CROOKHAVEN, Co. CORK. At one in the afternoon of the 31st of December, 1945, six men put out in a six-oar rowing boat to salve a bale of rubber about two miles at sea. A south-south-east wind of almost gale force was blowing, with a very rough sea. When about a mile out the boat shipped a sea and the men turned back. It was then three o’clock. After they had rowed for half an hour another sea struck the boat and capsized her about 400 yards off Rock Island Lighthouse.

Six men on shore saw the capsize and put out in a six-oar rowing boat. They had to rowa mile. They found that two of the men were drowned, but there was a man in the waterlogged boat, another in the sea hanging on to her, and the other two in the sea, one holding on to an oar and the other to a plank.

All were exhausted. The tide, the heavy swell and the rocks contrived to make the work of rescue very dangerous, but the rescuers showed both skill and courage and were successful in getting all four men into their boat. They revived them with brandy and landed them at Crookhaven pier. From there the men were taken to hospital. - Rewards, £15 and £2 for the brandy..