CLACTON COASTGUARD intercepted a message from Warden Point Coastguard to Margate Coastguard at 1556 on July 15, 1974, advising that red flares had been sighted by MV Moreton Bay between No. 9 and No. 10 Buoys in Black Deep Channel. Mansion helicopter was scrambled to investigate and at 1607Clacton honorary secretary was asked to place the lifeboat on alert. The crew were assembled.

At 1624 the helicopter reported a 40' fishing boat drifting north-eastwards one mile west of No. 8 Black Deep Buoy; because of the boat's masts it was not possible to consider a winching operation.

Given this information at 1631, the honorary secretary told the Coastguard he would launch immediately, and within quarter of an hour the 37' Oakley lifeboat Valentine Wyndham-Quin had set a course of 205°M for the Wallet Spitway. The wind was south south west, force 7 to gale 8, with very rough seas, wind against tide; it was three hours before high water. The evening was overcast with fair visibility in rain.

The Coastguard helicopter, returning to the area at 1753 after refuelling, checked the casualty position for the lifeboat, which was now half a mile south of Whitaker Beacon. By 1834 the lifeboat had reached No. 9 Barrow Buoy and Coxswain Charles Bolingbroke navigated through the shallow passage north of SW Sunk Beacon to cross into Black Deep. Visibility was now poor and, with only occasional sightings of buoys, fixing the position of the boat was very difficult.

At 1913 the Coastguard succeeded in making radio contact with the survey vessel HMS Echo. The ship was anchored in Whitaker Channel and immediately got under way to give help.

At 1925 the lifeboat sighted the casualty, the Dutch 45' steel motor barge Minnie Ha Ha, on the eastern edge of Middle Sunk Sands. She was aground in the breaking seas and was being driven on to the sands by the wind.

Main engine and steering had broken down while on passage from Pinmill toDover, and her crew had set course into the Thames Estuary to seek shelter.

The wind was south south west, gale force 8, with very heavy seas, and the sandbanks nearby were causing frequent confused waves of some 12' height to break across the direction of the wind. The evening remained overcast with rain.

Coxswain Bolingbroke manoeuvred the lifeboat close to windward of Minnie Ha Ha, so that Second Coxswain Arthur Harman was able to pass a line to the barge from a distance of less than 4'. As it was a risk to take the crew of two men and a woman off the barge, Coxswain Bolingbroke decided to try to tow her into deeper water to the north of the bank. Both breasting lines were made fast and at 1940 the tow was secured but, as the barge began to move violently in the deeper water after clearing the sand bank, the breasting lines parted. It was now 2015.

HMS Echo had reached the position at 2010 and was requested by Coxswain Bolingbroke to take over the tow. After steaming around the casualty to assess the situation, Echo asked for lifeboat help to place a naval crew member aboard the barge to attend a heavier tow line. However, Coxswain Bolingbroke thought this would be imprudent because of the prevailing sea conditions and the likelihood of incurring serious damage to the lifeboat or injury to the rating.

At 2110, after successfully firing a line across the barge, HMS Echo secured a tow line and set course westward with the barge, bound for the River Crouch.

The lifeboat stood by until the tow reached the Whitaker Channel and then, as the weather would have made rehousing at Clacton impossible, madefor Brightlingsea. The crew were ashore at 2340 and the lifeboat returned to station at 1910 on July 17.

For this service the thanks of the Institution inscribed on vellum were accorded to Coxswain Charles Bolingbroke.

Vellum service certificates were presented to Second Coxswain Arthur Harman, Acting Motor Mechanic Jack Bolingbroke and Crew Members David Wells, Philip Sherman, Bernard Drane and Robert Smith..