Thurso, Caithness-shire. At 6.45 p.m. on I2th January, 1966, the Wick coastguard informed the honorary secretary that they had received a distress call from the fishing vessel Rowan Tree which stated that she was in a sinking condition near Dunnet Head. The lifeboat W and S., on temporary duty at the station, was launched at 7.15 in a gentle south easterly breeze and a slight swell. It was three hours to high water.

The life-boat went to the given position and came up to the Rowan Tree. Her crew was transferred to her. Another fishing vessel, the Leander, took the sinking vessel in tow towards Scrabster Harbour where pumping arrangements had been made with the fishing boats Primula and Prospective. The four pumps on board these two vessels were transferred to the Rowan Tree when she went aground in the outer harbour, and these emptied her of water sufficiently for her to refloat herself. The life-boat now took the Rowan Tree in tow to a safe berth near the slipway, returning to her station at 11.30 when the fishing vessel was no longer in danger..