MUTUAL AID OFF PORTLAND FOLLOWING the sighting at about 10 p.m. on 4th February, 1972, by the gas tanker Methane Princess of a small vessel firing distress flares off Portland Bill, the Weymouth, Dorset, life-boat was prepared for launching. Then a further message was received that the Methane Princess had found a small yacht, the J 'omis, a 30-foot GRP sloop, whose skipper needed medical attention.

The station honorary medical adviser, Dr.

Jeremy Parkinson, was contacted and the Frank Sptller Locke, a 52-foot Barnett class life-boat built in 1957, left her moorings with Dr.

Parkinson accompanying a crew of eight.

The wind was south south easterly, force 6-7 with a choppy sea outside the harbour entrance.

Course was initially set for the Shambles lightvessel to meet up with Methane Princess which was attempting to tow the casualty to this position. However, at 10.45 p.m. she advised that it was becoming impossible to continue the tow due to the heavy steep seas caused by the wind, now gusting to force 9, and the spring ebb tide. She then informed the life-boat that she would heave to with the casualty in a position off Portland Bill and, accordingly, the life-boat altered course to the west to round the Bill close inshore and clear of the Portland race.

Also heading out of Portland harbour and through the inshore channel, was the German vessel Wotan. Her master offered to assist in finding the tanker and casualty by radar. At one point she warned the life-boat that she had been swept overall by a particularly heavy breaking sea and from this the coxswain realised that their course was taking them too close to the edge of the race. After a slight alteration of course he was able to avoid the worst of the heavy confused seas.

By about 11.25 p.m. the life-boat had cleared Portland race and had set course for south south east, and the tide setting to the north east, the tanker and the yacht had been set inshore considerably from the original position in which they hove to, with the result that the life-boat reached the scene shortly after midnight.

The coxswain passed close by the yacht, which was lying some 50 feet from the tanker and, after assessing the situation, turned head to wind before attempting to come alongside. The life-boat came alongside the yacht at 12,15 a.m.

and was held steady with the engines long enough for Bowman Albert Legge and Dr.

Parkinson to jump on board.

The only mishap in this operation occurred when life-boatman Lionel Hellier injured his shoulder while attempting to fend off the yacht.

Although causing him considerable pain throughout the remainder of the service, this injury proved not to be serious. Bowman Lcgge then made fast a towing line while Dr. Parkinson went aft to the cockpit to attend the injured man.

It was immediately apparent that it was impossible to transfer the patient to the life-boat.

The coxswain was left with no alternative but towing the yacht to Weymouth with Bowman Legge and Dr. Parkinson remaining on board to tend the tow and the injured yachtsman respectively.

In the difficult conditions the coxswain decided that the safer course was to take the longer and more uncomfortable route back to Weymouth outside the Shambles Jightvessel rather than the shorter route inside Portland race. He realised that if the tow were to part the yacht and her crew would almost certainly be lost in the race or on the rocks before another tow line could be made fast.

Accordingly, towing started at about 1.25 a.m.

with Methane Princess attempting to provide a lee by steaming alongside about 200 feet off. Even with this assistance from the tanker progress was erratic and very uncomfortable and the yacht shipped water despite very careful handling of the tow by the coxswain.

Nevertheless, the Shambles was reached at 2.10 a.m. and, when one mile east of the lightvessel, the life-boat altered course directly for Weymouth harbour. The Methane Princess continued on passage up channel. The life-boat made better progress from this point although, with the wind and sea now directly astern, the yacht was still extremely difficult to tow.

However, Weymouth harbour was safely entered just after 3 o'clock and the injured yachtsman was landed. The time was 3.30 a.m.

The Institution's bronze medal for gallantry has been awarded to Coxswain Alfred T. Pavey.

The thanks of the Institution inscribed on vellum have been accorded to Bowman Bertie A. Lcgge and the honorary medical adviser, Dr. Parkinson. The following crew also received certificates to commemorate their participation in this service: Second Coxswain Victor J. Pitman, Motor Mechanic Derek J. Sargent, Assistant Mechanic Brian B. Randall and Crew Members Lionel F. Hellier, Michael A. R.

Reynolds and Michael J. Yeatman.No. 6 Life-boat Area BELGIAN TRAWLER AIDED A BELGIAN fishing trawler, which ran ashore near Salcombc, Devon, on 1st April, 1972, led to the local life-boat being launched soon after 1.30a.m.

The wind was westerly, force 5 to 6, with a moderate sea and low swell. It was foggy with visibility down to half a mile.

The Salcombe life-boat, The Baltic Exchange, found the casualty two miles south west by south of Salcombe.

The Amelie Suzanne, a 95-ton Belgian fishing trawler built in wood, with a crew of five on board, was hard and fast ashore, lifting heavily to the south west ground sea. She was in danger of breaking up. Captain K. Dammeel, the trawler's skipper, said that he would like his crew taken off because of the heavy list.

Coxswain Hubert W. Distin decided to effect the rescue by means of breeches buoy due to the shallow water and the ground sea backwash off the cliffs, which rose vertically to 400 feet on the landward side of the casualty. He carefully positioned his life-boat, dropped the anchor and brought up some 75 yards to seaward of the casualty, firing a rocket line to the trawler at 2.12a.m.

By 2.40 a.m. all five Belgians were safely aboard the life-boat. Then, just after 3 o'clock, the life-boat returned to Salcombe with the survivors.

The thanks of the Institution inscribed on vellum have been accorded to Coxswain Distin.

The following crew afso received certificates to commemorate their part in the service: Second Coxswain Arthur O. Taylor, Motor Mechanic Edward Hannaford, Assistant Mechanic Brian Cater, Crew members Andrew Burner, Frank Smith and Eric Distin.

No. 4 Life-boat Area KETCH SNATCHED FROM GOODWINS WHEN a yacht was seen burning flares in the vicinity of the South Goodwin ightvessel at 4.6 a.m. on 24th May, 1972, the Walmer, Kent, life-boat was launched 14 minutes later.

The life-boat headed south eastwards towards the South Goodwin lightvessel, and at 4.43 a.m.

the Coastguard reported the casualty's position as two miles from the lightvessel. Six people were reported on board and it was agreed thatthe casualty would fire flares to guide the lifeboat to her.

At 4.55 a.m. a flare from the casualty was sighted by both the South and the East Goodwin lightvessels, bul not by either the Hfe-boat or the Coastguard. Twelve minutes later, the lifeboat, by now by the South West Goodwin buoy, heard the casualty, identified as the yacht Nell, reporting on her radio that her engine had broken down. She was in very shallow rough water and was being driven towards wrecks. Coxswain Henry Brown knew immediately that she was in fact three miles away near the vreck of the Lurqy Victory, in the vicinity of the South Goodwin buoy and so he turned north eastwards.

Soon afterwards the life-boatmen sighted a red flare ahead and this confirmed the position.

The life-boat answered with a parachute flare, but this was not seen by those on board the casualty. However, radio communication was then established between the life-boat and the Nell. The casualty was reassured that help would soon be at hand.

By 5.30 p.m. the life-boat could see the yacht slightly to the east north east of the wreck of the Luroy Victory. The Nell turned out to be a 21 -ton ketch, built in 1887, with a draught of about nine feet. She was being driven north north eastwards by the gale force winds against the start of the south westwards flood tide. Thisresulted in a slow westerly drift towards the South Caliper area of the Goodwin Sands.

As the life-boat approached at 2.30 a.m. it was seen that the yacht was starting to touch bottom in the troughs of the waves. The windagainst- tide situation was producing steep seas of from five to 10 feet in height, and the Nell rolled heavily as she lay broadside on to the wind with her bows eastwards. The tide was carrying the yacht towards the wreck and there was no time to lose.

Coxswain Brown made his first approach alongside the casualty's lee side and two lifeboatmen, Mr. Norman Griffiths and Mr.

Gordon Green, immediately climbed aboard the Nell to help the crew of the ketch to safety.

Three were taken off from the port quarter before the rolling of the yacht forced Coxswain Brown to pull astern and clear. The casualty was now hitting bottom so that her masts were shuddering and she was rolling most heavily to port.

Coxswain Brown therefore decided to go round to her starboard side for his next attempt, and this time he lost three guardrail stanchions as the yacht came down heavily against the life-boat, which herself now touched bottom.

Nevertheless, two more men were taken off the casualty, with only about 100 yards now remaining between her and the wreck.

As the owner of the ketch was reluctant to leave his boat the coxswain decided to try to tow her off. A tow rope was passed and secured aboard by the two life-boatmen, who then manned the tiller of the casualty throughout the tow.

The life-boat's echo sounder was by then reading 10 feet at its maximum, and the casualty was bumping bottom regularly as the tow continued. The old yacht was very heavy and often 'bows under', so that the tow rope was stretched to the maximum. In spite of this, no headway was made for about 20 minutes, and the coxswain decided that he must cut the tow and take off the three men. Having then nothing to lose but the tow rope, he put the engines full ahead and, to the surprise of all, the tow rope held and the casualty was pulled clear of the sands.

The tow then went ahead without further undue incident southwards around the end of the Goodwins and thence to Dover, where they arrived at about 7.35 a.m. The life-boat returned to her station at 9 o'clock.

A vellum recording the thanks of the Institution was accorded to Coxswain Brown. Certificates commemorating their participation in this service have been sent to: Motor Mechanic Bruce G. Brown, Assistant Mechanic Cyril S.

Williams, Crew Members Green, David J.

Harris, William D. Burton and Griffiths.

430 No. 3 Life-boat Area YOUNG PAIR RESCUE BOYS AT ABOUT 5.30 p.m. on 29th May, 1972, three young children were playing on the outer pier of North Sunderland harbour. The wind was westerly force 4-5 with a long heavy swell coming in from a north-easterly direction. This swell was running past the 'rock ends' and hitting the pier, breaking over it. A particularly heavy swell broke over the pier and the weight of water swept one boy from the pier into the harbour.

Another of the boys climbed down a ladder on the harbour wall and tried to reach the boy in the water with his anorak, which he had taken off. A further heavy swell broke over the pier and the second boy was swept into the water. Both boys were unable to swim but their anoraks provided some buoyancy.

Adam Hall and Aidan Smith were playing in their small 9-foot fibreglass dinghy equipped with a 2 h.p. outboard engine close to the shore inside the harbour. Mr. Stuart Hall, the father of Adam Hall, had seen the boys swept into the sea some way off. He ran down to the point where his son and friend were playing and sent them to the rescue. The distance by water is relatively short, but it would be some considerable distance by land, including rough boulder strewn ground.

With the aid of the outboard engine, Adam Hall and Aidan Smith soon had their boat across the harbour, and with some difficulty, succeeded in dragging the two boys on board.

Meantime, a further sea broke over the harbour wall and partially swamped the boat and rendered the outboard inoperable. The boat was rowed back to the shore and the casualties landed; luckily they were not badly affected by the ordeal.

The names of the boys who were rescued were J. Bainton and Richard Brown. They were thought to be about 12 years old, and they were on a bus trip from Durham.

Adam Hall and Aidan Smith have been awarded inscribed wrist watches for their bravery by the R.N.L.I.

No. 6 Life-boat Area TOW LASTED 13 HOURS AT 8.10 a.m. on 11 March, 1972, the St. Mary's, Scilly Isles, life-boat station learnt that the yachtMoronel had requested assistance 13 miles from Bishop Rock. The maroons were fired at 8.22 a.m.

The wind was north east, force 5-7, with a rough sea and a heavy swell. The life-boat Jessie Lumb, on temporary duty at the station, slipped her moornings at 8.33 a.m.

At 10.3 a.m. information from St. Mary's Coastguard put the position of Moronel, based on earlier information, as 10 miles south of Wolf Rock and course was altered shortly afterwards for this new position.

At 11 o'clock a Russian vessel indicated she was alongside Moronel and attempting to pass a tow. At 12.5p.m. Coxswain Matthew Lethbridge asked, through Land's End radio, for the casualty to fire a rocket in order to make contact. After a passage of three hours 37 minutes to the south east of the Scilly Isles in a rough sea and heavy swell, the casualty's rockets were sighted five minutes later some four miles ahead in a position 15 miles south east of St.

Mary's.

At 12.35 p.m. the life-boat was alongside Moronel. She was drifting beam on to wind and sea, was rolling heavily, had spars and rigging missing, had both masts and bowsprit broken, and had a crew of two, one of whom was seriously seasick.

By then the wind was north cast, force 7,gusting 8-9, with a very rough sea and heavy swell. At 12.36 p.m. the life-boat passed a towline and began towing Moronel to St. Mary's.

The tow, however, parted due to the yacht's bollard coining adriit and the coxswain asked for a volunteer to board the yacht to assist.

At considerable risk to his own safety, Mr.

Rodney Terry jumped from the life-boat to the yacht. Eventually the tow was reconnected with the bridle of the yacht's anchor chain.

But the chain bridle parted, and had to be reconnected with the use of a single chain of about 25 fathoms. At 3.38 p.m. the tow line again parted but it was very soon reconnected.

At 3.53 p.m. the position of the life-boat was seven miles south by east of St. Mary's. The speed was slow—only two knots. At 5.42 p.m.

the yacht's anchor cable again parted, to be reconnected using a shackle, and the tow continued. Finally at 6.25 p.m. the life-boat's starboard engine failed, due to § belt drive slipping and suspected overheating, and the tow was continued on one engine.

The St. Mary's life-boat and her tow reached St. Mary's at 9.45 p.m. This service spanned a period of 13 hours in exposed gale conditions, taking four hours to find the casualty, followed by a long slow tow with several setbacks.

For this service the thanks of the Institution, inscribed on vellum, have been accorded to Coxswain Lethbridge and Mr. Rodney Terry.

Certificates to commemorate their participation have been sent to Second Coxswain Ernest R.

Guy, Bowman Richard Lethbridge, Assistant Mechanic William H. Lethbridge, Crew members George Syrnons and Roy Duncan.

No. 5 Life-boat Area BAD WEATHER CLIFF RESCUE WHEN, on 8th February, 1972, Mr J. J. Adams, honorary secretary, Hastings, Sussex, was told by the police at about 2.15 p.m. that a man had fallen over the cliff to the east of the harbour at a point known as Ecclesbourne Glen, he was not entirely happy about launching the ILB except as a last resort. This was because there was a short steep sea running on to the beach with the wind directly onshore, estimated at force 5, and increasing. He told the police accordingly, but they subsequently repeated their request for assistance, intimating that no other practical means of reaching the casualty were available.

Taking all possible safety precautions, the ILB was launched at 2.37 p.m. with Helmsman R. Shoesmith in command and Mr. C. Green and Mr. K. Ronchetti as crew, Mr. Shoesmith and Mr. Green both being qualified first aiders.

The ILB made the best possible speed, having regard to the existing sea conditions, and was eventually beached close by the casualty at about 3.5 p.m. The beach at this point is very treacherous and rocky and only expert local knowledge and exceptionally good seamanship enabled the crew to land the ILB without damage. The further efforts of the police officers in attendance enabled the crew to haul the boat clear of the breaking seas.

The crew had serious misgivings about relaunching and attempting the passage back to the station in the steadily deteriorating sea conditions despite the fact that the injured man had been placed in a stretcher. The helmsman noticed that the man was bleeding from the cars and, suspecting a possible fractured skull, as well as his other injuries, decided that the inevitable pounding that he would receive in the ILB could easily jeopardise his chances of survival.

After consultation with the Fairlight Cliff Rescue Team, who had by this time arrived on the scene, he very sensibly abandoned the idea of returning to Hastings with the casualty by sea and the man was successfully hauled up the cliff by the cliff rescue team.

By the time this task had been completed, the weather had become even worse with the wind estimated at force 7 with a very dangerous sea running on to the beach. The boat was slowly manhandled as far up the beach as possible against the face of the cliff. It was decided that, with the combined help of the station personnel and the cliff rescue team, an attempt to recover the ILB up the cliff should be made.

At about 4.30 p.m. when adequate help and equipment were on hand, the recovery operation began and the ILB crew, by now close to exhaustion, were driven back to Hastings by the honorary secretary.

Coxswain/Mechanic J. Martin then took charge of the recovery assisted by Mr. B. Foster, life-boatman, head launcher Mr. R. White, two non-station volunteers and the Fairlight cliff rescue team led by Coastguard F. Davis.

Using their equipment, they manhandled the boat and engine to a height of almost 100 feet over almost sheer cliff face. In the driving wind and rain the cliff was extremely slippery and although this allowed the boat to be moved over the ground without any serious chafing to the fabric, it made conditions even more difficult for the men involved.

Eventually sufficient progress was made to enable a line to be taken to the Coastguard Land-Rover, which was parked on level ground, and with a series of short tows the ILB was brought up to the level of the cliff top.

At this point the cliff rescue team was calledto another casualty and was unable to complete the recovery back to the life-boat station.

However, a Mr Usher volunteered his services and provided a farm tractor and trailer. The boat and engine were then transported to the Hastings road, where the same man then hitched the trailer behind his private car and delivered the ILB and all station personnel back to the life-boat house at about 6.30 p.m.

The following special awards for this rescue operation have been made: framed letters of thanks signed by the Chairman of the Institution, Commander F. R. H. Swann, O.B.E. R.N.V.R., to Mr. Shoesmith, Mr. Green and Mr.

Ronchetti. Letters of thanks, signed by the Secretary of the Institution, Captain Nigel Dixon, R.N., have been sent to Mr. Martin, Mr. Foster, Mr. White, Mr. Usher, Mr. R.

Taylor, Mr. J. Mitchell and Coastguard Davis.

No. 4 Life-boat Area VIGILANT CREW IN FAST RESCUE SHORTLY before 10 a.m. on the 10th April, 1972; Coxswain R. W. Wood and Second Coxswain W. V. Burrell of the Aldeburgh life-boat became concerned for the safety of three fellow longshore fishermen who had not yet returned to harbour in the rapidly deteriorating weather conditions.

Other Aldeburgh longshore boats had been out fishing and all had returned except the Ocean Pride, an 18-foot open fishing boat powered by a 15 h.p. diesel, carrying the three missing fishermen.

The wind was south south west, force 7, and steadily increasing. The weather was overcast with drizzle and rain squalls, giving poor visibility of about J mile generally, and much less in the heavy rain.

It was known that the overdue boat had been fishing near the north east Bawdsey buoy, seven miles south of Aldeburgh. The maroons were fired at 10.5 a.m., and the life-boat launched five minutes later.

Seas were already very rough over the offshore shoals as the life-boat headed southwards into the wind and the tide. There are, in fact, two shoals running parallel to the beach off Aldeburgh, the inner one being about 100 yards off the beach and the other one about 400 yards beyond. It was clear to the life-boat crew that the longshore boat would have a very dangerous passage across these shoals on her return to the beach.

The Ocean Pride was met just over a mile south of Aldeburgh and the coxswain decided that, since there was no chance of inducing the crew to leave their boat, he would give them three life-jackets to wear. The three life-jackets were secured together into one bundle and thrown to the fishing boat.

The wind was now force 8 and gusting beyond, so the coxswain decided to escort the boat as closely as possible astern in order to be ready for what he felt was almost inevitable.

The Ocean Pride managed to ride a large wave over the outer shoal as she turned towards the Aldeburgh beach, but as the life-boat followed astern, her crew saw the longshore boat disappear behind a large wave as she crossed the inner shoal. Then the bows of the fishing boat appeared high in the air and the life-boatmen knew she had been overtaken by the wave and sunk by the stern.

Coxswain Wood was on the spot within seconds and saw two of the men in the water.

He swung the life-boat around them so that she pointed seawards and formed a lee, and, with the life-boat touching bottom and being thrown about violently, so that she was at times 'gunwales under', he brought her alongside the survivors on the first attempt while the crew pulled them safely aboard over the port side.

The third man was then seen floating closer inshore, about 30 yards northwards, and the life-boat turned towards him. There was no room to manoeuvre inshore of this man, however, so Coxswain Wood decided to approach him stern first, with the life-boat's bow held to the sea. There was clearly no time to lose as this last survivor was apparently already being overcome by the breaking waves. As the life-boat went astern the crew threw him a lifebuoy and a line, but the man was unable to make any effort to grasp them. Again, the coxswain handled his boat with such skill that this man too was reached in the shortest possible time, and the crew dragged him aboard over the starboard quarter.

Motor Mechanic N. Saint immediately gave first aid and, using the Holger-Nielsen method, succeeded in pumping a considerable amount of sea water out of the survivor. A doctor later estimated that this man could have lived no more than a further two minutes if he had not been rescued.

The life-boat was beached immediately, the time being 11.9 a.m., and the three survivors were taken to hospital in the waiting ambulance.

For this act the Institution's bronze medal for gallantry was awarded to Coxswain Wood and the thanks of the R.N.L.I, inscribed on vellum to Motor Mechanic Saint. Certificates to commemorate their participation in this service were sent to Second Coxswain Burrell, Bowman Kenneth Denny, Assistant Mechanic Maurice Watson and Crew Members Maurice Smith, Robin Barber, Frederick Sharland and David Reeve..