FEBRUARY 2ND. - WALMER, KENT. At 8.58 in the morning the coastguard reported a vessel in distress east-south-east of the coastguard station. A southerly gale was blowing against the first of the flood tide and raising a very rough broken sea. The motor life-boat Charles Dibdin (Civil Service No. 2) was launched at 9.30 and found the armed trawler Snakefly, with a crew of eighteen, on the inner side of the Goodwins, two miles east of the Goodwin Fork Buoy. She was labouring heavily and being swept by the seas. The life-boat was made fast alongside with four ropes, under her lee on the starboard side, and at the request of the commanding officer the second-coxswain went on board the Snakefly. It was only with much difficulty and risk that he did it.

The trawler then rolled away from the lifeboat, parting the ropes, and rolled back on to her, damaging her rudder, pulling out two stanchions and smashing eight feet of her fender. As the life-boat sheered off to avoid further damage, the trawler fell over on her port bilge. She went so far that the coxswain of the life-boat thought that all her crew would be washed overboard, and stood by to rescue them. At the same moment second-coxswain Upton, on the bridge of the trawler, saw a huge sea about to strike her.

He shouted “Full speed ahead.” This advice was promptly acted on and the Snakefly, momentarily lifted by the sea, moved into deeper water. Second-coxswain Upton then piloted her to safety in the Downs. The life-boat escorted her and then stood by until another trawler took her in tow. The lifeboat reached her station again at 2.30 that afternoon. She had been out for five hours.

The Institution awarded to Second-coxswain FREDERICK UPTON its thanks inscribed on vellum in recognition of the personal risk that he had run in boarding the trawler and his prompt action which had saved her.- Rewards, £15 14s..