AT 7.26 on the evening of the 1st of January, 1961, the coastguard in- formed the honorary secretary of the Weymouth life-boat station, Mr. K. H.

Mooring Aldridge, that a motor vessel was ashore on Portland breakwater.

The vessel was the Vectis Isle of 213 gross registered tons, with a crew of five. She was in ballast and had dragged her anchor from a berth off the south- western side of the harbour.

A strong gale was blowing from the south-west-by-south. There was a short, steep sea with a heavy swell from the south-east. The night was very dark with rain and an overcast sky.

The Weymouth life-boat Frank Spiller Locke, which is one of the 52- feet Barnett class, put out at 7.50, one hour after high water. She reached the vessel seventeen minutes later. The Vectis Me was ashore on the inside of the outer end of the northern arm of the breakwater. Her bow was to the north-north-west, and seas which were breaking over her and also over the seaward half of the breakwater made any rescue from the shore impossible.

The vessel was labouring and pounding heavily on the concrete blocks, and it seemed likely that she would soon be holed and would probably sink.

Communicating by radio-telephone, Coxswain F. J. Palmer agreed to try to tow the Vectis Me to a safe berth.

He anchored the life-boat to windward in eight fathoms of water on a bottom of mud and shell and veered ninety fathoms of wire cable. In this way he manoeuvred the life-boat until her stern was within fifty feet of the bow of the casualty.

A line was then fired from the life- boat and a tow rope made fast on the motor vessel's fo'c'sle. The time was now 8.18, and shortly afterwards a tug reached the scene, but as the life-boat was in attendance she immediately returned to Portland dockyard.

Coxswain Palmer proceeded slowly ahead, the engine's revolutions in- creasing slowly ; at the same time the anchor cable was hove in. After five minutes the bow of the Vectis Me began to move and Coxswain Palmer told her master to weigh anchor. When this was done the coxswain weighed the life-boat's anchor, and the life-boat, with the vessel in tow, proceeded up into the wind. As soon as he had sea room, Coxswain Palmer turned and tried to make for the northern entrance to the harbour. The weight of the tow prevented him from doing so, and after a second attempt he had to heave to and allow the wind to take both the life-boat and the motor vessel through the entrance to seaward. Once he was clear of the breakwater the coxswain towed the Vectis Isle into Weymouth harbour and berthed alongside the railway jetty at 9.26.

The district inspector, who investi- gated the service, commented on the high order of seamanship shown by the crew and the skill of the coxswain in executing the operation.

For this service the thanks of the Institution inscribed on vellum have been accorded to Coxswain F. J. Palmer.

Vellum service certificates have been issued and letters of congratulations sent to the other members of the crew : Second Coxswain Alfred Pavey ; Bow- man Bertie Legge ; Motor Mechanic Ernest Powesland ; Assistant Motor Mechanic Thomas Moggeridge ; Signal- man Lionel Hellier ; and members of the crew, Brian Caddy and Edward Groves..