MARCH 13TH - 15TH. - CRESSWELL, NORTHUMBERLAND. On the 5th February the S.S. Empire Breeze had stranded on the Bondicar Rocks, and the Amble lifeboat had rescued her crew. On the 13th March the Empire Breeze was refloated and taken in tow for Blyth by the tug Bullger for repairs. The weather was fair, with a light S.E. breeze and a moderate swell, but during the evening the tug struck a mine and sank. Her crew lowered her boat and went aboard the Empire Breeze, which then anchored in the bay and signalled by morse lamp to the coastguard. It was now about 8.30 at night. The coxswain was then asked to launch the life-boat and go to the help of the Empire Breeze, but he pointed out that it was impossible owing to the coast defences. A place had been made for the life-boat to go through the barbed wire and concrete blocks a quarter of a mile to the north, but not only had this place been filled in again, but it had been reinforced. This had been done without the station being told.

The coxswain suggested that the only thing was to call out the life-boat from Newbiggin five miles down the coast. There was much telephoning, and the naval authorities in the end decided, owing to the minefields, it must be the Cresswell and not the Newbiggin lifeboat which went out. They then arranged with the army authorities for a breach to be made in the coast defences, and soldiers were sent to do the work.

In the end the pulling and sailing life-boat Martha was launched through this breach at 11.20 P.M., the soldiers helping. An airraid alert had sounded at 8.50 and the “raiders passed” signal at 4.35 next morning.

The life-boat reached the Empire Breeze fifty minutes later, and took off the crew of twelve men of the tug. Four of them were scalded or injured in other ways, and as soon as the life-boat landed them at 1.15 in the morning they were sent to hospital. At 3.10 in the morning the life-boat was asked to go out to stand by the Empire Breeze. In her damaged condition after the stranding, her crew had to be at the pumps all the time, and there was a risk that they might not be able to control the water. The life-boat was to stand by her ready to rescue her crew, if necessary, until tugs arrived to take her in tow, and as she was lying in a minefield, they could not do this until a way had been swept for them. The life-boat went out and stood by for about sixteen hours. It was not until 8.30 that evening, the 14th, that she returned to her station, and then she was kept on the beach in readiness to be launched again at once, The next day, the 15th, she was again needed, and she put out at 1.10 in the afternoon with supplies of oil and petrol. A fog came down in the evening and made signals between theships and the shore impossible, so the lifeboat was launched yet again at 10.15 P.M.

to take out a message from the Admiralty to a tug. The life-boat finally returned to her station at mid night on the 15th - Rewards : launches on the 13th and 14th, £84 10s. ; launch on the 15th, paid by the Admiralty.

(See Amble, ” Accounts of Services by Life-boats,” page 25.).