LIFEBOAT MAGAZINE ARCHIVE

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February (1)

CROSSAIG, KINTYRE, ARGYLLSHIRE. Just before daylight on the 26th of May, 1943, a Royal Naval aeroplane dived into the sea near Crossaig, north of Carradale, on the east coast of Kintyre. The weather was fair, the sea smooth. Eleven men were out fishing in two motor fishing boats, the Betty and Irene, which work in partnership. They saw the accident, made for the aeroplane and reached it in about half an hour. Between them they rescued its crew of three. After the rescue an air-sea rescue boat arrived, and took over the three men. - Rewards, £6 17s.

6d., and 3s. for fuel used. The rescuers returned the rewards as a donation to the Institution.

SCRAGGANE, Co. KERRY. During the afternoon of the 22nd of December, 1943, two men of Castlegregory put out in a canoe to pick up a bale of rubber which was drifting in the mouth of Scraggane Bay, west-southwest of Rough Point. A moderate westsouth- west wind was blowing, with a high ground sea. In attempting to get the bale on board the men capsized the canoe. One man hung on to it as it floated bottom up - the other kept afloat with the help of an oar.

The accident was seen by a boy and an elderly woman. They raised the alarm, and helped two men to launch a 26-feet by 4-feet rowing canoe. In this the two men put out. By this time the upturned canoe was only a short distance from Rough Point. The rescuers got one man aboard their canoe, but they had to tow the other one about a quarter of a mile to smooth water before they were able to haul him aboard. Both men were exhausted when landed, but their rescuers gave them first aid and the men had recovered by the time a doctor arrived two hours later.

- Rewards, £6 to the rescuers and for damage to canoe ; £1 to the boy and the woman.

PEVENSEY BAY, SUSSEX. At 3.45 in the afternoon of the 30th of December, 1943, an American Liberator aeroplane crashed in Pevensey Bay, one and a half miles southsouth- west of the coastguard look-out. A moderate north wind was blowing; the sea was smooth ; the weather cold. Four fishermen of Pevensey Bay put out in the motor fishing boat Dolphin and rescued six airmen.

Four other airmen had gone down in the aeroplane. Another motor boat, manned by three men, also put out from the shore, but an airman’s hat fouled their propeller and they had to row back. - Rewards, £2 10s. to the rescuers, £1 10s. to the other three men and 4s. for fuel used. The Eastbourne and Hastings life-boats were launched, but found no survivors. (See Eastbourne, and Hastings, “Accounts of Services by Life-boats, 1943,” page 54.) BOULMER, NORTHUMBERLAND. Shortly after one in the afternoon of the 5th of January, 1944, an R.A.F. Spitfire aeroplane made a crash landing in the sea about 600 yards east of Boulmer. A moderate south-west wind was blowing with a slight sea. The life-boat coxswain, who was at sea in his motor coblewith two other men, saw the crash. He was about a mile away and made at once for the aeroplane. Its pilot had got into his dinghy, but he was being blown towards broken water. The coble overhauled him, and rescued him, suffering from slight injuries and shock. Another motor boat and a small rowing boat also put out. - Rewards, £5 and 5s. for fuel used.