines had stopped, but were quickly restarted, one immediately and the other at the second attempt. Coxswain Pirie took the wheel and found that the boat was not steering correctly. This was almost certainly due to the fact that the rudder downhaul had become slack or cast off. The rudder was put back into the right position, the drogue was streamed, and the life-boat continued on her course before wind and sea.

About 3.30 in the morning she reached Burgh Head Bay, but found conditions too bad to attempt to enter harbour. Coxswain Pirie then made for Cromarty, which was reached about 9.45 in the morning.

The life-boat was severely damaged.

The foremast had broken off by the tabernacle and the mizzen mast was also damaged. A temporary wireless aerial was rigged, and a message was then sent out. This stated that the life-boat had capsized. In view of what actually happened, this was a very natural opinion to hold, although subsequent investigations indicated that the life-boat, which is not one of the self-righting type, could not in fact have gone through the revolution of 360°. The message from Cromarty, which was the first to be received since the life-boat's wirelesss had been put out of action at eleven o'clock the night before, was picked up by a fishing vessel.

All the members of the crew were bruised and badly shaken. They were extremely well looked after by the honorary secretary of the Cromarty life-boat station, Mr. James Cameron, and by the proprietress of the Royal Hotel, Mrs. Fraser. They arrived back at Whitehills by car on the evening of the 19th November.

The Geziena Henderika was taken in tow by a trawler.

The life-boat was brought to a yard at Buckie, where the hull, engines, propeller and rudder were found to be undamaged, but the cabin hatch screen was badly distorted, thirteen feet of the starboard forward footrail were split, the windscreen was smashed and the cable stowage tray smashed. Repairs were effected and the life-boat returned to her station on the 10th of December.

Scale rewards to the crew, £46 5s. ; rewards to the helpers on shore, £3 14s.

Additional rewards to the crew, £32..