COXSWAIN William Harland of Whitby has been accorded the thanks of the Institution inscribed on vellum for the rescue of the crew of fourteen of the motor vessel Fred Everard of London on 2yth November, 1965.

The honorary secretary of the Whitby life-boat station, Mr. Eric Thomson, learned from the coastguard in the early hours that the Fred Everard was listing badly and needed help. Her position was nine miles south of Whitby.

One minute later the maroons were fired, and at 2.30 a.m. the life-boat Mary Ann Hepworth, which is of the 4i-foot Watson class, was launched. The wind was from the south-east with a slight sea and a heavy swell. Heavy snow squalls made visibility poor. It was 2 J hours after low water and the flood tide was setting to the south-south-east.

At 2.55 the Fred Everard reported that she was ashore near Robin Hood's Bay and that the motor vessel Vega which was trying to help her had also grounded. The Vega later refloated without help and continued on her passage after the life-boat had arrived.

Coxswain Harland found the coaster at 3.46. She was three miles south of her reported position and was aground on an outcrop of rock under Blea Wyke Point. She was listing 30° to starboard and heading north-west with the wind astern.

The life-boat's first approach was to the starboard side of the coaster. The master and mate of the coaster reported that the other twelve members of the crew were in a rubber life raft on the port bow. The coxswain backed the life-boat out and began to manoeuvre down the port side of the casualty stern first in order to stem the heavy ground sea. The mechanic, William Dryden, operated the radio telephone while the assistant mechanic, William Kaiser, worked the remote engine controls under the coxswain's direction. In shallow water, and a confined space for manoeuvring, the life-boat succeeded in taking the twelve men off the life raft. She then returned to the starboard side of the coaster and took off the master and mate. This operation was completed at 4.2.

EXPLOSION IN ENGINE ROOM The life-boat returned to her station at 5.30 and two hours later put out again with the master and three members of the coaster's crew. The master boarded his vessel, but there had been an explosion in the engine room and he finally decided to abandon ship. The life-boat finally reached her station at 11.30 a.m..