Trawler broken down A FISHING TRAWLER, Fairway, broken down and drifting towards shore about eight miles south of Lyme Regis was reported to the honorary secretary of Torbay lifeboat station at 0032 on Saturday December 2, 1978. The trawler's crew, who were trying to repair her engine, gave no indication of urgency and a tug had been declined.

However, with the wind south south east strong gale force 9 to storm force 10. and knowing that Exmouth lifeboat could not launch until 0230 because of conditions on the bar and that helicopter help could not be expected until 0700, it was decided at 0155 to launch Torbay lifeboat. So Coxswain Arthur Curnow and his crew, who were already assembled, boarded Torbay's 54ft Arun lifeboat Edward Bridges (Civil Service and Post Office No. 37) and at 0200 she slipped her moorings.

There was heavy rain and the spring tide was in the first hour of flood.

After leaving harbour. Coxswain Curnow and his crew cleared the upper deck to the wheelhouse and radio cabin and the after watertight door was closed. A course of 065°M was set at 18 knots, but three minutes later, as the lee of Berry Head was cleared, movement of the lifeboat became so violent with the very heavy sea just abaft the beam that speed had to be reduced to 15 knots; with an adverse tide of about I knot as well as the heavy seas, speed over the ground was reduced to about 13'/2 knots.

Radio/telephone contact was now established with the coxswain of Exmouth lifeboat: although she could not clear the bar until 0230, it was agreed that she should stand by. Esso Cardiff and another vessel offered help by creating a lee, but the casualty was now dragging her anchor into shallow waters which would present a hazard to these two vessels, so Coxswain Curnow declined their offers with thanks.Fairway was still over eight miles away when the lifeboat's radar failed after a wave broke over the scanner during a heavy roll. Fortunately both the lifeboat and casualty had Decca Navigator so that accurate plotting of interception courses was still possible; heavy rain prevented a visual sighting for a further 35 minutes.

At about 0345. as the lifeboat approached. Fairway reported her anchor warp parted. She could now be seen with all lights burning, and Coxswain Curnow asked the skipper whether he wanted the lifeboat to take off the entire crew or to stand by. The skipper asked him to stand by; work was continuing on the trawler's engine, but it proved to be of no avail.

At 0410 Coxswain Curnow went to the upper conning position on the flying bridge and took the lifeboat in towards the casualty. He spoke to the trawler on VHP: 7 am 20 yards off your stern; do you want to abandon?' Receiving the answer 'Yes' he asked the skipper first to let go the trawl board, which was hanging over the side, and then to assemble his six crew on the port side amidships with lifejackets on.

Fairway was lying almost starboard beam to the sea, bows east, her parted anchor warp still out, and she was drifting north westwards at nearly 1 knot towards the shore in a shallowing area of Lyme Bay from which local fishermen keep well clear in south-easterly gales. She was rolling and pitching violently in steep seas ranging to 25 feet.

Coxswain Arthur Curnow brought the lifeboat close in towards Fairway's port side and Second Coxswain Keith Bower once more shouted to the casualty to let go her trawl board and to assemble the crew amidships ready to be taken off one at a time. One lifeboatman stood by on the foredeck with a lifebuoy and heaving line as a precaution while the others stationed themselves along the lifeboat's starboard side to receive the survivors.

When the trawl board dropped clear, Coxswain Curnow brought his starboard bow in against the casualty and the first man was taken aboard. The coxswain then held his bow off with his port engine so that the flare should not overlap the trawler's rails as the two boats rolled together. As the lifeboat came alongside again three more men were taken aboard amidships while another man leapt for the lifeboat's after guardrail and hung over it, legs outboard. Coxswain Curnow saw a large sea approaching, realised that the man was in danger of being crushed, and put both his engines full astern.

Fairway rolled heavily and her port gallows came down scraping the survivor's back as the lifeboat pulled astern. The crew then rolled him inboard, comparatively unharmed.

There was one man still left aboard.

The lifeboat was again taken alongside and this last rnan dived on to the foredeck head first as Coxswain Cur-now went astern to clear. The time was 0425.

As soon as all the survivors were safely below in the after cabin and all was secured on the upper deck, course of 240°M was set for Brixham.

There was less than half a knot of adverse tide on the return passage but the lifeboat made good only 11 '/2 knots in the severe seas, arriving at Brixham breakwater at 0630.

The following morning Fairway was found ashore on the rocks at Charton Bay, five miles north north east of the rescue position, her bottom holed and engine room flooded.

For this service the bronze medal was awarded to Coxswain Arthur L. V.

Curnow. Medal service certificates were presented to Second Coxswain Keith W. Bower, Acting Motor Mechanic William J. Hunkin and Crew Members Nicholas Davies, Richard R.

Brown, Michael Mills and Ernest C.

Fradd..