NOVEMBER 1 8 - 2 0TH. - BALTIMORE, COURTMACSHERRY, AND BALLYCOTTON, CO. CORK. About 10.30 A.M. a wireless message, which had been picked up at Cork, was received at Baltimore that the steamer Nestlea, of Newcastle-on-Tyne, had been attacked by German aeroplanes. TheN.W. breeze was moderate, but the sea was very rough. The message gave the steamer as a very long way off, but a later message placed her some forty-eight miles S.W. by S. of the Fastnet Rock. At 11.42 A.M.

the motor life-boat Shamrock put out. She searched the position given but found nothing, and returned to her station at 2 o’clock next morning. At 9.45 that morning, the 19th November, information was received at Courtmacsherry from Lloyd’s agent that two ship’s boats wanted help about thirty miles off Seven Heads. A strong S.S.W. wind was blowing, with a very rough sea. The Courtsherry motor life-boat Sarah Ward and William David Crosweller was launched at 10.30 A.M. With the help of an aeroplane she searched until dusk, but found nothing, and returned to her station at 9.30 P.M.

At 9.55 the same evening information was received at Ballycotton through the Civic Guard that a man had picked up a rnorse message from a vessel one and a half miles N.N.E. of Ballycotton Harbour, asking for a doctor. A fresh S.S.W. gale was now blowing, with a very rough sea. The motor life-boat Mary Stanford was launched at 10.15 P.M., with a doctor and two soldiers on board, and found the steam trawler Dereske, of Milford Haven. She had on board twenty-two survivors of the Nestlea, who had been picked up twenty-five miles south of the Old Head of Kinsale at 3.30 P.M.

They had been in an open boat since 8 A.M.

on the 18th November, having come from sixty miles south of Cape Clear where the steamer had been bombed by German aeroplanes and abandoned. As the trawler was rolling heavily, a life-boatman boarded her, and when she had been taken close to the land, the 22 men of the Nestlea, some of whom wcrc wounded, were put on board the life-boat, which landed them at Ballycotton at 11.30 that night.

At two next morning, the 20th, the Ballycotton life-boat went back to the Dereske with provisions, returning at 2.30. The survivors of the Nestlea had reported that another boat of their ship was still adrift, and at 2.30 on the morning of the 20th Lloyd’s agent told the Ballycotton station that 16 men were still missing in a boat from the Nestlea, that the Baltimore and Courtmacsherry life-boats and aeroplanes had been out to search for her, but that so far no trace of her had been found. The life-boat was ready to put out at once, but as there was a thick mist, and it was only possible to see a few yards, she waited until the mist had cleared and put out at 7 o’clock. A strong W.N.W.

wind was now blowing, with a heavy swell.

She went along the coast about six miles off the land and at 8.30 she saw a Belgian trawler.

She altered course to intercept her, but then saw a ship’s boat. She made for it and picked it up about five miles south of Roches Point Light, but there was no one on board. She towed the boat into Cork Harbour and putting out again at 10 in the morning, searched along the coast as far as the Courtmacsherry area, but still found nothing and returned to her station at 4.30 in the afternoon. The next day, 21st November, it was learnedthat the Belgian trawler, which the Ballycotton life-boat had seen, had picked up the boat with the sixteen men of the Nestlea and had taken them to Swansea. - Rewards : Baltimore, £28 3s. 6d. ; Courtmacsherry, £22 5s ; Ballycotton, £13 18s. 6d., £13 11s. 6d., and £6 17s. 6d. Total rewards to Ballycotton, £34 7s. 6d. Total rewards to the three stations, £84 16s..