MARCH 9TH - 29TH. - HARTLEPOOL, DURHAM, AND TEESMOUTH, YORKSHIRE.

At 7.45 in the morning the coastguard reported a vessel aground. She was the S.S. Flimston, of over 4,500 tons, laden with steel and with a crew of 38. She had gone aground S.W. of the south side of the Long Scar Rocks, about two and a half miles south of Hartlepool. The motor life-boat The Princess Royal (Civil Service No. 7) was launched at 10.30 A.M. A strong wind was blowing. The lifeboat found that the steamer’s crew did not wish to leave her, and returned to her station at 12.15 P.M. Two and a half hours later the master sent a message through the coastguard saying that he wished to abandon ship before darkness set in, and the life-boat put out for the second time at 3.20 in the afternoon.

A gale was now blowing from the E.N.E., and very heavy seas were pounding on the steamer. The tide was ebbing and she was lying in the shallow broken water on a lee shore close to the rocks. It was not easy to manoeuvre the life-boat through the broken water and among the rocks, but the oil spray was used with good effect, and the coxswain succeeded in getting her under the steamer’s lee. There she made fast, and a rope ladder was let down. As the opportunity came, the 38 men either came down the rope ladder, or jumped into the life-boat.

They brought the ship’s cat and kitten with them. It took a quarter of an hour to rescue the whole crew, and all that time heavy seas were breaking over the wreck and falling into the life-boat. While she was on her way back to the station a sea broke aboard, and one of the crew was nearly swept away. The master of the Flimston sent a letter of thanks. It was a good service, very skilfully carried out, and the Institution made the following awards : To LIEUT. W. H. BENNISON, R.N.V.R., coxswain, its thanks inscribed on vellum.

To each member of the crew, £1 in addition to the money award on the usual scale.

Standard rewards to the crew and helpers : for the first service, £7 11s. ; for the second service, £11 ; additional rewards to the crew, £9 ; total rewards, £27 11s.

Two days later, March 11th, the weather had improved and the crew of the Flimston wanted to return to her to see if they could salve her and her valuable cargo. A strong wind was still blowing, and the sea was very rough, and the only boat which could take them out was the life-boat. She was launched at noon, put the men on board the steamer, and brought them ashore again at four in the afternoon. On the 14th she again took them out, going and returning at the same times.The salvage operations were still continuing on March 22nd, and on that day, at the request of the salvage officer of the Admiralty, the life-boat was launched at midday to take men out to the steamer, returning at 1.30 in the afternoon. Next day she was again out for the same purpose from 11.45 A.M. to 2.30 P.M., and on the 28th she went out at 3.55 P.M. to bring off the crew and salvage men, returning at 5.30 P.M. On each occasion the weather was such that no other boat could have been used. The launches from the 11th March to the 28th March were paid by the Admiralty.

During the service on the 28th the Hartlepool life-boat’s engine had not been working satisfactorily and when, just after three in the afternoon of the 29th, she was again asked to go out, the honorary secretary passed on the call to the Teesmouth station.

This time it was a call to rescue the six men still on board the steamer. A strong N.E. wind was blowing, with a rough sea and snow showers. At 5 P.M. the motor lifeboat J. W. Archer was launched and found that an attempt had been made to rescue the six men from the shore by breeches buoy but only one man had been taken off in this way and he was in a very bad state when he was got ashore. The steamer had wires out in several directions and this made it very difficult to get the life-boat alongside. The coxswain succeeded and rescued the five men, but the life-boat’s stern was damaged. The rescued men were landed, and the life-boat returned to her station at 6.55 P.M .

Rewards, £14 9s. 6d.