August
Launches 22. Lives rescued 18.
AUGUST 5TH. - CLOVELLY, DEVON.
At 4.15 A.M. the naval officer in command at Appledore said that the life-boat was wanted four miles W.N.W. from Hartland Point, and the motor life-boat City of Nottingham was launched at 4.50 A.M. A fresh northerly wind was blowing, with a moderate sea. On the way the life-boat saw flares and, reaching the position two hours after launching, found a rubber dinghy with three German airmen aboard. Two others had lost their lives when the aeroplane crashed.
On her way back her engine failed and she set sail, but at 11 A.M. an R.A.F. rescue boat came up and towed the life-boat in, arriving at 11.50 A.M. - Rewards, £25 6s. 6d.
AUGUST 8TH. - PORT ST. MARY, ISLE OF MAN. At about 3.40 A.M. the ScarletPoint, Castletown, coastguard reported a vessel aground a quarter of a mile from Castletown breakwater. A strong southerly wind of almost gale force was blowing, with a heavy swell. At 4.15 A.M. the coastguard asked for the life-boat, and at 5.5 A.M. the motor life-boat Sir Heath Harrison was launched. She found the S.S. Gorsefield, of Liverpool, with a crew of eleven, bound light from Dublin to Silloth. She had been carried off her course by a strong ebb tide, and had grounded on a submerged rock. The lifeboat stood by until the Gorsefield got off on the flowing tide, and returned to her station at 7.10 A.M. - Rewards, £11 17s. 6d.
AUGUST 10TH. - DUN LAOGHAIRE, CO.
DUBLIN. Shortly after 3 P .M. a s m a l l yacht about three miles east of the harbour was seen trying to beat into harbour against a westerly gale and a rough sea. She was kept in view by the life-boat coxswain, and when he saw that she was not making headway, but was being blown out to sea, he called out the crew, and at 4.10 P.M. the motor life-boat Dunleary II was launched. She found the yacht Brunette of Dun Laoghaire, with two men and three children aboard.
She had lost her rudder and damaged her mainsail, and she was then about two miles north-east of the Muglins Rock. The lifeboat towed her in, arriving at 5.45 P.M.- Rewards, £4 13s. 6d.
AUGUST 11TH. - PORT ASKAIG, ARGYLLSHIRE. At the request of the doctor on the Island of Colonsay the motor life-boat Charlotte Elizabeth was launched at 11.45 A.M. in a strong westerly wind, and brought from Colonsay to Islay an expectant mother who was dangerously ill. The lifeboat returned to her station at 7 P.M. Her help saved the life of the patient, who was kept in hospital until her baby was born.
A relative of the patient made a gift of money to the life-boat crew. - Rewards, £4 17s. 6d.
AUGUST 11TH. - FLEETWOOD, LANCASHIRE.
At 11 P.M. the naval officer in command asked for the life-boat to go out to a vessel aground on Pilling Sands. She was the trawler River Ythan, of Fleetwood, loaded with fish and carrying a crew of twelve. She had been attacked by German aeroplanes off the Faroe Islands. The motor life-boat Ann Letitia Russell was launched at 11.20 P.M. A moderate W.N.W. wind was blowing, with a rough sea. The life-boat found that the trawler had refloated, put one of her own men on board as pilot and escorted her into port, arriving at 12.50 A.M.
- Rewards, £12 10s.
AUGUST 11TH. - CLOGHER HEAD, CO.
LOUTH. At 12.20 in the afternoon the Clogher coastwatching station reported, through the Civic Guard, that the sailing boat Lalzi, of Port Oriel, was in difficulty to the S.E. of Port Oriel. On board her were the Rev. Father MacCooey, the owner of the boat and the honorary secretary of the Clogher Head life-boat station, and two other men. The motor life-boat Mary Ann Blunt was launched at 12.45. A westerlygale was blowing with a heavy sea. When the life-boat came up with the boat she found that her mast had been carried away in a squall, that the men were trying to row her in, but were unable to make any headway against a strong ebb tide, and that the boat was drifting out to sea. The life-boat took two of the men on board, the other remained in the Lalzi. The life-boat then took the Lalzi in tow, brought her safely into Port Oriel, and returned to her station at 4.15 P.M.
- Rewards, £5 15s.
AUGUST 15TH. - STROMNESS, ORKNEYS.
At 4.15 P.M. coastwatchers reported by telephone that the motor fishing boat Excelsior, of Stromness, with a crew of three, was overdue, and had last been seen three miles off. The weather was thick, with very heavy rain, and a strong S.E. wind was blowing, with a rough sea. The motor lifeboat J.J.K.S.W. was launched at 4.30 P.M., and found the Excelsior off Yesnaby. Her engine had failed. The life-boat towed her in, arriving at 6.45 P.M. - Rewards, £4 4s.
AUGUST 15TH. - FRASERBURGH , ABERDEENSHIRE. At 6.37 A.M. a message was received from the coastguard at Kinnaird Head that a small motor boat was ashore three-quarters of a mile south of Inzie Head, and that another boat was standing by and attempting to tow her off.
The boats were kept under observation, and at 12.5 P.M. the motor life-boat John and Charles Kennedy was launched. The weather was fine, but foggy. The life-boat found that the boats were the Aksel and Arthur, both of the Norwegian navy. The boat which had been stranded was now afloat and being towed by the other, but she was leaking badly and had a good deal of water in her engine-room and hold. The life-boat helped to tow her into harbour. There a fire engine pumped her dry, and she was put in dry dock. The life-boat returned to her station at 1.30 P.M. - Property salvage case.
AUGUST 19TH. - HASTINGS, SUSSEX.
At 11.30 in the morning a message came from the Fairlight coastguard that what he thought was a rubber dinghy had been dropped from an aeroplane flying from west to east, and that he was trying to get into touch with patrol boats. Half an hour later another message came asking that the life-boat should put out, and at 12.22 in the afternoon the motor life-boat Cyril and Lilian Bishop was launched. There was a shortage of launchers and 25 soldiers from one of the shore batteries helped. The honorary secretary of the station, Commander W. Highfield, O.B.E., R.N., was on board. A S.W. breeze was blowing, with a slight swell. The life-boat went to the position which had been given her, 1 1/4 miles to the S.S.W. from Hastings, and when she had travelled just over a mile picked up a petrol tank. The life-boat then made a sweep round, saw another object to the westward, found that it was a paravane, picked it up and returned to her station, arriving at 1.15 in the afternoon.- Rewards, £13 13s.
AUGUST 20TH. - HOLYHEAD, ANGLESEY.
At 3.27 P.M. the coastguard reported that a British aeroplane had crashed, and the Belgian motor life-boat Ministre Anseele, from the reserve fleet, on temporary duty at the station, was launched at 3.40 P.M. A strong S.W. wind was blowing, with a rough sea. The life-boat found the wreckage of an aeroplane off the South Stack and the bodies of two airmen. She took them on board, and arrived back at her station at 6.15 P.M. - Rewards, £2 10s.
AUGUST 3lST. - KILMORE, CO. WEXFORD.
At 10 P.M. lamp signals were seen from a position two miles E.S.E. of Small Saltee Island, and the motor life-boat Ann Isabella Pyemont was launched at 11.15 P.M.
A moderate S.W. breeze was blowing, with a rather rough sea. The life-boat found that the boat in distress was the fishing boat Guillemot, of Kilmore Quay, with the lifeboat coxswain and two other men on board.
A lobster pot line had fouled her propeller and the men could not get it clear, although one of them had been over the side twice in attempting to remove it. The Guillemot had no oars or sails and the life-boat towed her in, arriving at 11.35 P.M. - Rewards, £18 1s.
AUGUST 31ST. - ROSSLARE HARBOUR, CO. WEXFORD. At about midnight the life-boat watchman saw a red flare, and on making enquiries of incoming boats he found that the motor fishing boat Onward, of Rosslare Harbour, which had been fishing at Tuskar, had been disabled by the failure of her engine. The motor life-boat Mable Marion Thompson was launched at 12.15 A.M., with the honorary secretary, Mr. W. J. B.
Moncas, on board. A moderate S.W. wind was blowing, with a slight sea. The life-boat found the Onward near Wexford Bar buoy.
She had repaired her engine and was coming in. The life-boat escorted her, and they arrived at 1.15 A.M. - Rewards, partly paid permanent crew, £4 7s.
The following life-boats were launched, but no services were rendered for the reasons given : AUGUST 5TH. - ROSSLARE HARBOUR, CO. WEXFORD. A schooner had gone aground, but her crew got her off and she was able to go on her way. - Partly paid permanent crew. Rewards, £2 5s. 6d.
AUGUST 6TH. - CLACTON - ON - SEA, ESSEX. A British aeroplane had come down in the sea, but only patches of oil were found.
- Rewards, £7 17s. 6d.
AUGUST 7TH. - CLOUGHEY, AND NEWCASTLE, CO. DOWN. An upturned boat had been reported fifteen miles south-east of Tara, but nothing was found. - Rewards : Cloughey, £14 14s. ; Newcastle, £22 11s.
AUGUST 7TH. - THE HUMBER, YORKSHIRE.
At 5.20 in the morning the lifeboat watchman saw a large bombing aeroplane come down on fire near the gate vessel.The sea was ablaze with burning petrol. The coxswain rang up the Royal Naval Shore Signal Station and was told that two steel boats had been ordered out to search for the aeroplane’s crew. Permission to launch the life-boat was refused until after the flames had begun to die down, as she was a wooden vessel. At 5.40 the life-boat put out, but found nothing except wreckage. The whole crew of the bomber, believed to be nine, had lost their lives, and four bodies were recovered by one of the patrol vessels. The coxswain of the station later had a talk with the naval officer in charge, and the naval officer agreed for the future to leave it entirely to the coxswain to decide whether or not it was advisable to launch the lifeboat.
- Paid permanent crew.
AUGUST 9TH . - PORTHDINLLAEN, CAERNARVONSHIRE. An R.A.F. Anson trainer aeroplane had come down off Llandwrog, but the life-boat could find nothing.- Rewards, £10 4s. 6d.
AUGUST 12TH. - ALDEBURGH, SUFFOLK.
An aeroplane had been reported down in the sea, but nothing was found.- Rewards, £19 12s. 6d.
AUGUST 15TH. - WELLS, NORFOLK.
An aeroplane had reported what appeared to be an upturned dinghy, but nothing was found. - Rewards, £12 3s.
AUGUST 2 0TH. - PORTHDINLLAEN, CAERNARVONSHIRE. An aeroplane had been reported down in the sea over thirty miles away, but the life-boat was recalled by wireless be fore reaching the position. - Rewards, £11 8s.
AUGUST 3 0TH. - PORTHDINLLAEN, CAERNARVONSHIRE. A motor boat had broken down, but it was learned later that her crew had landed in their small boat, and the life-boat was recalled by wireless - Rewards, £5 17s. 6d.