FIVE ATTEMPTS TO REFLOAT GROUNDED M.F.V.

Stromness, Orkneys. At 9.25 on the evening of Thursday the 19th September, 1963, the Kirkwall coastguard told the honorary secretary that the motor fishing vessel Donside of Aberdeen with a crew of seven was ashore near Rocket House Point, Nethertown. The life-boat Archibald and Alexander M. Paterson was launched at 9.45 and reached the casualty at ten o'clock. The tide was flooding and there was a slight swell and a fresh breeze from the south-southeast.

The life-boat got close enough to the casualty to throw a line aboard, but after three attempts to pull her clear the tow snapped and in one of the attempts the life-boat touched bottom. The lifeboat then went off shore, dropped anchor and slacked away until the casualty was in range of the line-throwing gun. A new tow was passed to the fishing boat Kinora, which was standing by with another fishing boat. This tow also parted but the life-boat finally towed the Donside clear at eleven o'clock. The Donside's rudder was damaged and she was towed into Stromness harbour, where the life-boat was rehoused at one o'clock on the 20th..