18 saved from burning vessel on lee shore Whitby's Tyne class lifeboat City of Sheffield launched to the aid of large Swedish motor vessel Stora Korsnas Link I on fire with 18 aboard in a northerly Gale on 5 November 1991.

Humber coastguard had contacted Whitby's station honorary secretary with details of the fire aboard a merchantman loaded with 'forestry products' at 0623.

Whitby lifeboat was launched at 0640 to stand by the casualty, which was in danger of drifting onto a lee shore, until she had been taken in tow. Teesmouth lifeboat also stood by to take a fire crew to the casualty, if necessary.

When the casualty later parted its tow some hours later, the Tyne stood by until all 18 crew had been taken off by rescue helicopter. The lifeboat then proceeded to the Tees where the crew made theirway home by road, collecting the lifeboat from Tees Dock the next day.

The casualty was later abandoned, still burning, at anchor two miles off Skinning Grove. Coxswain Thomson said, 'the vessel was, unknown to ourselves, carrying several tons of potentially explosivecargo and eventually blew up and sank in the early hours of the following Sunday morning.'.