Mr. Neil Speed, the skipper of the motor fishing vessel Moira, has been accorded the thanks of the Institution inscribed on vellum for the rescue of 10 people from the motor yacht Quesada on the night of 22nd/23rd May, 1966.

TheQuesada was returning from a charter cruise with 18 people aboard when she sprang a leak in her engine room. First the port engine and then the starboard engine failed.

At 12.53 a-m- on the 23rd May she put out a Mayday message giving her position as two miles east of Davaar Island.

A number of fishermen had been sleeping aboard their boats in Campbeltown harbour as they were proposing to make an early start to the fishing grounds next morning.

One of them, Mr. James Meenan, the skipper of the m.f.v. Stella Maris, heard the distress message on his radio telephone. As his boat was at an inside berth he immediately aroused Mr. Speed, for the Moira was lying at an outside berth. Distress flares were then seen to seaward.

OUSTING TO FORCE 9 Mr. Speed immediately put to sea with Mr. Meenan and five members of his regular crew.

continued on page 67 (continued from page 33) A north-westerly gale was blowing, which was gusting to force 9. The sea was rough, and it was an hour before high water.

As the Moira cleared harbour a further distress flare was sighted, and Mr.

Speed was able to take a bearing on it. Once he was clear of Davaar Island he set course for the estimated position of the casualty.

As the Moira approached a very faint light was seen. Mr. Speed steered for this and the Quesada was then seen in the illumination of the Moira's masthead floodlight.

The Quesada was lying stern to wind on her starboard side with only the port bow, the stemhead and a little of the superstructure showing above the water.

All that could be seen aft was the transom of her dinghy, occasionally breaking surface, the bow being held by the painter below water.

A number of survivors were clinging to the rails and one man was lashed to the anchor davit forward.

Mr. Speed positioned the Moira to port and to leeward of the Quesada so that he could lay his vessel athwart the submerged section. From this position his crew succeeded in rescuing nine of the survivors before the Moira drifted clear.

It was exhausting work because of the high freeboard of the fishing boat, but the crew continued their efforts and two further approaches were made before a tenth survivor, who was the man lashed to the davit, was rescued.

ANXIETY During the night relatives of people aboard the Quesada had expressed some anxiety, and the honorary secretary of the Campbeltown life-boat station, Mr.

A. P. MacGrory, had a discussion with the coastguard shortly after midnight.

He telephoned the station mechanic at 12.30 and told him to fire the maroons from the life-boat store.

When the Mayday message was received the Campbeltown life-boat City of Glasgow II, which is one of the 52-foot Barnett type, was launched. She reached the scene of the casualty some 10 minutes later than the Moira. Seeing the Moira alongside the wreck she remained close to leeward, using her searchlight and parachute flares to look for survivors in the water. She found nothing but wreckage.

The Moira joined the life-boat in the search. At about 2 a.m. it was decided that the Moira should take the survivors back to harbour, leaving the life-boat to continue the search. The Moira reached Campbeltown at 2.50, where the ten survivors were landed.

The Moira put to sea again at 3.30 to continue the search and did not finally return to harbour until 3 o'clock that afternoon.

The Campbeltown life-boat continued to search, and Mr. McGrory asked for a Shackleton aircraft to be available at first light. This was arranged, and the lifeboat was joined by half-a-dozen Campbeltown fishing vessels in her search.

No survivors were found, and the search was called off at 2.44.

FOUND ONLY WRECKAGE The Girvan life-boat St. Andrew (Civil Service No. id), was also launched at 3.30 in the afternoon to search between Ailsa Craig and Arran. She found only wreckage and finally returned to her station at 9.32 p.m.

Certificates recording their part in the service were issued to Mr. James Meenan and the five members of the Moira's crew, namely Archibald Galbraith, Duncan McArthur, Campbell Stewart, Hector Norman Thompson, and Sweenie Alexander Copping.

The Board of Trade ordered an inquiry into the loss of the Quesada, which was held between 30th August and nth November at Campbeltown by Sheriff D. J. McDiarmid.

Nineteen questions were answered by the Court, whose findings were announced on nth November.

Three of the questions concerned the part played by the Campbeltown lifeboat station. One of the answers read: 'Campbeltown life-boat was under way in approximately 12 minutes. Moira rescued 10 men from the Quesada. Campbeltown life-boat continued the search until following afternoon. The actions of all concerned are worthy of commendation - particularly those on the Campbeltown fishing boat Moira.'' The other two questions, namely whether the search and rescue operation was carried out adequately and whether all proper steps were taken to initiate a search for the missing persons, were both answered 'Yes'..