Southend-on-Sea, Essex. At three o'clock on the morning of the 18th of February, 1961, the coastguard informed the honorary secretary that a small boat from the Swedish tanker Sira of Vaster- vik, with a crew of four, had not re- turned to her ship and was feared lost in the fog. At four o'clock, when the life- boat Greater London II (Civil Service No.

30) was launched there were light south- westerly airs with a smooth sea and dense fog. It was two hours after high water.

The life-boat searched for about three quarters of an hour, and then as visibility worsened returned to her station at 4.48 with the object of resuming the search when there was enough visibility to offer some chance of success. She was launched again at 10.20 and after an ex- tensive search found the missing boat off Sheerness. The boat had been aground on Deadman's Island with her engine out of order. The coxswain towed the boat to the tanker and then returned to her station, arriving at 4.50..