North Sunderland, and Holy Island, Northumberland. At midday on the 17th November, 1962. the North Sunderland coxswain, in the absence of the honorary secretary, told the coastguard that he felt anxious about the fishing vessel Faithful, which had not returned to harbour. It was decided to launch the life-boat, and at 12.15 the Grace Darling put out on an ebbing tide. There was a northerly gale with a very rough sea.

The weather was squally with poor visibility.

The coxswain set course for the position where it was thought the Faithful had been fishing and located the vessel at 12.33 cruising in the lee of the Inner Fame Island. Meanwhile the honorary secretary, who had returned to the station in time to see the life-boat launch, realized that in the rapidly deteriorating weather conditions it would not be possible for the life-boat to return to harbour. He decided to ask the honorary secretary of the Holy Island station to launch his life-boat to help the Grace Darling with the Faithful.

The message was relayed by the coastguard, and at 1.32 the Holy Island lifeboat Gertrude, with Mr. R. Wilson in command in the absence of the coxswain and second coxswain, was launched on a flooding tide in a very rough sea. By this time the wind had veered to the north-east and increased to strong gale force. The Gertrude joined the Grace Darling and the Faithful by the Inner Fame Island in the lee of the Wideopens, where they were sheltering. After conferring together by loud hailer the coxswains decided to head for Beadnell, but before they had gone half way it became obvious that it would be impossible to enter Beadnell harbour. The two life-boats escorted the Faithful back to the shelter of the Wideopens, where they arrived at four o'clock.

The coxswain of the Holy Island lifeboat suggested to the crew of the Faithful that they leave their vessel and be landed at Holy Island. This they declined to do. The life-boats stood by during the night of the 17th-18th November, although the wind increased to storm force with hail and sleet showers. Anxiety was felt ashore for a member of the crew of the Faithful who was suffering from a heart condition and had gone to sea without the tablets which had been prescribed for him. It was decided that he should be landed and that a request should be made for food and dry clothing to be dropped to the crews. When a Shackleton aircraft from Middleton St. George flew overhead a flare was fired from the Grace Darling to indicate the position of the vessels. The first drop was wide, but the aircraft made a perfect second drop, the line, which linked the canisters containing survival rations and a sleeping bag, falling across the aerials of the two life-boats. In the meantime a Whirlwind helicopter of No. 228 Squadron, Acklington, was ordered to land the sick man and the crews of the boats.

The helicopter landed the Acklington station medical officer at the North Sunderland honorary secretary's house, and in the face of strong headwinds and snowstorms flew to the Inner Fame Island. She picked up the sick man and one member of the crew of the Faithful and brought them to the mainland, where the station medical officer attended them. The helicopter then returned and picked up the remaining seventeen men from the three boats and landed them on the Inner Fame Island two or three at a time. The operation was completed by 4.30 on the 18th November, and the helicopter returned to the mainland.

The crews recovered the cannisters which had been washed ashore after the first aircraft drop and then took shelter in an empty house during the night. There were only seven blankets between the seventeen men, and it was difficult to light a fire because the chimney was blocked. Most of the men only had a catnap as they were keeping watch on their boats. Between two and three o'clock on the afternoon of the 19th a small helicopter chartered by an independent television company landed on the island, and the North Sunderland coxswain sent his second coxswain with this helicopter to the mainland to see whether it was possible to enter North Sunderland harbour. The second coxswain returned by R.A.F.

helicopter from Acklington, and it was then decided that the boats should return to North Sunderland.

The wind had decreased, but there was still a strong breeze blowing from the west-north-west. The helicopter transferred the crews to their boats, and at four o'clock they began to return to harbour. The boats entered harbour at 4.40 on the 19th November, the Faithful being escorted by the life-boats. The second coxswain of the North Sunderland life-boat was on board the Holy Island life-boat to give the benefit of his local knowledge. The crew of the Gertrude remained at North Sunderland for the night and returned to Holy Island on the 20th November, arriving at ten o'clock. The wives and families of the crews were kept fully informed of what was going on, and the Lindisfarne Company arranged a radiotelephone link on Sunday the 18th November so that the Holy Island lifeboat crew could speak to their wives. A lady living in Bristol made gifts to both life-boat crews..