FOR a service lasting 27 hours, as a result of which 19 people were saved from the motor yacht, Braemar, Coxswain Matthew Lethbridge, junior, of St. Mary's, Scilly Isles, has been awarded the silver medal for gallantry. Two members of his crew, Second Coxswain Ernest Guy and Motor Mechanic William Burrow, have each been awarded the bronze medal. The thanks of the Institution in- scribed on vellum have been accorded to the other five crew members.

Dr. W. D. Bell, the honorary secretary of the St. Mary's life-boat station, learnt at 6.25 on the morning of 22nd May, 1967, from the coastguard that the Braemar had developed a serious leak in her engine room. Her position was 28 miles from Bishop Rock. Ten minutes later the maroons were fired.

"A VERY ROUGH SEA" There was a west south westerly wind offeree 7, gusting to force 9, and there was a very rough sea with a heavy south westerly swell. The weather was squally with visibility between one and two miles. It was two hours after high water.

The St. Mary's life-boat Guy and Clare Hunter, which is one of the 46-foot 9-inch Watson type, was launched at 6.48. After he had cleared St. Agnes Point Coxswain Lethbridge set a course to intercept the casualty, whose speed was reported to be 5 knots. Excellent radio communications were maintained, but with a wave height of between 15 and 18 feet the radar picture was somewhat cluttered. The St. Mary's coastguard continued to keep the life-boat informed of the Braemar'?, position.

At 9.3 the Braemar reported to Land's End radio that if her engines failed she could remain afloat for only about 12 hours. Her next signal, which followed shortly afterwards, was that her engines had in fact failed and that she was adrift. The life-boat intercepted both these messages.

The motor vessel Trader had the motor yacht in view and was asked to trans- mit from time to time so that the life-boat could get direction-finding bearings.

Two minutes later, on receipt of a further message from the coastguard, Cox- swain Lethbridge altered course. At 10.25 the Trader was sighted. She was attempting to take the motor yacht in tow. The tanker British Fulmar was also seen by the life-boat.

The life-boat first closed the Braemar about 13 miles from Wolf Rock. The motor yacht was heading south east and was rolling and pitching heavily with her propellers at times clear of the water. The m.v. Trader was on her port side and manoeuvring to reach a position from which she could fire a rocket line.

The motor vessel asked the life-boat to stand by and then to escort the twovessels to Falmouth. Coxswain Lethbridge therefore stood off about a mile to starboard.

The rocket line from the Trader to the motor yacht parted and Coxswain Lethbridge offered to help reconnect the line. This was done, and at 12.22 a tow line from the yacht to the motor vessel was secured. The Trader began to tow, but the Braemar's bollards and fairleads were carried away under the strain.

It was clear that the motor vessel would not be able to tow the yacht successfully, and the attempt was abandoned.

The life-boat now tried to get a line aboard. Three attempts were made, the third being successful. The life-boat then began to tow in the direction of Newlyn.

Once again the tow rope parted, and the motor yacht lay beam to sea rolling heavily. The tow was secured again, and with the Braemar on her port quarter the life-boat went ahead at a speed of some 3 knots.

SLOW PROGRESS Course was altered more than once as the result of radar fixes, and it was also possible to calculate from these that from 4 p.m. to 5.10 p.m. only 4- miles had been covered.

A tug was expected from Falmouth and Coxswain Lethbridge felt some con- cern about the slowness of the progress. Seas were constantly breaking over the stern of the life-boat and sweeping her from stern to stem. The casualty tended to fall off to the north west, and continual vigilance and skilful manoeuvring were needed to bring her back.

The Braemar was settling lower and lower in the water, and she had a heavy starboard list. At 7.53 her master therefore decided to abandon ship. The tow was cast off, and the Braemar began to drift rapidly to the south east. Coxswain Lethbridge made an initial approach on her starboard side aft, but because of the heavy rolling of both the vessels and the rapid rate of drift he was unable to take anyone off the motor yacht.

He decided to lie off to starboard and let the casualty drift down on to the life- boat. Considerable skill was needed for the life-boat to remain in contact without causing serious damage. More than once she was knocked as much as 10 feet clear of the yacht and damage was caused to her belting. Nevertheless, 15 men and one woman were dragged aboard the life-boat. Many of them were seasick, but none was injured.

The master and the remaining two members of the crew decided to stay aboard, and it was therefore necessary to take the motor yacht in tow. This was done, and the life-boat continued towards Newlyn.

FORCE 10 At 10.10 she was some three miles off Penzer Point. The wind had by now backed to south by west and was blowing force 10. There were very heavy rain squalls, and visibility was poor. There was a danger that the life-boat with the yacht in tow might be blown ashore, but the tow was successfully turned to avoid this. Finally course was altered to allow the two boats to enter Mount's Bay. Here the Newlyn pilot cutter helped to berth the Braemar.The survivors were all landed, but one of them, a 23-year-old man, died later in hospital from heart failure.

The five crew members to whom the Institution's thanks on vellum were accorded were: Bowman Richard Lethbridge, Assistant Mechanic William Harry Lethbridge, Crew Member Frederick Woodcock, Crew Member George Symons and Crew Member Rodney Terry..