GOLD MEDAL SERVICE AT PETERHEAD JANUARY 23RD - 26TH. - PETERHEAD, ABERDEENSHIRE. At 6.40 in the morning of the 23rd, a message came from the coastguard that the S.S. Runswick, of Whitby, had been in collision, and the lifeboat crew were asked to stand by until more information could be got.

At 7.5 another message came that the steamer was eight miles east-north-east of Peterhead, and the motor life-boat Julia Park Barry of Glasgow put out at 7.50. A strong wind was blowing from south-south-east and there was heavy rain. At 8.40 the life-boat found the Runswick, which had been severely damaged about the bows, and escorted her into Peterhead Bay. Two other steamers, the S.S. Saltwick, of Whitby, which had also been damaged, and the S.S. Fidra, of Glasgow, followed to seek shelter. They arrived at 12.30 and anchored in the bay under the direction of the harbour master.

The weather was getting worse, and an anxious watch was kept on the three steamers, for if their anchors failed to hold they would go straight on the rocks. For twelve hours after bringing them in the life-boat’s crew stood by, ready to go to the rescue. At 12.30 on the Saturday morning they heard and saw signals of distress, and the life-boat put out at 12.50. The wind had risen; the temperature had fallen. It was now blowing a gale, with a blinding snow-storm. As the lifeboat left the harbour for the bay, seas filled her cockpits. In the darkness and the snow the coxswain could see no farther than the length of his boat. He felt his way across the stormy bay to where he knew the steamer must be. Then the steamer switched on her searchlight, and the coxswain could see her. She was the Runswick. She was already on the rocks, lying on her port side, with the seas breaking over her. The life-boat went under her quarter, threw a rope to the crew and hung on with great difficulty in the huge swell, Four times the rope broke, and in the end ropes had to he thrown from the steamer to the life-boat. She made four of them fast at the bow and one at the stern, but the coxswain had to keep the engines running astern all the time to relieve the tremendous strain on the ropes, and all the time seas were breaking over the steamer and the life-boat. The steamer’s crew had put a pilot ladder over the side and were on the after shelter deck. There they watched the life-boat as she rose fell on the seas, and when she swung alongside, scrambled down the pilot ladder and were grabbed and dragged aboard by the waiting life-boatmen. The work was all the more difficult because the men were exhausted, but the whole crew of 44 were rescued. The life-boat returned to harbour, guided by the leading lights which were turned on for her, and arrived at 3.5 that morning, Saturday the 24th.

The life-boat’s crew had now been on duty for 19 hours. They went to bed, but at nine in the morning the coxswain was on watch again, and he, the second-coxswain and the motormechanic remained on watch for another eighteen hours, through the Saturday and the greater part of the night.

GUSTS AT 105 MILES

The gale was increasing, but the anchors of the other two steamers still held, and early on the Sunday morning the coxswain again snatched a few hours’ sleep. It was now the third day of the gale, and the wind was at its fiercest. It was blowing, with gusts at 105 miles an hour, right into the bay, and the seas had washed away 100 feet of the 300-feet breakwater.

At eight o’clock that morning, Sunday the 25th, the coxswain was once more on watch, and at ten o’clock a second steamer, the Saltwick, went ashore. She was close in, and the coastguard’s life-saving apparatus went to her help. It succeeded in firing a rocket across her, but the lines fouled and could not. be got clear. The Saltwick’s crew were not in serious danger, and were told to stay on board until the weather improved, but during the forenoon a boat, manned by naval men, went out and brought four of them ashore. Six of the Saltwick’s crew then launched a raft. It tossed about between the steamer and the shore for an hour, when at last it touched the beach.

The six men were thrown into the heavy surf. Men from minesweepers, who were watching, went in to their rescue, and after an exhausting struggle succeeded in seizing all six and bringing them ashore, but two of them were dead. This was in front of the house of the honorary secretary of the lifeboat station, and he and his wife took the men - some of whom were delirious - into the house, gave them hot baths, food and clothes, and did everything possible for them until they could be taken to the infirmary.

Meanwhile the life-boat’s crew stood by all day, occasionally running home for food and warm clothes.

At four that afternoon the third steamer, the Fidra, went ashore, and at seven in the evening she began to sound the SOS call on her siren. All day the men of the L.S.A. had been trying to clear their gear. They now left the Saltwick and went to help the Fidra. The life-boat’s crew continued to stand by. They had been standing by that day for sixteen hours when, at midnight, a message came from the coastguard that the men of the L.S.A. were collapsing with exhaustion. They could do no more, and suggested that the life-boat should go out.

The coxswain went on foot - a hard struggle against wind and snow - to see the Fidra from the shore, and make certain of her position before he put to sea. In the darkness he could just see the loom of the steamer, which had shifted a good deal since she had first gone ashore. A naval signalman was keeping in touch with her, and he received a message from her master that she was breaking up, and that, unless help came at once, he and his crew would all be dead. The answer was sent back that the life-boat was on her way, and at two in the morning of Monday the 26th she put out. The harbour’s defence searchlight was turned on to help her. The wind had eased a little, but the weather was still very bad.

The life-boat reached the Fidra in a quarter of an hour and found her almost submerged. She was lying head on to the seas, with her anchors out, and had no lee to give the lifeboat.

The life-boat went towards the shore and turned so as to come up alongside the steamer head on to the seas. As she did so a very heavy sea came in, breaking over the steamer, and nearly took the life-boat with it, but the coxswain succeeded in holding her off. He then got a line on board the steamer’s midship boat-deck, where the whole crew of 26 men were huddled. The rise and fall of the seas, the coxswain said, was terrific, and as each sea lifted the life-boat it was “ like a nightmare to keep her from being flung on to the steamer “. But he kept her clear, and each time as she swung close, one or two or three men jumped aboard her. One man had sprained his ankle and could not jump, but as the life-boat swung against the steamer, life-boatmen snatched him off her. The life-boat was alongside for fifty minutes and then, with the whole crew of 26 men rescued, she returned to harbour. Its entrance lights were switched on to guide her, and she came in at 3.15 in the morning.

The crew moored her and went home for dry clothing, but they returned at once to stand by again in case the Saltwick should want their help. It was then four in the morning.

THE THIRD RESCUE At 8.30 a message came from the senior naval officer asking the life-boat to go out to save the Saltwick’s crew from further exposure.

She had then been on the rocks for over 22 hours and all her fires were out.

It was now light, and the steamer could be seen lying on the beach, on her starboard side, with the seas breaking right over her. The only way to approach her was to go between her and the shore and come up on her lee side. The life-boat went round her bow. There was a ridge of rock close to it, and this the life-boat struck. As she did so a great sea came in, lifted her almost out of the water, and then flung her on the rock. As she hit it the sea struck her again, washed the second-coxswain from stern to bow, and nearly carried him and several other members of the crew overboard.

The coxswain went full speed astern to clear the rock, and, with the seas striking her at the same time, she was carried round the steamer’s bow to the shoreward side. Here the coxswain found deeper water. He was sheltered now from wind and sea, and was able to come alongside and make fast.

Thirty-six of the Saltwick’s crew were rescued, but, the master and three officers remained on board. As there appeared to be more water at the steamer’s stern than at her bow, the life-boat came out that way. Twice she struck on rocks, but she got clear and came safely into harbour.

It was then eleven o’clock in the morning of Monday the 26th, just 75 hours and 27 minutes since she had first gone out to the Runswick on the Friday morning. During the last 27 hours her crew had been able to get three changes into dry clothes, but they had had very little food and no rest. Altogether in those seventy-five hours they had had less than 12 hours of rest. They had been standing by for 54 hours, and they had been at sea 9 hours and 40 minutes. They had been out in that gale and bitter cold three times, twice in pitch darkness and blinding snow ; and they had rescued 106 lives. Only two men of those three crews were lost, and they would have been saved if they had stayed on board their ship.

The life-boat herself had been damaged, first against the Fidra and then, more severely, on the rocks among which the Saltwick lay. Three planks of the outer skin had been stove in on each side, and on one side the inner skin had also been damaged.

Six feet of her fender had been destroyed and another four feet of the fender-facings. Two of her stanchions had been broken right off, another four had been bent, and damage done to lights, guard chain, gunwale and lifeline.

Altogether the repair of the damage cost £200.

It was a series of most arduous and exhausting services in which great risks were run, and high courage, splendid seamanship and great determination and endurance were shown.

The Institution made the following awards : To COXSWAIN JOHN R. MCLEAN, who went out on all four services, the gold medal for conspicuous gallantry, with a copy of the vote inscribed on vellum ; To DAVID F. WISEMAN, motormechanic, who went out on all four services, the silver medal for gallantry, with a copy of the vote inscribed on vellum ;To A. HEPBURN, acting secondcoxswain, W. SUMMERS, assistant motor-mechanic, and A. GOWANS and ALEXANDER STRACHAN, life-boatmen, who went out on all four services, the bronze medal for gallantry, with a copy of the vote inscribed on vellum ; To G. CORDINER, life-boatman, who went out on the 2nd, 3rd and 4th services, the bronze medal for gallantry, with a copy of the vote inscribed on vellum ; To W. STRACHAN, acting-bowman, who went out on the 1st, 3rd and 4th services, the bronze medal for gallantry, with a copy of the vote inscribed on vellum ; To A. DAVIDSON, who went out on the second service as acting-bowman, the Institution’s thanks inscribed on vellum.

The ordinary money rewards on the standard scale for the four services were 19s. for the first service, 37s. 6d.

for the second service, 37s. 6d. for the third service and 19s. for the fourth service. In addition to these rewards special rewards were made, varying from 10s. in the case of a man who went out on the first service only, to £5 to each man who went out on all four services, making a total reward to each man who went out on all four services of £10 13s.

A reward of 10s., in addition to the ordinary reward on the standard scale for the four launches of £1 7s., was made to each of the four helpers.

Rewards on the standard scale to crew and helpers, £39 6s. ; additional rewards to crew and helpers, £42 ; total rewards, £81 6s.

The owners of the Saltwick and Runswick, Messrs. Headlam and Son, made a donation of £50, and the owners of the Fidra, the Glen Shipping Co., gave £25.