AT 8 p.m. on Sunday, iyth November, 1963, the honorary secretary of the Mumbles life-boat station, Captain C.

E. Mock, received an anticipatory mes- sage from the Mumbles coastguard.

This stated that the motor vessel Kilo of Amsterdam had reported a fire in her deck cargo of sodium drums.

There had been heavy explosions, but the ship was not in immediate danger and was making for Swansea.

About an hour later, at 9.12, the honorary secretary of the Padstow station, Mr, A. G. Trembath, received a similar message from the Hartland coastguard. The position of the Kilo was then given as 45 miles north-west of Padstow. Hartland coastguard also consulted the honorary secretary at Appledore, Captain P. Brennan, and it was decided that the Padstow life- boat should be launched.

Ousting to Storm Force Maroons were fired at 9.55, and half an hour later the Padstow life-boat, Joseph Hiram Chadwick, which is one of the 52-foot Barnett class, slipped her moorings. A south-westerly gale was blowing, gusting to storm force (force 10), and the sea was very rough. There was fierce rain with hail squalls, and visibility was poor. It was one hour before low water.

Coxswain John Murt steered to the north-west in the hope of intercepting the Kilo, but at 11.12 a message was received that theKilo's position was 14 miles from Lundy Island. Mr. A. G.

Trembath and the Hartland coastguard consulted again and it was clear that the Padstow life-boat was engaged in a fruitless chase. She was therefore recalled at 11.45 and reached her station at 2.45 the next morning.

Second Life-boat Launched Meanwhile a decision had also been taken to launch the Tenby life-boat.

The assistant honorary secretary, Mr.

G. Reason-Jones, arranged for the maroons to be fired at 12.40, and ten minutes later the Tenby life-boat, Henry Comber Brown, which is one of the 46-foot 9-inch Watson class, was launched. Coxswain W.R.Thomas set a course towards the Helwicklight-vessel.

As the life-boat cleared the lee at Caldey Island conditions grew appreci- ably worse. The wind increased to storm force and the waves were some twenty to twenty-five feet in height.

At one moment a very heavy sea broke on board. It carried away the canvas screen doors of the wheelhouse and buckled the after cabin door.

Severe Thunderstorm In the early hours of the morning a third life-boat was launched. This was the Mumbles boat, William Gammon - Manchester and District XXX. Maroons were fired at 2.48, but there was such a severe thunderstorm that some of the crew did not hear them.

With the help of the police Captain Mock succeeded in contacting the crew, and the life-boat, which is one of the 46-foot 9-inch Watson class, was launched at 3.20. About the time of launching the Mumbles coastguard recorded a maximum wind speed of 64 knots.

Coxswain Thomas, in command of the Tenby life-boat, realized that he had little chance of catching up with the Kilo unless she were stopped or slowed down by another explosion. A Shackleton aircraft of the Royal Air Force was flying over the Kilo and dropping flares, but although the cox- swain could see the flares he could not pick out the casualty. At 4.7 he learnt that the Mumbles life-boat had sighted the Kilo, but he decided to press on in the hope that he might be able to give some assistance.

Waves Over Twenty Feet The Mumbles life-boat also had an extremely severe passage. Waves were over twenty feet in height and at times the Mumbles light was hidden by the spray.

It was at 4.7 that Coxswain Lionel Scott, in command of the Mumbles life-boat, first sighted the Kilo in the light of flares dropped by the Shackle- ton. He estimated that he must be about half a mile off. The Dutch vessel was a mass of flames and there was fire over the sea ahead and down- wind of her.

Coxswain Scott decided to go along- side the port quarter of the Kilo, and he stationed members of his crew forward so that they could help take off the Dutch vessel's crew. As they ap- proached the Kilo spitting flames made it impossible for the life-boat crew to remain forward, and they had to return to the cockpit.

Coxswain Scott made his first run in at 4.11. A heavy sea threw the life- boat under the Kilo's counter and he was forced to overshoot.

Mass of Spitting Flames He then made a second run, but the Kilo sheered heavily to starboard and shipped a heavy sea. This caused the deck cargo to explode in a mass of spitting flames. At that moment the life- boat surged towards the burning well deck of the Kilo, and it was only by quick and correct use of the helm and engines that Coxswain Scott was able to keep the life-boat clear.

Coxswain Scott began to manoeuvre for a third run in, but the flames then died down and the master of the Kilo decided not to abandon ship but to make for the Mumbles. About 4.50 the Kilo beached in Mumbles Bay with the life-boat alongside her port quarter. The Swansea pilot vessel Seamark, which is equipped with fire- fighting apparatus, was also standing by, but she could not help, as any water directed on the burning sodium would only have fanned the flames.

Fire Spread to Holds After about three quarters of an hour the fire aboard the Kilo increased again. It started to spread to the holds, which contained whisky, grease and acetone, and there were further ex- plosions. The master, believing the ship was now in serious danger of blowing up, decided his crew should be taken off. There was another sudden burst of flame. Coxswain Scott had to back off and return to lie alongside the Kilo's stern. The Kilo's crew were sheltering aft, and they were all taken off successfully by the Mumbles life- boat.

Meanwhile the Tenby life-boat was in some difficulty, with trouble in the oil pump of the port engine. Cox- swain Thomas, knowing that the Kilo was being escorted into Mumbles Bay by the Mumbles life-boat, de- cided to make for Swansea. By 6.20 the life-boat was in Mumbles Roads and at 8.15 she secured in Swansea south dock.

Torrential Rain Continued When the tide made, the Kilo was seen to refloat, and Coxswain Scott volunteered to put some of the Kilo's crew aboard to let go an anchor, but the master decided that the risk of an explosion was too great.

The torrential rain continued and there was a thunderstorm, and by 6.30 the fire on board the Kilo had begun to die down. The pilot vessel Seamark managed as a result to get a line aboard and to begin towing. The Kilo's master then asked Coxswain Scott to put him and his chief engineer back on board.

The Kilo was able to move under her own power and she was berthed in Swansea Dock at 7.55. At 8.12 the Mumbles life-boat landed the remain- der of the Kilo's crew at Swansea Dock.

Some idea of the weather conditions may be gained from the fact that the coxswain had to use the drogue while entering the lock.

Silver Medal Awarded For this service the silver medal for gallantry was awarded to Coxswain Lionel Derek Scott of the Mumbles.

The thanks of the Institution in- scribed on vellum were accorded to the other eight members of the Mumbles crew: Second Coxswain W. Davies; Motor Mechanic R. Gammon; Assist- ant Mechanic W. Tucker; Signalman J. Bailey; K. Kostromin; W. Parsons; T. Randall; J. Whitford.

Letters of appreciation were sent through the honorary secretaries to the crews of the Padstow and Tenby life- boats..