AUGUST 21ST. - ST. DAVID’S, AND ANGLE, PEMBROKESHIRE. Late on the night of the 20th August, the coastguard reported a vessel ashore inside the south-east rocks of the Smalls off the coast of Pembrokeshire.

She was the tanker Athelduchess, of Liverpool, with a crew of over sixty, which had been in convoy. A fresh wind was blowing and the sea was rough. The news reached the St. David’s life-boat station at 12.20 in the morning and the Angle station at 12.45. The St. David’s motor life-boat, Civil Service No. 6, and the Angle motor life-boat, Elizabeth Elson, were launched.

At 1.30 in the morning the St. David’s life-boat received a wireless message that the crew were abandoning the ship and that her boats were drifting in a north-easterly direction. She set her course accordingly, and at three o’clock she found a drifting boat and rescued four men from it. She then made for the ship, which she reached at 3.30, and found her stranded upright on the rocks near the lighthouse.

Ladders were in position on her sides, but were not being used, and it was evident that the captain had decided that it was not necessary for more members of the crew to leave. Two tugs were standing by and the life-boat was told that another boat had left the ship. As a wireless message was received saying that the Angle lifeboat was on her way to the Smalls the St. David’s boat went in search of the second of the ship’s boats. She found it at 4.30 with five men on board and rescued them.

She stood by until daylight and then returned to her station where she arrived at 9.30. The rescued men were given clothes and food and a transport came from the naval base at Milford Haven to fetch them.

Meanwhile the Angle life-boat had reached the wreck at 4.15 in the morning. She had had 22 miles to travel in a rough sea. The tugs were waiting for high water in order to attempt to get the ship off the rocks, and the life-boat passed hawsers between the tugsand the ship, and then stood by her. At high water the tugs attempted to move the ship, but failed. Her captain then decided to abandon ship, and the life-boat took off the 56 men still on board. She transferred some of them later to a salvage vessel, landed the remainder at Milford Haven and arrived back at her station at seven in the evening.

She had then been out on service for 17 hours.

It had been a long and arduous service for the Angle crew. A reward of £1 was made to each man in addition to the ordinary reward on the standard scale of £1 17s. 6d. ; a reward of 10s. was made to the launchers in addition to the ordinary reward on the standard scale of 13s. 6d. Additional rewards to the Angle crew and launchers, £15 10s. ; standard rewards, £21 1s. 6d. ; total rewards to the Angle crew and launchers, £36 11s. 6d. Rewards to the St. David’s crew and launchers, £10 4s. Total rewards for the service, £46 15s. 6d..