THE disaster at Seaham Harbour, in which 5 members of the life-boat crew and 4 people who had been taken off a fishing boat by the life-boat all lost their lives, shocked and distressed the nation.

The life-boat capsized at what is so often the most dangerous moment, when she was about to enter the harbour. Here she was hit by successive waves from heavy seas when broadside to the wind and tide. The confused broken water was aggravated by the backwash and undertow from the breakwaters. There can be no doubt whatever that the decision to launch the life-boat was a correct one. She did indeed succeed in reaching the fishing vessel and taking off 5 people; nor, as the verdict at the Coroner's inquest emphatically stated, can any blame be attached to the cox- swain and crew. A most thorough in- vestigation was carried out by the Institution's officials, from which em- erged clearly that both the hull and machinery of the life-boat were in first class condition. Even after the severe pounding she received after the capsize the life-boat was pronounced seaworthy, and it is significant that twelve days after the capsize the engines, when tested at the depot at Boreham Wood, started almost at once. Indeed such is the condition of the boat that she is being put into service in the reserve fleet.

Because life-boats are known to be unsinkable confusion tends to arise in the minds of many people when a life- boat disaster occurs, for there is a ten- dency to assume that "unsinkable" and "uncapsizeable" are synonymous. The practical fact is that they are very far from being the same. How to construct a boat in such a way that she will not sink even if she is repeatedly holed is something which has been known and put into practice for many years; no man has yet designed a boat which can be of practical use as a life-boat and will yet be free from the dangers of capsizing in all conditions of wind and tide. The improvement of the design and construction of life-boats is a con- tinuous process. New types of life-boat are under construction and new proto- types planned, details of which will be given in the next number of this journal, but one inescapable fact remains: danger can never be wholly eliminated.

The task confronting those who design life-boats remains what it has always been, that of providing the most sea- worthy and effective craft which skill and experience, money and materials can provide.

YEAR OF OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT The year 1962 as a whole was one of outstanding achievement on the part of life-boat crews. They saved the lives of 422 people. This was a slightly higher figure than in 1961, when life-boats were called out on service more often than in any other year in time of peace.

The conditions in which so many of the rescues were effected was such that no fewer than 14 medals for gallantry were awarded. This is an exceptionally high figure. Some of the services which led to the award of medals are recorded in this number. On the day following the Seaham disaster an outstanding service reported on page 402 was carried out by the Blyth life-boat, the coxswain receiving the silver medal and the bow- man the bronze medal; during the same period the Appledore and Clovelly life- boats put out in appalling conditions, the Appledore coxswain receiving the silver medal. A service of a most unusual kind was also performed by the South- end crew, a striking example of team work leading to the unusual award of the collective thanks of the Institution inscribed on vellum.

EXTENSION OF SHORE BOAT SCHEME The Institution has decided to extend during 1963 the experimental scheme launched in conjunction with the Minis- try of Transport to make more effective use of the services of boat owners, details of which were given in the December, 1962, number of the Life-boat on page 341. The experimental scheme, although adopted only towards the end of the summer of 1962, was a proved success.

At least 22 calls were made on the boat owners who had agreed to co-operate in the scheme. These resulted in the rescue or landing of 11 people, and there is no doubt that other calls were answered by the boat owners on the list who, largely because they did not seek any rewards, did not report the incidents. In 1963 the scheme will be extended to include the whole coastal area from Berwick-upon- Tweed to Weymouth. At the same time first steps will be taken to set up the necessary organization along the south- west and west coasts of England and Wales, and it is hoped before long to have the scheme in operation wherever it can be expected to be of practical value.

VISIT TO GERMANY AND THE NETHERLANDS The Chairman of the Boat and Con- struction Committee, Commander F. R.

H. Swann, accompanied by the Chief Inspector, Lieut.-Commander W. L. G.

Dutton, and the Surveyor of Life-boats, Mr. R. A. Oakley, visited life-boat stations and building yards in the Netherlands and Germany from the 12th to the 20th October. Among the places they visited were: Amsterdam, Enkhuizen, den Helder, Ijmuiden, Wijk- aan-Zee, Hook of Holland, Bremer- haven and Cuxhaven.

The visit was an example of the co- operation between life-boat societies in different countries. On a number of occasions in recent years officials from life-boat societies overseas have come to this country to study our methods and recent developments, and the benefits derived from these exchanges of views are considerable. Fuller opportunities of learning from the experiences of different countries in the task of increas- ing the efficiency of life-boat services will, of course be provided when the ninth international life-boat conference takes place in June, 1963..