FEBRUARY 4TH - 6TH. - ST. DAVID’S AND FISHGUARD, PEMBROKESHIRE, AND NEW QUAY, AND ABERYSTWYTH, CARDIGANSHIRE.

H.M. submarine Universal was on her way to the breaker’s yard. Late on the night of the 3rd of February her engines broke down, off the Welsh coast, and she sent out a distress call. A moderate gale was blowing from the west, and the sea was rough. Her call for help was passed by the coastguard to the St. David’s life-boat station at 11.30 and, at 12.15 in the morning of the 4th of February, the motor life-boat Civil Service No. 6 was launched. She found the submarine nine miles west of the South Bishop Lighthouse with the Irish steamer Lanahrone standing by. By means of her line-throwing gun the life-boat connected the Universal with the Lanahrone, and the steamer started to tow, but the submarine broke away. Another rope was then connected.

This also broke. At 8.45 H.M. destroyer Southdown arrived. The Lanahrone was no longer needed, and went on her way.

A third attempt was made, and this time, with the life-boat’s help, the destroyer was able to get the submarine in tow. The life-boat then left, sheltered for a time in the lee of Ramsey Island, and reached her station at 4.15 that afternoon.

In the afternoon of the same day, the 4th of February, a message reached Fishguard from the destroyer that the submarine was in need of immediate help. She was now off the Fishguard station, twenty-five miles northwest of the point where the St. David’s lifeboat had found her. The Fishguard motor life-boat White Star was launched at 2.45, reached the submarine at 3.30, and stood by her until 10.46 that night, when she left to refuel, taking with her one seaman who had been washed overboard from the Universal and whom she had rescued. She reached her station again at 1.45 in the morning of the 5th of February, and after refuelling left again at four o’clock, and reached the Universal at 8.50. All this time the submarine had been drifting up Cardigan Bay. At 5.20 that morning, the 5th of February, the lights of both the destroyer and submarine were seen from New Quay, and at 6.20 the pulling and sailing life-boat William Cantrell Ashley was launched and she was standing by when the Fishguard life-boat arrived.

Aberystwyth heard from the coastguard, just before midnight on the 4th of February, that the Universal was approaching, and at 8.25 in the morning of the 5th the life-boat Frederick Angus was launched. All three life-boats were now standing by.

It was now the third day. All this time the gale had been blowing and heavy seas running, and the submarine, now off Aberystwyth, was sixty miles from where the St.

David’s life-boat had first gone to her help. The New Quay life-boat returned to her station at eleven that morning, the 5th, leaving the other two life-boats and the destroyer with the submarine. She arrived back at 2.30 in the afternoon. In the meantime the Fishguard and Aberystwyth life-boats advised the submarine commander to abandon ship, but another attempt was first made by the destroyer to take her in tow. When this failed the crew were taken off, sixteen by the Fishguard life-boat and the remaining eleven by the Aberystwyth life-boat. The Fishguard life-boat put one officer on board the destroyer and brought the other rescued men into Fishguard at 5.15 that afternoon. The Aberystwyth life-boat got back to her station at 12.15. But still the work was not ended. On the morning of the 6th, the naval authorities at Plymouth asked the Aberystwyth life-boat to go out again, and she left at 6.40. She reached the Universal at 7.55, took seventeen men to her from the destroyer and two from a tug, and passed lines to her from the tug.

When the tug had the submarine in tow she left for her station, arriving at 11.30 that morning, the 6th of February, sixty hours after the first life-boat had been called out.

The commander-in-chief, Plymouth, wrote sending his thanks. Letters were also received from the officers of the Universal and the district officer of coastguard. The Town Clerk of Fishguard wrote a special letter of appreciation to each member of the Fishguard crew. The Institution made the following awards : An increase in the usual money award on the standard scale to each member of the crew of the New Quay pulling and sailing life-boat.

Standard rewards to crew and helpers, £32 3s. 6d. ; additional rewards to crew, £15 ; total rewards to crew and helpers, £47 3s. 6d. ; An increase in the standard reward to the crew of the Aberystwyth life-boat for the second service. Standard rewards to crew and helpers for the first service, £17 3s. ; standard rewards to crew and helpers for the second service, £27 4s. 6d. ; additional rewards to crew, £8 ; total rewards to crew and helpers for second service, £35 4s. 6d. ; Standard rewards to the Fishguard crew and helpers for the first service, £20 11s., and for the second service, £24 ; special rewards to the full-time coxswain and mechanic, £12 5s. ; total rewards to crew and helpers for the two services, £56 16s. ; Standard rewards to the St. David’s crew and helpers, £19 2s. 6d. ; Total rewards for the six services by the four life-boats, £175 9s. 6d.