HUGE WAVE UPSET LIFE-BOAT ON the evening of 20th January last year the Danish motor fishing vessel Opal sailed from Buckle and set a course for the Fladden fishing grounds. At about 10.30 p.m. it was discovered that the engine room was flooding. Both main bilge and auxiliary pumps were found to be inoperative.

The skipper of the Opal reported his position and condition to Skagen radio in Denmark at about 5 a.m. on 21st January and asked if assistance could be obtained from other Danish vessels in the vicinity. He did not make a specific request for assistance, nor did he then consider that his situation and circumstances were perilous.

Wick radio received a message from Skagen radio that the Opal was taking in water and needed assistance with pumping. Skagen radio enquired whether anything could be arranged.

Later, at 5.7 a.m., Skagen radio informed Wick radio that the Opal was in no immediate danger of sinking. Wick radio then informed Wick Coastguard of the messages received from Skagen radio and, in particular, that pumping assistance was needed. Later, Skagen radio told Wick radio that the flooding had increased, that a Danish helicopter on standby could, if necessary, be at the Opal's position in about four hours, and inquired if there was any information from the Coastguard.

Wick radio informed Wick Coastguard who in turn relayed the message to Peterhead Coastguard.

The latter contacted the Peterhead honorary secretary of the R.N.L.I., Mr.

W. A. P. Cormack, and was told that, though no pump was available, the life-boat would be launched if needed for life saving. Peterhead Coastguard contacted Fraserburgh Coastguard who then told the acting honorary secretary (Captain J. Carter was ill) about the casualty, the language difficulty, the need for a pump and prompt assistance.

The acting honorary secretary was in fact the coxswain of the Fraserburgh life-boat, the late Mr.

John C. Stephen, and he replied that he would try to obtain a pump and launch. He also telephoned the mechanic, Frederick Kirkness, and the assistant mechanic, John Jackson Buchan. The latter accompanied the coxswain to the life-boat which was lying afloat in the south basin because alterations to the boathouse were then in progress.

At 6 a.m. the coxswain fired maroons and the crew assembled. Not unexpectedly, it had proved impossible to obtain a pump, and 30 minutes later the Fraserburgh life-boat The Duchess of Kent cast off, picking up James Slessor Buchan on her way out from the main harbour. At 6.38 a.m. she reported to the Fraserburgh Coastguard on VHF that she was launched and under way to the casualty. The wind at Fraserburgh was then south south east, Force 6 to 7.

While the life-boat was preparing to leave at 6.8 a.m. Skagen radio told Wick radio that the Opal was unable to use her main engine and the water in the engine room was still rising.

Two minutes later Skagen radio reported that the situation now seemed to be critical. At 6.32 a.m. Wick radio sent out a Mayday relay signal that the Opal was in need of immediate assistance and repeated the signal thereafter.

At 8.39 a.m. the life-boat gave her estimated time of arrival at the casualty as 11 a.m., transmitting to Wick radio on 2,182 kilocycles since her VHF set had ceased to be effective soon after leaving Fraserburgh. At 8.48 a.m.

the Russian vessel Victor Kingisepp reported that the Opal was 12 miles distant by her radar.

At 8.59 a.m. the life-boat gave her position as 22 miles from Fraserburgh. At 9.17 a.m.

Skagen radio reported that a Russian ship was alongside the Opal, while at 9.30 a.m. the Victor Kingisepp stated that she would reach the Opal in 20 minutes.

At 10.6 a.m. the Victor Kingisepp reported that she was near the casualty but that two Russian vessels and two smaller, unidentified, vessels were standing by the Opal. This had been reported by a Shackleton aircraft to Wick radio at 9.50 a.m. At 10.19 a.m. Wick radio transmitted another Mayday relay signal reporting that the Russian vessels were alongside the Opal and attempting to take her in tow. No signal was transmitted directly to the life-boat giving this information or the information received earlier that a helicopter had removed one of the crew from the Opal leaving three others on board.

At about 10.30 a.m. Wick radio passed a message to Peterhead Coastguard that a Russian vessel was taking the Opal in tow with other Russian vessels escorting. Again this information was not relayed direct to the lifeboat.

At 10.55 a.m. the life-boat gave her position as 36 miles north east by east of Fraserburgh and stated that a large vessel was visible ahead. This was almost certainly the Sarma.

At 11 a.m. she reported she was approaching the Opal, adding 10 minutes later that the latter was under tow by a Russian trawler on a courseheading into the wind. This was the last message received from the life-boat. At this time the wind's strength was force 8 to 9 south south east. The Opal was being towed by the Russian trawler Jwa with other vessels in the vicinity. The waves were averaging about 15 or 16 feet in height with occasional waves of twice that height. The Opal was being towed roughly head on to wind, i.e. on a south south east course at a speed of about two to three knots.

In these circumstances the life-boat approached the Opal from the west, altered course to starboard and reduced speed until she was on the Opal's port beam and on a parallel course. The coxswain was heard by Mr.

Jackson Buchan to say that he would go ahead of the Opal in order to read the name or number of the towing vessel. The evidence appears to indicate that he either had increased speed or was increasing speed when the life-boat was struck by a very large breaking wave on her port bow and was overwhelmed by that wave.

It appears that the bow was lifted high into the air and the vessel capsized bow over stern with some tranverse inclination to starboard. She lay capsized with her starboard side visible to those aboard the Opal and the Sarma.

The nature of the capsize as described by Mr.

Jackson Buchan, the sole survivor, is at variance with the descriptions of eye witnesses, notably two members of the Opal's crew and crew members of the accompanying Russian ships.

Photographs taken from the Sarma appear to corroborate the descriptions given by these eye witnesses. But in the violent motions of the capsize Mr. Buchan was not ideally placed for observation of all that occurred.

The Russian trawler Jwa continued on her course with the Opal in tow while the life-boat floated bottom upwards. The sole survivor swam to, and contrived to scramble aboard, the capsized life-boat. After about 20 minutes he was picked up by one of the Russian trawlers, and despite his ordeal maintained liaison between the rescuing vessels and the shore.

Simultaneously the Victor Kingisepp approached the scene and her crew made strenuous efforts, at considerable personal risk, to right the life-boat.

The life-boat was eventually righted at 2.31 p.m.

but the four members of the crew trapped inside were dead. A fifth member was not found.

The Victor Kingisepp took the upturned lifeboat in tow and made for Buckie. Next day the bodies were transferred to the Buckie life-boat.

The Duchess of Kent was handed over to the Buckie life-boat and towed into Buckie harbour at about 5 p.m. on 22nd January.

In addition to the coxswain, the other Fraserburgh crew members who lost their lives were: Motor Mechanic Frederick A. Kirkness and crew members William Hadden, JamesR. S. Buchan and James Buchan. Mr. Kirkness's body was never found..