JANUARY 18TH. - CROMER, NORFOLK.

At 6.52 A.M. a message was received from the coastguard that the Belgian steamer Meuse was aground near the Haisboro’ Sands.

A W.N.W. wind was blowing with a moderate sea. The weather was very cold. At 7.15 A.M. the No. 1 motor life-boat H. F.

Bailey was launched and searched the whole length of the sands but found nothing. The coxswain decided to make for Gorleston, and on the way heard No. 85 Light-vessel making distress signals on her fog-horn.

He went to her and was told that a shipwrecked crew in a ship’s boat had been trying to reach the light-vessel, but had failed, that a boat with four men had been launched from the light-vessel to help them, and that both boats were adrift and unable to reach the light-vessel. The life-boat found them three or four miles away to the southeast.

The shipwrecked men, eleven in number, were part of the crew of the Greek steamer Asteria, of Piraeus, which had struck a mine the previous day and had sunk in six minutes, with the loss of her captain, the English pilot and eleven of her crew. The survivors were very exhausted, and had to be helped on board the life-boat. One man was already dead from exposure. His body was also taken on board. The four men from the light-vessel were then rescued and, with their boat in tow, the life-boat made for Yarmouth, first signalling for medical help to be waiting for the shipwrecked men.

She arrived at about 3.30 P.M. Seven of the men were taken to hospital, where one of them, who had been very badly scalded, died. The life-boat then went to Gorleston, as the weather was too bad for it to be possible to get her up the slipway at Cromer.

She returned to her station next day at 10.30 A.M. - Rewards, £23 9s. 6d..