NOVEMBER 12-13TH. - SOUTHEND - ON - SEA, ESSEX. A south-westerly gale was blowing with a rough sea, and many vessels, held up by the gale, were in danger to the windward of Southend pier. The motor lifeboat, Greater London (Civil Service No. 3), went out to their help seven times, and was at sea almost continuously for eighteen hours.

The first call came at 9.15 in the morning to the motor vessel Halcyon, of Hull, with a crew of four, which was driving before the gale, with one anchor down, a quarter of a mile west of the pier. It was impossible, in the gale, to get her to a safer anchorage, so two life-boatmen, with great difficulty, went aboard her and helped to let her second anchor go. This stopped her drifting, and the life-boat returned to her station at 11.15.

A quarter of an hour later she went out to a number of barges which were in a very dangerous position, but their crews thought they could ride out the gale. They refused to leave them, but they asked the life-boat to keep an eye on them. The life-boat returned from this service at 12.15, and at 12.30 put out for the third time to a barge which was signalling for help a mile southwest of the pier. She was the Tintara, of London, with a cargo of linseed oil. She was submerged in the terrific seas and was completely out of control. The coxswain very skilfully manoeuvred the life-boat alongside and took off the barge’s crew of two. The life-boat got back to her station at 2.5 in the afternoon.

BOOM DEFENCE LIGHTER ADRIFT Twenty-five minutes later she was out again on what proved to be the most difficult and dangerous service of the day. The boom defence lighter, a vessel of 200 tons, was driving right down the fairway, which was full of shipping. There was only one man on board the lighter. He was powerless, and the lighter was blowing about like a cork.

There was grave danger of what the coxswain called “ a big mix-up ” with the anchored shipping. The coxswain, handling the life-boat with great skill, got alongside the lighter and rescued the man. It seemed impossible that the life-boat, in that heavy sea, could get the much larger vessel in tow, but the coxswain put three of his men on board with a line. They cut all trailing wires, which had broken when the lighter went adrift from the boom, hauled a tow rope onboard, and fixed it. The life-boat then towed the lighter clear of the shipping, landed the rescued man, and handed the lighter herself over to the naval authorities. It was a long and difficult tow, and for this very able piece of work the life-boat crew were congratulated and thanked by the naval authorities.

THE FIFTH SERVICE After saving the boom defence lighter, the life-boat got back to her station at 4.20. Half an hour later she was out for the fifth time, to the help of the Trinity House vessel Argus.

The Walton coastguard had reported that she had struck a mine and sunk, and that her mast could be seen above the water threequarters of a mile east of the Mouse Lightvessel, with men clinging to the rigging. It was now dark, but with the help of her searchlight the life-boat found the mast of the sunken vessel. There was, however, no sign of the crew. They must all have been washed off, and it was impossible for anyone to have lived in that heavy sea. The life-boat was back at her station again at 9.15 P.M.

Again she had only half an hour before another call came, and at 9.45 she put out for the sixth time. The gale was still blowing fiercely, and there seemed danger that some of the barges at anchor might be carried through the pier. She succeeded in taking in tow two of these barges, the Tintara and Portlight, of London, which had no one on board, and brought them to safe anchorages.

It was not until 3.30 next morning that the life-boat got back to her station, and then her exhausted crew had an interval of nearly five hours before the seventh and last call came. This was at 8.10 in the morning of 13th November when she again went out to the motor vessel Halcyon, which she had succeeded in getting firmly anchored nearly twelve hours before. The Halcyon was again in danger, and this time the life-boat was able to take her in tow and to bring her to a safe anchorage. She returned to her station at 11.30. It was then over twenty-six hours since she had first put out.

Rewards : The Halcyon, Property salvage case ; the barges, £4 14s. ; the Tintara, £5 13s. ; the boom defence lighter, the thanks of the Institution inscribed on vellum to COXSWAIN SIDNEY H. B. PAGE, and framed letters of thanks to all the other members of the crew, WILLIAM A. DEER, second-coxswain, H. MYALL., bowman, S. THOMAS, boat signalman, REGINALD H. SANDERS, assistant motormechanic, F. JURGENSEN, motor-mechanic, and A. ROBINSON, a life-boatman. A special money award of £1 was made to the coxswain and each of the six members of the crew, but there were no awards on the ordinary scale as it was a property salvage case ; the Argus, £13 1s. ; the Tintara and Portlight, property salvage case..