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Gazelle (1)

Plymouth, Devon ; and Fowey, Corn- wall. At 4.42 on the afternoon of the 18th of March, 1960, the signal station at Longroom informed the honorary secretary of the Plymouth life-boatstation of a report received from the pilot cutter. This stated that the motor vessel Gazelle of London, which was off Drays tone buoy, needed a tug. At 5.1 the life-boat Thomas Forehead and Mary Rowse put out in a strong south- easterly wind and a choppy sea. It was an hour and a half after low water. The pilot cutter later reported that she could find no trace of the casualty off Draystone and that she would look for her towards the mouth of the Yealm river to the east. The life-boat cox- swain set a course south and west of Rame Head, as he thought the Gazelle might have mistaken her position. A message was then received that the Gazelle was under way on one engine and was making four knots towards St.

Austell Bay. The Fowey life-boat Deneys Reitz, which was on a routine exercise, was informed of what had happened and made for the Gazelle.

She took her in tow about seven miles east of Pencarrow Head. The Gazelle's starboard engine had stopped and her port engine was overheating. As they approached Fowey light the tow rope parted, and the Gazelle entered harbour on one engine guided by a parachute- flare fired from the life-boat. Fowey life-boat reached her station at 8.55, and Plymouth life-boat at 6.44. Re- wards to the crew : Plymouth, £7 10s. ; Fowey, £12 5s..