JANUARY 30TH. - LOWESTOFT, AND SOUTHWOLD, SUFFOLK. At 7.15 P.M. a message was received at Lowestoft from the coastguard that a boat belonging to the S.S. Royal Crown, of Newcastle-on-Tyne, had come ashore eight miles south of Lowestoft, and that the men on board said that another boat, with twenty men, was still at sea. No position could be given, and the coxswain made enquiries by telephone up and down the coast until at 9.10 the naval base was able to give the position as abreast of Benacre Point just above Kessingland and on the inside of Newcome and Barnard Sands.

At 9.30 the motor life-boat Michael Stephens was launched. A whole E.N.E. gale was blowing with a rough sea, and it was very dark, with squalls of hail and snow. The life-boat went south to the position given.

She was continuously swept by heavy seas, and one sea filled the engine-room canopy, nearly sweeping overboard two of the crew.

Finding nothing, the life-boat turned north and continued to search, but still without success. It seemed certain that no small boat could have lived in such seas, and at 1.45 next morning the life-boat returned toher station. The crew changed into dry clothing, but remained on duty, and at 5.45 in the morning the motor life-boat again went out to continue the search, but again she found nothing. She returned to her station for the second time at 8.30 A.M. It was then reported that three floating mines had come ashore where the life-boat had been searching.

Meanwhile, at Southwold, a message had been received from the coastguard at Benacre at 9.50 P.M. that a boat had been seen near Covehithe, about 200 yards from the shore, and at 10.10 P.M. the motor lifeboat, Mary Scott, was launched. She used flares, and for several hours made a thorough search, going close inshore, but she found nothing. It was so dark that the coxswain decided to lie off the harbour and not to attempt to enter until daylight. When he took the life-boat in, just after seven in the morning, she ran aground, but refloated as the tide rose and reached her station at 10 A.M.

The Royal Crown, it was learned later, had been machine-gunned and bombed by a German aeroplane and four men were killed on board. Two of the ship’s boats were damaged by a bomb, and the crew had taken to the other two boats. The one that came ashore had had 22 men in her, but 7 were washed out and drowned. The other 15 landed safely, but very much exhausted.

The second boat must have capsized and all on board been lost.

An increase in the usual money award on the standard scale was made to each member of the Southwold crew. - Rewards : Southwold, standard rewards to crew and helpers.

£40 18s. ; additional rewards to crew, £9 15s. : total rewards , £5013s . ; Lowestoft , £44 16s. 6d. Total rewards for the service, £95 9s. 6d.