COXSWAIN Daniel Kirkpatrick of Longhope has achieved the unusual distinction of being awarded the Institution's silver medal for gallantry for the second time. His second award was made for the rescue of nine men from the Aberdeen trawler Ben Barvas on the night of the 3rd/4th January, 1964.

COASTGUARD'S CALL The first intimation that a vessel was in distress reached the life-boat station at 10.11 p.m. on 3rd January, when the Kirkwall coastguard telephoned the honorary secretary, Mr. J. M. F.

Groat, to say that the Ben Barvas was ashore on the Pentland Skerries.

Shortly afterwards he confirmed that the trawler was on the south side of the Little Skerry.

The maroons were fired at 10.16 and 10 minutes later the Longhope life- boat T.G.B., which is one of the 47- foot Watson class, was launched. At that time there was a fresh to moderate southerly breeze and a moderate sea.

The weather was cloudy but visibility was good. It was three hours before high water springs, and in the Pentland Firth the tide was setting to the east- ward at four knots.

JUDGMENT NEEDED With the favourable tide the life- boat made good progress on a south- easterly course, and she reached the trawler at about 11.30. As he ap- proached the Little Skerry, Coxswain Kirkpatrick saw the trawler's lights, and he took the life-boat close across the west end of the Skerry to assess the situation.

There was a very heavy steep sea caused by the wind and the tide. The tide was now setting to the south-east at no less than eight knots. There was a tidal eddy close to the rocks.

HUGE WAVES Coxswain Kirkpatrick approached the trawler from the southward, and in the light of parachute flares the trawler could be seen lying close to the shore with her bows to the west. She was upright but was rolling in the surf, with reefs close ahead and astern of her over which the seas were breaking heavily.

Coxswain Kirkpatrick continued his run in. His aim was to put the life- boat's starboard side alongside the trawler, but when he was about 60 feet off a huge sea carried her broadside to within 30 feet of the wreck, and the coxswain had to order the engines to be put full astern. This huge sea broke about 10 feet above the trawler's port rail and some five feet of her side were exposed in the trough.

HIS ONE HOPE The coxswain decided that in these conditions it was virtually impossible to come alongside the trawler. His only hope was to haul off to the south-west and then anchor and veer down on the trawler.

Veering 80 fathoms of nylon cable and using his engines, he reached a position about 90 feet south of the casualty. Second Coxswain James Johnston then fired a rocket line across the trawler's stern, and a nylon rope was passed to the trawler and secured to a davit on her poop deck. A second nylon rope was bent on to this and led through the bow fairlead to the life- boat's capstan.

ROPE STRANDED With the use of this rope and the engines and with the life-boat crew taking in the slack of the cable by hand, Coxswain Kirkpatrick manoeuvred the life-boat to a position abreast of the trawler's stern and about 60 feet off.

Then a series of heavy seas were en- countered and the nylon rope stranded at the trawler's end. It was immedi- ately slacked away and the trawler's crew hauled in to the stranded part and secured on the sound rope.

A member of the life-boat crew, James Swanson, had great difficulty in tending the nylon rope on the capstan, but with his help the coxswain was able to hold the life-boat some 90 feet from the trawler in a suitable position to work the breeches buoy.

Second Coxswain Johnston then fired a second rocket line. This passed over the trawler's wireless aerial but was retrieved by the mate and secured to one of the trawler's davits. The trawler then took a heavy list to port and seas were continually breaking over her.

BREECHES BUOY RESCUES The time was now 12.15 a-m- the operation of rescuing the nine sur- vivors on board the trawler by breeches buoy was begun. The whole life-boat crew were fully employed. Bowman Roy Kirkpatrick and his brother Jack manned the outhaul forward. The second coxswain and Robbie Johnston manned the inhaul amidships; James Swanson tended the nylon warp, while Assistant Mechanic Robert R.

Johnston attended to the engines and radio. The coxswain continued to keep firm control of the situation.

As each survivor crossed in the breeches buoy the tide swept him away astern and it was difficult and exhausting work heaving them into the life-boat. After the second man had reached the life-boat, the trawler's oil fuel tanks were fractured and the ropes and the deck of the life-boat were covered with diesel oil.

The oil did have some effect on the breaking seas, but the deck became very slippery and the work of rescue even harder. The scrambling net was rigged amidships, and as each man came across he was hauled inboard by the coxswain and by Roy Kirkpatrick, the bowman.

BROKEN RIBS The trawler was settling slowly by the head, but at the end of an hour the last man to leave the trawler, the skipper, got into the breeches buoy.

As he did so a particularly heavy sea broke over the trawler. He had to go back and in doing so had two of his ribs broken. At the next attempt he was hauled safely aboard the life-boat.

The rescue was completed about i .20 a.m. The nylon warp was cut and the life-boat was swung clear. The cable was hauled in and the coxswain hove to while the deck was cleared of ropes and all gear was secured.

After she left the scene of the casu- alty the life-boat came up with the trawler Ben Screel, which had on board five survivors from the Ben Barvas who had left earlier in an inflatable life raft. These five men were transferred to the life-boat in the lee of Duncansby Head and all 14 survivors were landed at St. Margaret's Hope at 4.30.

For this service a silver second service clasp was awarded to Cox- swain Daniel Kirkpatrick.

The thanks of the Institution in- scribed on vellum were accorded to Second Coxswain James Johnston, Bowman Roy Kirkpatrick, Mechanic Robert Johnston, Assistant Mechanic Robert R. Johnston, crew members James Swanson, Robbie Johnston and Jack Kirkpatrick..