Tug on rocks AN ENGINE breakdown just as she had cast off her tugs on her final trials resulted in the oil exploration vessel Oregis going aground at the entrance to the Tyne. It was 1530 on Sunday, March 10. Tynemouth honorary secretary was told of the incident by HM Coastguard, but advised that lifeboat help was not required.

One of the ILB crew saw the grounding and went to the boathouse in anticipation of a possible call-out. There he found another member of the crew and they cleared the boathouse doors in readiness.

Three tugs returned to help Oregis.

One, Northsider, was seen by the two ILB crew, Trevor Fryer and Frederick Arkley, to run towards the casualty to pass a line; but, pooped by a large sea, she was driven past Oregis on to the rocks. Although it was clear to the two ILB crew that there was little they could do for Oregis, they considered that the tug was now in a dangerous position.

So, while Fred Arkley telephoned the honorary secretary, Trevor Fryer prepared the ILB, and at 1543, with Trevor Fryer at the helm, she launched. With breaking seas and a 4' rise and fall, it was a most difficult operation. The wind was easterly force 6 with a rough seaand heavy swell; it was one hour before high water.

The ILB motored outside the Black Midden Rocks to assess the situation.

The tug, well ashore on the rock end, rolling heavily and continually swept by the seas, was being driven further ashore and her position was potentially dangerous. Her crew indicated that they would like the ILB to close them; they had a young boy aboard and wanted him taken off. The ILB circled Northsider three times, observing the action of the sea and the rolling of the tug, before going alongside. It was a daunting prospect, with heavy swell breaking over the stern of the tug and heavy seas breaking on the rocks.

Running in on these seas and turning alongside required great boat-handling skill and judgement; both were shown by Helmsman Fryer. Not only did he have to contend with the sea; there was also the risk of the ILB being driven under by the heavy fendering of the tug.

The boy was passed down to the ILB successfully and taken back to the slipway where Fleet Mechanic Davies helped him ashore; the boy was almost swept off the end of the slip but Alan Davies managed to hold him.

It was now 1557 and maroons had been fired, and by the time the ILB returned to the scene of the incident the lifeboat, launched at 1610, was already helping.

At 1625 the tug Alnmouth told the ILB that the crew of the stranded Northsider had asked to be taken off immediately. She was now well in under the cliffs, rolling heavily with seasbreaking all the way in from the rock end to the cliffs, and she was in real danger of breaking up.

Timing their approach, two attempts were made at running in before the seas, but at the third attempt the right combination was achieved; the ILB went alongside and took the three crew off the tug.

The ILB weathered some very heavy buffeting on the run out and, on the advice of the coxswain of the station lifeboat, put the survivors aboard a police launch; it was 1635. She remained in the area ready to give further help until the engine showed signs of faltering, probably due to the severe drenching it had undergone, when she returned to station, arriving at 1725.

For this service the bronze medal for gallantry was awarded to Helmsman Trevor Fryer and Crew Member Frederick Arkley..