AT 3.15 on the afternoon of 5th February, 1963, Niton radio informed St. Peter Port radio in Guernsey that the Norwegian motor vessel Johan Collett needed help immediately. Her position was fourteen miles west-north- west of Les Hanois lighthouse.

The assembly signal was made at 3.30, and at 3.45 the St. Peter Port life-boat Euphrosyne Kendal, which is one of the 52-foot Barnett class, left her moorings. At that time a near gale was blowing from the south, but the wind was increasing, the sea was rough and the weather was overcast, visibility being moderate. It was high water.

Message from Frigate Coxswain Hubert Petit set a course close inshore south of the island in order to avoid a 3-j knot foul tide. By going inside the rocks and keeping only about fifty yards off shore the life-boat made good time to Les Hanois light- house and passed it at 4.46. An hour earlier a message had been received from the South African frigate President Kruger that she expected to reach the casualty about six o'clock and that some six other vessels were also making for the position to give help if needed.

The Johan Collett, a vessel of 1,995 gross tons, with an overall length of 258 feet, a beam of 41 feet and a loaded draught of approximately 19 ft. 6 ins., was bound from Tunis to Ghent. Her cargo of zinc concentrates had shifted, causing a severe list to starboard.

Ship's Boat Lowered At five o'clock her master decided to lower the ship's boat while the weather conditions still allowed him to do so, and eleven of the crew were transferred to the s.s. Bonnard and later landed at Ostend. At 6.4 three more of the crew left in a rubber raft and were picked up by the s.s. Kaupanger. By this time the President Kruger had reached the scene, and four of the merchant ships which had been standing by left.

Coxswain Petit was ably assisted in navigating to the scene of the casualty by his son, John Petit, a master mariner.

Mechanic E. C. Pattimore also helped by taking occasional D/F bearings of the President Kruger, and the frigate gave useful assistance by taking check bearings of the life-boat.

The life-boat reached the Johan Collett at 6.30. By then the weather had deteriorated, the wind had shifted to the south-east and was blowing a gale, and visibility was about four miles. There was a long low swell and seas estimated at some fifteen feet between trough and crest. It was snowing and there was severe icing on the windscreen. The depth of water around the Johan Collett was about 36 fathoms.

Heavy List to Starboard The Johan Collett was lying stopped in the trough of the sea with her port beam to the wind. She had a heavy list to starboard with her gunwale awash.

Her master had earlier refused an offer of a tow and was awaiting the arrival of the tug Abeille 10 from Cherbourg. The life-boat stood by and tried to com- municate by masthead signalling lamp, but the seas were so heavy that the signals were largely obliterated as the life-boat fell into the trough, and eventually the President Kruger relayed the life-boat's R/T signals to the Johan Collett by lamp.

At 9.35 the master of the Johan Collett asked the life-boat to take off his chief engineer and two apprentices.

To do this Coxswain Petit had to make four runs into the starboard or lee quarter of the casualty. On the first run the blocks and falls swinging from the davits of the ship's boats impeded him and they had to be hauled inboard. He then took one man off at each successive run, remaining alongside each time just long enough for a man to jump.

Full Gale Blowing The tug Abeille 10, which was pre- ceded by H.M.S. Ark Royal, reached the scene at 10.41, and after seven at- tempts secured a tow line to the Johan Collett, this operation lasting nearly an hour and a half. The tug began towing into the wind at about 3 knots, and this immediately increased the motor vessel's list to 35-40 degrees.

The weather had grown steadily worse. A full gale gusting to force 10 against the 3-knot tide was causing very rough steep seas, and the Johan Collett was on her beam ends with seas sweep- ing her port side. There were still six men on board.

At 12.45 these men decided to abandon ship, and Coxswain Petit ran in under her port quarter. He could hardly have had more difficult con- ditions as the vessel was still being towed at about 3 knots.

Illuminated by Searchlight Coxswain Petit had to manoeuvre the life-boat so that her starboard side was alongside the motor vessel's port quar- ter on the top of a sea, allowing enough time for the survivors to jump aboard.

With the President Kruger illuminating the scene by searchlight he made six more runs in. On the first run the life- boat's bow was swung off by a huge sea, but the coxswain positioned her accur- ately on the second and third runs, when first one man and then two men jumped aboard the life-boat.

On the fourth run one man jumped, but on the fifth the man who was about to jump hesitated for a second and fell twenty feet into the life-boat. On the sixth run the master jumped and fell on the outside of the guard rail. Three members of the life-boat's crew suc- ceeded in dragging him inboard just before the life-boat struck heavily against the motor vessel's quarter.

Nine Survivors Landed The time was now 1.17 in the morning, and the life-boat made for St.

Peter Port with the nine survivors. She eventually arrived at 6.45.

For this service the gold medal for gallantry has been awarded to Cox- swain Hubert Ernest Petit. Bronze medals were awarded to Motor Mech- anic Eric Clifford Pattimore and John Hubert Petit. The thanks of the In- stitution inscribed on vellum were accorded to Bowman John William Le Page, Assistant Mechanic Robert Lewis Vowles and crew members Alfred William Ogier, Reuben Martel and Henry Charles Bisson.

A letter of thanks signed by the Chairman of the Committee of Man- agement was sent to Captain M. R.

Terry-Lloyd, who commanded the frigate President Kruger..