FEBRUARY 4TH. - WHITEHILLS, BANFFSHIRE WICK, CAITHNESSSHIRE, AND FRASERBURGH, ABERDEENSHIRE.

At 1.20 A.M. a message was received at Whitehills from the coastguard at Banff that flares had been reported about ten miles N.E. of Whitehills. They appeared to be the reflection of the flames from a burning tanker. A N.W. wind was blowing, with a moderate sea. The motor life-boat Civil Service No. 4 put out at 2.15 A.M. and searched a wide area, but found nothing.

She returned to her station at 6.45 A.M.

Meanwhile, at 12.52 P.M. a message had been received at Wick from the coastguard that a vessel was on fire about twelve miles to the south-east. At 1.25 A.M. the motor life-boat City of Edinburgh was launched and found the burning tanker Gretafield, of Newcastle, abandoned. She had been torpedoed. Later she sank. The life-boat searched for survivors with an R.A.F. speed boat until an hour after daylight, but found nothing and returned to her station at 9.30 A.M. Later it was learnt that most of the crew had been picked up. At Fraserburgh it was reported at 1.4 A.M. that a large glare had been seen N.W. of Kinnaird Head about 10 miles distant. The motor life-boat John and Charles Kennedy was launched at 1.25 A.M., and went in the direction of the glare for about 40 miles, but found nothing. She anchored and resumed the search when it was daylight, but again found nothing, and returned to her station at 7.50 A.M. - Rewards : Whitehills, £13 5s. 6d. ; Wick, £19 15s. 6d. ; Fraserburgh, £18 2s. 9d.