JULY 11TH . - PETERHEAD, ABERDEENSHIRE.

At 5 in the morning the coastguard reported that a steam trawler was ashore and then that she was making distress signals, and the motor life-boat Julia Park Barry of Glasgow was launched at 5.35 A.M. The sea was calm, but there was a thick fog. The life-boat found the steam trawler Suzette, of Aberdeen, on the rocks one mile north of Peterhead, with a dangerous list. She was a vessel of about two hundred tons, loaded with fish, and had a crew of twelve. The life-boat put out an anchor for her, and as her crew had decided to stay on board during daylight, the lifeboat put back to harbour at 7.30 A.M. She arranged to return to the Suzette at highwater as the Suzette’s boat had been broken, and at 1.20 P.M. she went out again, and stood by while a tug made an unsuccessful attempt to refloat the trawler. She then went back to Peterhead, taking with her six of the Suzette’s crew. She arrived at 7.20 P.M.

JULY Launches 39. Lives rescued 71.

JULY 4TH . - MARGATE, KENT. At 2.15 P.M. the Ramsgate naval base asked the life-boat crew to stand by from 3 P.M.

This they did. An hour later they were asked to go out to a rubber dinghy reported to be off Birchington with two people on board, and at 4.5 P.M. the motor life-boat The Lord Southborough (Civil Service No. 1) was launched. The weather was fine and the sea calm. The life-boat found the dinghy overturned.

Her water ballast pockets had made it look as if she had men on board. The lifeboat took the dinghy on board, and returned to her station at 4.50 P.M. - Rewards £5 12s. 6d.

JULY 10TH. - PADSTOW, CORNWALL.

At 2.40 in the morning the Stepper Point coastguard reported that an SOS was being flashed six miles N.N.E. of Stepper Point.

As it was known that convoys were passing and that they were being attacked, the No. 1 motor life-boat Princess Mary left at 3.26 A.M. There was a light breeze and a slight swell. The life-boat found a ship three miles north of Stepper at 3.50 A.M., but she did not need help, and said that it might have been another ship which had already gone into the harbour. The life-boat returned to harbour and found that this ship, the Norwal, had six survivors aboard, from the Norwegian steamer Svint, of Oslo, which had been attacked. Other survivors were believed to be in two boats some ten miles off. The life-boat put out again, and at 5.40 A.M.

picked up ten men from the ship’s boat. One of them was the captain, who wished to go back to the Svint, but when the life-boat reached her at 5.55 A.M., she was sinking.

The mate was lying dead on deck, and the life-boat took the body on board. She arrived back at Padstow at 8.15 A.M. A patrol boat had picked up four more men of the Svint, and this accounted for the whole crew of twenty-one. - Rewards, £7 19s.At 11 P.M. the life-boat left harbour again and stood by the trawler, but she was recalled by the naval authorities at 2.30 next morning, the 12th, as a convoy was being attacked off Rattray Head. Nothing more was heard of the attack on the convoy, and at 3.15 A.M. the life-boat went back to the Suzette, taking the six men whom she had landed the evening before. Fog prevented any attempt to get the trawler off on this tide and the life-boat reached harbour again at 6.30. Later in the day the tug made another attempt to refloat the trawler and the life-boat returned to her at 3.30 in the afternoon, but this attempt also failed, and, as the trawler was now making a lot of water, the life-boat rescued the whole of her crew of twelve, and finally returned to harbour at 7.30 P.M. The owner of the Suzette undertook to reward the life-boat crew. - No expense to the Institution.

JULY 13TH. - SOUTHEND - ON - SEA, ESSEX. Just after 6 in the morning the Royal Naval Shore Signal Station telephoned to the life-boat coxswain that a ship had been mined about half a mile S.S.W. of Southend pier, and the motor life-boat Greater London (Civil Service No. 3) was launched at 6.27 A.M. A light easterly wind was blowing and the sea was smooth. The life-boat found the S.S. Collingdoc, of Newcastle, of about 1,500 tons, light, with a crew of twenty-four. She was sinking, and the life-boat remained alongside her while she was being towed to shallow water. She then rescued seventeen of the crew, landed them at Southend pier, returned to the Collingdoc and rescued the captain and second officer, leaving the chief officer aboard. She returned to her station at 8.45 A.M. and stood by in case she should be wanted. - Rewards, £4 13s.

JULY 13TH. - HASTINGS, SUSSEX. At 12.15 P.M  the coastguard at Fairlight reported that two small fishing boats were missing. A strong S.W. breeze was blowing, with a moderate sea, but the weather was getting worse, and at 12.30 P.M. the motor life-boat Cyril and Lilian Bishop was launched. Off Pett the life-boat found the fishing boats Two Pals and Boy Ben. They were making very poor progress, but, escorted by the life-boat, they reached harbour safely, and the life-boat returned to her station at 2.4 P.M. - Rewards, £18 7s. 6d.

JULY 13TH. - PETERHEAD, ABERDEENSHIRE.

At 5 P.M. the coastguard reported that an aeroplane had crashed in the sea half a mile east of Buchanness, and the motor life-boat .Julia Park Barry of Glasgow was launched at 5.5 P.M. A fresh northerly wind was blowing, with a moderate sea. With two of H.M. trawlers, the life-boat searched for three hours and then, at 8 P.M., found the naval seaplane W2670, with a crew of three aboard. She towed the seaplane, which was making water, into Peterhead harbour at 9 P.M. - Rewards, £6 13s. 6d.

JULY 15TH. - FRASERBURGH, ABERDEENSHIRE.

At 2.15 A.M. the Kinnaird Head coastguard reported a vessel ashore, firing signals of distress, a quarter of a mile west of Cairnbulg lookout. A light N.N.E. wind was blowing, with a smooth sea and fog.

The motor life-boat John Russell, on temporary duty at the station, was launched at 2.45 A.M., and found the motor fishing smack Energy, of Trangisvaag, Faroe Islands, loaded with fish. She was on rocks and her crew of six had taken to the ship’s boat. The lifeboat took them on board and returned to her station, arriving at 4.15 A.M. - Rewards, £9 1s.

JULY 15TH . - DUNBAR, EAST LOTHIAN. At 2 P.M. news was received that the steamer, St. Clears, of Newport, of 8,000 tons, had stranded at Whitberry Ness in a fog, and at 2.5 P.M. the motor life-boat George and Sarah Strachan was launched. A moderate N.E. wind was blowing and the sea was rough. The life-boat remained alongside the steamer for six hours, and helped to refloat her. The St. Clears then went on her way and the life-boat returned to her station at 8.30 in the evening. - Rewards, £7 16s. 6d.

JULY 16TH. - WHITBY, YORKSHIRE.

At 1 A.M. the coastguard telephoned the life-boat coxswain that a vessel was ashore at Robin Hood’s Bay, and the No. 1 motor lifeboat Mary Ann Hepworth was launched at 1.30 A.M. The weather was foggy, without wind, but there was a heavy swell. The lifeboat found, well up under the cliffs of the North Cheek, the minesweeper Lord Darling. Tide was about half ebb, and there was only just enough water for the life-boat, as the place was strewn with rocks. A ship’s boat, which was over the minesweeper’s side, had first to be moved, and then the life-boat got alongside and took off the whole crew, twenty-one in all. As the life-boat, was moving away her propellers picked up a rope and the lifeboat was pulled under the ship’s counter.

The minesweeper was rising and falling in the swell, and her counter crashed down on the life-boat’s rails bending them. Then the pull of the life-boat eventually broke the rope, and on one engine she got into Whitby harbour, where she landed the rescued men at 4.10 A.M. - Rewards, £9 8s.

JULY 24TH. - CROMER, NORFOLK. At 8 A.M. the naval base at Great Yarmouth reported, through the coastguard, that an aeroplane was down in the sea E. by S. eleven and a half miles from Cromer. A light S.S.W. wind was blowing and the sea was smooth. The No. 1 motor life-boat H. F. Bailey was launched at 8.15 A.M. She had only four of her normal crew of twelve on board.

The rest were out fishing. But she picked up the coxswain from his fishing boat. About eight miles east of Cromer she found a partly inflated rubber boat and two large wheels of a bomber. The wheels she handed over to H.M.T. Star of Orkney, which arrived a little later. Then the life-boat continued her search, and at about 10 A.M. found the body of one of the crew of the aeroplane.

She passed a rope round the body and towed it to H.M. Trawler Epine, whose crew took it aboard. A further search was made, but nothing more was found, and the life-boat returned to her   station  at 1.30 P.M. - Rewards, £3 16s. 6d.

JULY 27TH. - DUNBAR EAST- LOTHIAN. At 8.40 A.M., information was received from the Royal Observer Corps, through the coastguard, that a vessel was ashore two and a half miles east of Dunbar, and the motor life-boat George and Sarah Strachan was launched at 9 A.M. The sea was smooth, but there was a dense fog. The life-boat found the S.S. Empire Ptarmigan, of London, with a crew of forty-seven on board, and stood by her until she refloated.

The life-boat then returned to her station, arriving at 6.45 P.M. - Rewards, £6 7s. 6d.

The following life-boats were launched, but no services were rendered for the reasons given :

JULY 3RD . - PETERHEAD , ABER-DEENSHIRE. A fishing boat had gone ashore, but her crew were landed by a motor boat. - Rewards, £5 14s. 6d.

(See Whinnyfold, “ Services by Shoreboats,” page 99.)

JULY 4TH. - ANSTRUTHER, FIFESHIRE.

An aeroplane had come down in the sea, but her crew were rescued by another boat. - Rewards, £5 19s.

(See Crail, “Services by Shore-boats,” page 99.)

JULY 4TH . - WHITBY, YORKSHIRE.

A steamer had been bombed and sunk, four of her crew being killed, but the seven survivors, three badly wounded, were picked up by a patrol boat. - Rewards, £5 18s.

JULY 5TH. - ST. DAVID’S, PEMBROKESHIRE.

Red flares had been reported, but a search, during which a floating mine was seen, found nothing. - Rewards, £6 12s.

JULY 8TH. - EASTBOURNE, SUSSEX.

Red lights on the water level had been seen, but nothing could be found. - Rewards, £17 10s.

JULY 9TH. - FILEY, YORKSHIRE. A fishing boat was overdue, as her engine had broken down, in foggy weather, but she reached the shore under oars while the lifeboat was searching for her. - Rewards, £14 18s. 6d.

(See Filey, “Services by Shore-boats,” page 99.)

JULY 10TH. - HASTINGS, SUSSEX. An aeroplane had been reported down in the sea, but the life-boat could find nothing, and later it was reported that a patrol boat had picked up an airman some miles from the position given to the life-boat station.- Rewards, £16 4s. 6d.

JULY 10TH. - BEAUMARIS, ANGLESEY.

An aeroplane had been reported down in the sea, but nothing could be found, and the life-boat was recalled by a patrol boat.- Rewards, £8 15s.

JULY 12TH. - CAISTER, NORFOLK. A British bomber had been reported down in the sea, but nothing was found. - Rewards, £7 1s. 6d.

JULY 13TH. - GOURDON, KINCARDINESHIRE.

Two R.A.F. aeroplanes had collided while on patrol and had crashed into the sea, but the life-boat, with two R.A.F. officers onboard, could find nothing . - Rewards, £10 7s.

(See Johnshaven, “ Services by Shore-boats,” page 99.) 

JULY 14TH. - GIRVAN, AYRSHIRE. An aeroplane was reported to have come down in the sea, but it was found on the beach.- Rewards, £3 5s. 6d.

JULY 15TH. - HOLYHEAD, ANGLESEY.

A steamer was reported to have been bombed and sunk by enemy aeroplanes, but the lifeboat found nothing except a patch of oil.

Another vessel picked up an injured man in a boat. - Rewards, £3 15s.

JULY 15TH. - LOWESTOFT, SUFFOLK.

An aeroplane had been reported down in the sea, but nothing could be found. - Rewards, £4 0s. 6d.

JULY 16TH. - BLACKPOOL, LANCASHIRE.

The life-boat was launched to be in attendance while certain aeroplane tests were being carried out, and had an R.A.F. signaller on board. - Rewards, £6 5s.

JULY 18TH. - ALDEBURGH, SUFFOLK.

An aeroplane had been reported down in the sea, but nothing was found. - Rewards, £26 17s.

JULY 18TH. - STROMNESS, ORKNEYS.

A fishing boat’s engine had broken down, but the boat was taken in tow by a naval patrol boat. - Rewards, £4 16s. 6d.

JULY 21ST . -PORTHDINLLAEN, CAERNARVONSHIRE. A R.A.F. aeroplane had been reported down in the sea, but nothing could be found. - Rewards, £4 18s.

JULY 21ST. - PORT ST. MARY, ISLE OF MAN. An R.A.F. aeroplane had crashed in the sea and the pilot had baled out, but he was picked up dead by a government launch. - Rewards, £20 11s. 6d.

JULY 24TH. - ABERDEEN. A vessel had been reported ashore, but the life-boat was recalled as the coast had been patrolled and nothing had been seen. - Rewards, £6 17s. 6d.

JULY 26TH. - ARRANMORE, CO. DONEGAL. Flares followed by rockets had been reported, but the only vessel found was a trawler which did not answer the life-boat’s signals. - Rewards, £16 2s.

JULY 27TH. - THURSO, CAITHNESSSHIRE.

A Spitfire aeroplane had beenreported down in the sea, but nothing could be found. - Rewards, £8 6s. 6d.

JULY 28TH.  PORTHIDINLLAEN , CAERNARVONSHIRE. A Hurricane aeroplane had been reported down in the sea, but nothing was found. - Rewards, £4 14s.

JULY 31ST. - ST. ABBS, BERWICKSHIRE.

A man bathing in Coldingham Bay had got into difficulties, but was drowned before help could reach him. - Rewards, £8 13s. 6d.

JULY 31ST. - THE LIZARD, CORN- WALL. An aeroplane had been reported down in the sea, but when the life-boat reached the position given she found naval boats searching, and after a time returned to her station. - Rewards, £14 16s.

JULY 31ST. - ARRANMORE, CO .DONEGAL. Flares had been seen, and it was feared that a ship had been sunk by a German aeroplane, but nothing could be found. - Rewards, £13 4s. 6d.