Union Crystal sinks JUST BEFORE 1915 on Wednesday, November 16, 1977, the honorary secretaries of both Sennen Cove and St Ives lifeboat stations were informed by Lands End Coastguard that the 499-ton coaster Union Crystal was in trouble 12 miles north of Cape Cornwall. Her cargo of rock salt had shifted and she was listing. She carried a crew of six.

The wind was onshore, from the north west, strong gale to storm force 9 to 10, with rain squalls, and the sea was very high; these conditions remained throughout the seven hours of the service.

At St IveS the tide was setting north east across the wind at about 1 knot. It slowly decreased and turned southwards, finally ebbing at about the same speed south west by the end of the service.

St Ives lifeboat, the 37ft Oakley Frank Pen/old Marshall, was launched off her carriage into the harbour at 1931 and set course 315°M from St Ives Head at 1937.

At Sennen Cove a heavy swell running in from the same direction as the wind, north west, was breaking across the area of rocks known as the Cowloes, which lie less than 200 yards north to north west of the slipway. The tide was in the fifth hour of flood and running in an easterly direction at about 4 knots through the narrow passage between the lifeboat slipway and the Cowloe rocks, The Tribbens. The honorary secretary was most concerned about the state of the sea off the slipway and had doubts about the ability of the lifeboat to launch safely.However, after having heard from Lands End Coastguard that, at 1919, a final message from Union Crystal indicated that she was sinking, the honorary secretary, Captain Ewan Watson, and Coxswain/Mechanic Eric Pengilly fired the maroons and opened the boathouse doors to make a closer assessment of the conditions off the slipway.

To the east of the Cowloes lie more submerged rocks and the lifeboat has to follow an accurate course between these two hazards when going to sea, using leading marks astern which are illuminated at night. Even the small 14 ft local fishing boats take great care to follow the leading marks closely as the gap between the rocks is only about 150 yards. To bring these leading marks in line the lifeboat must turn to starboard after launching and thence to port on to her north west course seawards.

The scene from the top of the slipway was formidable at best. The heavy north west swell, breaking over the Cowloes and reinforced by the storm force winds, was falling heavily into the area across the lifeboat's launch path.

It was here joined by the swell and tide running eastwards through the narrow neck of The Tribbens, and the result was a sea described as 'mad' and a 'maelstrom' by launchers and local residents. The general consensus of opinion was that the last time the sea was even comparable for launching the lifeboat was in 1953 for the service to Liberty, and those who witnessed both launches feel that, on November 16, 1977, conditions were worse.

Although the state of the sea in the harbour on the night of November 16 clearly exceeded that which has always been recognised in the past as the limit for launching. Nevertheless, by 1930, Coxswain Eric Pengilly had decided that they must try, and he climbed aboard. He was immediately followed by his crew, each man making a positive decision to go; it was a calculated risk which was undertaken purely out of a supreme sense of duty.

At 1933 the lifeboat, the 37ft 6in Rother Diana White, was lowered down the slipway, clear of the boathouse doors, where she was held to allow Coxswain Pengilly time to observe the behaviour of the sea and try to establish some sort of pattern wherein a relatively safe period could be predicted in which to launch. After ten minutes it became apparent that no such period was likely to occur, so, at 1943, the coxswain gave the order to slip and Diana White was launched.

Immediately on entering the water, the lifeboat was hit by short, steep waves as she began her turn to starboard.

Her green light became fully open to onlookers on the slipway, so that it appeared that she must be thrown on to the rocky shore by the continuous pounding of seas which observers described as 'mountainous'.Many of these people, who were standing at the top of the slipway, rushed up through the boathouse to the road and thence along to the beach because they were certain the boat would be driven ashore.

At this point Coxswain Pengilly was struggling hard to control his boat.

More than one reliable eyewitness stated that during this time the lifeboat'stood on end'. Acting Second Coxswain Maurice Hutchens and Crew Member Phillip Shannon were standing on either side of the coxswain helping him to keep his position behind the wheel and to get the wheel over as rapidly as possible, while, as Captain Watson described it, the lifeboat 'reared, plunged and twisted', so that, at one moment she was actually heading for the Cowloe rocks. But the tide swept her eastwards and, with Crew Members John Chope and John Fender looking aft and reporting the leading marks, Emergency Mechanic Hedley Hutchings looking out ahead and the one non-regular volunteer crew member, Cedric Johnson, in the radar seat, the three men behind the wheel finally succeeded in bringing her head to sea and she gained her leading marks. From then on, as Captain Watson put it, she 'ploughed through the surf on the bar and then set off on her mission with nothing more than the comparative luxury of a force 10 to contend with'.

At 2000 St Ives lifeboat, Frank Penfold Marshall, on her way to the area of search encountered an exceptionally heavy sea which threw Motor Mechanic Philip Penberthy across the cockpit, striking his head and giving him considerable discomfort and headache for the rest of the service.

At about this time the Coastguard had asked the tanker Texaco Great Britain to co-ordinate the surface search. St Ives lifeboat made for the original position given and then searched westwards towards Texaco Great Britain. Both lifeboats then searched under her direction, together with other ships, illuminating the area from time to time with parachute flares,searchlight, a new quartz-iodine handlight and Aldis lamp.

HMS Penelope arrived at about 2130 and was designated 'on scene commander'.

Six ships, St Ives and Sennen Cove lifeboats and two helicopters were now engaged. At 2200 they were joined by a Nimrod aircraft which began a creeping line ahead search south westwards from the north east, and at 2226 the lifeboats were requested to search downwind.

At 2234 the Nimrod sighted a liferaft containing one survivor, who was then picked up by helicopter. Thirteen minutes later a report from this helicopter stated that although six people had left the ship and all had been wearing lifejackets, only one liferaft had been launched.

A quarter of an hour later the fishing vessel Pathfinder found wreckage in position 50°22'N 05°31'w and the search area was moved north eastwards.

Sennen Cove lifeboat was then recalled at 2317; from the information received, there was virtually no hope of finding more survivors and the area was now well saturated with search craft. Diana White could not, of course, be recovered at Sennen and so she made for Newlyn, arriving at 0120.

At midnight Texaco Great Britain was given permission to go on her way.

HMS Diomede joined at about that time, becoming 'on scene commander', and asking St Ives lifeboat to follow Penelope and work with her, picking up all possible wreckage. This the lifeboat did with great efficiency. Two men were stationed in the forward well deck with the hand light. Three were looking out on the main deck, port and starboard, using the searchlight and Aldis lamp, while Motor Mechanic Penberthy operated the radar and radio and stood beside Coxswain Thomas Cocking on the wheel. The lifeboat stationed herself a hundred yards astern of the naval ship, and while Penelope illuminated wreckage with her 20in searchlight, port and starboard, the lifeboat crossed her stern to retrieve it. To do this, the lifeboatmen had to lie on the deck, held by other crew members, and any who were not already thoroughly wet were soon made so.

Frank Pen/old Marshall had recovered four lifepreservers plus wreckage by the time she was finally stood down, at 0200, and told to return to station.

The merchant ships had been released an hour earlier.

The lifeboat was not rehoused until 0400, but she launched in response to another request for assistance from HMS Diomede at 0900 to recover a body close inshore down the coast. The lifeboat suffered damage to both propellers and her port shaft by striking submerged wreckage in heavy swells on this occasion, necessitating immediate repairs. These, in turn, necessitated a further launch for enginetrials the following day, during which the lifeboat found and recovered another body. The sole survivor was, in fact, the master and he made a personal visit to both St Ives and Sennen Cove lifeboat stations to thank the coxswains concerned.

For this service the silver medal for gallantry was awarded to Eric Pengilly, Coxswain/Mechanic of Sennen Cove lifeboat, who sadly died in January, a few weeks after this service. The thanks of the Institution inscribed on vellum were accorded to Acting Second Coxswain Maurice Hutchens, Emergency Mechanic Hedley Hutchings and Crew Members Phillip Shannon, John Chope, John Fender and Cedric Johnson. The thanks of the Institution inscribed on vellum were also accorded to Coxswain Thomas Cocking, Snr, of St Ives lifeboat and vellum service certificates have been presented to Acting Second Coxswain/Assistant Mechanic David L. Smith, Motor Mechanic Philip P.

Penberthy, Acting Assistant Mechanic John B. Thomas, Signalman Eric T.

Ward and Crew Members William Benney and William Cocking.

Among letters received following this service was one from Captain James Summerlee, British Airways (Helicopters), who wrote of the Sennen Cove launch: 'May I, as a private individual, commend the integrity, skill and utmost bravery of those that took part . . . conditions for a Sennen launch could not have been more hazardous. Having crossed that particular piece of sea some 20,000 times in the laft 13 years I can say I have never seen more violent weather and sea condition. To decide to launch in those conditions because of the peril of other mariners takes incredible courage. To step aboard a lifeboat and go into such a sea requires even greater courage.

And the officer commanding HMS Penelope wrote to Coxswain Cocking of St Ives expressing the admiration of himself and his ship's company for the coxswain's 'superb handling of the lifeboat and the devotion to duty' of the crew, adding '. . .we watched you in detail for some considerable time and found your performance to be outstanding'..