THREE LIFE-BOATMEN OVERBOARD NOVEMBER 9TH - 10TH. - MONTROSE, AND BROUGHTY FERRY, ANGUS. Shortly after six in the evening an Admiralty tug was bombed from the air. The Montrose coxswain saw the bombs dropping. Thinking that the life-boat would be needed he went to the station, and the crew stood by. At 6.45 a message came that the tug was in no danger of sinking, but the crew was asked to continue standing by. Then a request from the resident naval officer was received that the life-boat should be launched, and at 8.30 the motor life-boat The Good Hope put out.

A gale was blowing from the S.E. No leading lights could be shown, and the coxswain had to take her down stream trusting to his own knowledge. He knew that to cross the bar in that weather would be a hazardous business. A very heavy sea was rolling in. He reduced speed until he met the breakers and then went full speed ahead to clear them. The life-boat shipped some very heavy seas, but she came safely through and headed to the N.E. The tug had been reported two miles away, and the life-boat saw a light flashing which she took to be the tug. If it was in fact her light the coxswain saw she must be so close inshore that it would be impossible for the life-boat to reach her, and he tried to get in touch with the shore by wireless, as, in the heavy seas, it was impossible to make out the shore signals which were being flashed to the life-boat.

He could get no reply.

All attempts to get in touch with the shore failed, and to attempt to enter harbour again in the heavy sea and in the darkness,with no leading lights being shown, would have been too great a risk. The coxswain decided to remain outside, steaming slowly into the teeth of the gale in order to keep his position. With no shore navigation lights to guide him he had lost the entrance to the harbour, and at one time during the night he was surprised to find that the life-boat was near rocks in heavy broken water. He put her at full speed ahead for fifteen minutes to get her off the land. and then. reducing speed again to little less ‘than half,’ he kept her at that through the hours of the night. The coxswain was at the wheel until about three in the morning. Then the second-coxswain took his place until six, still keeping the boat’s head to the wind. Then the bowman took the wheel until dawn, which began about a quarter to eight.

The coxswain then headed towards the land, but could not see it. Until ten in the morning he steered to the north-west. He now had a man on each side keeping a sharp look-out for breakers, for though the land could still not be seen, he knew that it must be close as the sea had begun to break very heavily. At last he caught sight of Gourdon Hill about three miles away, and knew he was off Johnshaven. He altered course and arrived off Montrose harbour about noon.

He again tried to get in touch with the shore by wireless, but failed. He could see nothing of the Admiralty tug, and thought that, if she had gone ashore, she must now be a complete wreck. He could see that the sea at the entrance to the harbour was so heavy that it would be dangerous to attempt to enter. The alternative was to try to make the Firth of Forth, but in that course there was the danger of running out of fuel and being left to drift outside the firth through another night. He decided to take the risk of entering Montrose harbour. The gale was still blowing from the S.E. and a mountainous sea was running. He put out the drogue and headed for the harbour. When he was about a mile off the bar the seas began to break with terrific force, but the life-boat continued her course without trouble until she was about 100 yards from the Annat Buoy.

Then a terrific sea struck her, and the next thing the coxswain knew he was being drawn under water. When he came up he could see two members of the crew (the bowman and his son) floating about twenty yards nearer the shore, and the life-boat herself floating still further inshore, among the breakers, but he could not see if anyone was on board.

The life-boat had been struck twice. The first sea had lifted her out of the water. The second, crashing down on the deck, had carried away the coxswain’s safety straps, and washed him and two others out of the boat. Though it did not capsize her, it submerged her. The second-coxswain, who had been standing by the coxswain, was thrown heavily into the bottom of the boat, and was right under water. As the boat’s stern came up he found that he was hanging on to the steering rod with the right hand and the gunwale with his left. He had been cut about the head and face, but he had not lost his senses. He thought that the life-boat’ sstern had been under water for about fifteen seconds. The engines were still running and, as the water cleared off, the life-boat gathered headway. The second-coxswain could see the men in the water about two lengths astern, but in that heavy sea, and with the drogue out, it was impossible to turn to pick them up, and the life-boat was now so close to the shore that she twice touched bottom while the second-coxswain was bringing her back into the channel. He continued his way up harbour, and as he approached the pier shouted to the honorary secretary, who was waiting there, that three men had been swept overboard, that they might be washed ashore and that he must get a doctor. It was then 12.45 P.M. on November 10th, and the lifeboat had been at sea for sixteen hours.

The crew landed, bruised and all suffering from shock.

Meanwhile the three men in the water had been so buffeted by the seas - as the coxswain said, “ churned over and over “ - that, when they saw the life-boat go on her way, they gave up hope of being saved, but the tide carried them nearer the shore, their life-belts kept them afloat, and all three reached land, still conscious, but exhausted and dazed.

The coxswain was the last of the three. He had been in the water fully an hour, and had been carried a mile by the tide. He just managed to crawl up the beach, saw two men who were searching for him, and then lost consciousness. Dr. Alexander Stephen was waiting ready on the beach when they were washed up, and after he had attended to them, they were taken to hospital, where they remained for a few days.

BROUGHTY FERRY At 4.37 in the morning of November 10th, that is, just over eight hours after the Montrose life-boat had gone out, the Broughty Ferry station was informed that the Montrose life-boat had gone to the help of an Admiralty tug ashore near North Esk, but that she had not kept touch with the shore. The Broughty Ferry crew were asked to stand by. Another message came asking them to go out to search for the Montrose life-boat, and saying that the coastguard life-saving apparatus was standing by near the wreck of the tug.

At 6.55 the motor life-boat Mona put out. She saw the wreck of the tug near North Esk, and realized that the rescue of its crew could only be done by the life-saving apparatus.

She could not get within two miles of her. She searched Montrose bay, but could find no sign of the Montrose life-boat. Her coxswain assumed that she must have made for her station and he himself made for the Tay.

The life-boat arrived off the bar about two in the afternoon, but in that heavy sea it was hopeless to attempt to go in. The coxswain then headed for May Island where he arrived at 5 P.M. He could get no answer to his signals, so he decided to take shelter in the Firth of Forth, and a naval vessel sent him to anchorage off Methil at 8.45 in the evening. There the life-boat remained until nine next morning when she put into Methil harbour. She had then been 26 hours at sea.She stayed there until 10.25 A.M. the following day, when she returned to her station, arriving at 4.30 in the afternoon.

For both life-boats it had been a long and very arduous service and the Institution made the following rewards :MONTROSE To the coxswain and the two other members of the crew who were washed overboard, a reward of £2 16s. 6d. in addition to the ordinary scale reward of £2 16s. 6d., making a reward of £5 13s. to each man ; To each of the other five members of the crew, a reward of £2 in addition to the ordinary scale reward of £2 16s. 6d., making £4 16s. 6d. to each man ; To the launchers additional rewards amounting to £1 10s. ; To the coxswain and six other members of the crew, excluding the full-time motormechanic, compensation for loss of earnings, amounting to £64 19s. 8d. ; To the coxswain and each of the seven members of the crew, each of whom lost clothing and other belongings, compensation amounting to £58 4s. ; Standard rewards to crew and launchers, £25 14s. ; additional rewards to crew and launchers, £l9 19s. 6d. ; compensation for loss of earnings, £64 19s. 8d. ; compensation for loss of belongings, £58 4s.. Total rewards and compensation to crew and launchers.

£168 17s. 2d.

The Institution sent special letters of thanks to Mr. David Wyllie, the honorary secretary of the station, Dr. Alexander Stephen, to whose care the three men washed ashore owed their lives, and who refused to take any fee for his services, Provost Andrew Todd, the chairman of the branch, the naval officer-in-charge, and the police.

BROUGHTY FERRY To the coxswain and each of the other seven members of the crew a reward of £2 in addition to the ordinary scale reward of £3 15s. 6d., making a reward of £5 15s. 6d.

to each man. Standard rewards to crew and launchers, £25 7s. ; additional rewards to crew, £16 ; other expenses, £12 14s. ; total rewards to crew and launchers, and expenses, £54 1s.

Total rewards and expenses for the two life-boats, £222 18s. 2d..