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Nicolaou Virginia (1)

MARCH 27TH - 29TH. - TENBY, AND ANGLE, PEMBROKESHIRE. In the early morning of the 27th the Greek steamer Nicolaou Virginia, bound from Bahia Blanca to Glasgow with a cargo of grain, ran ashore on the rocks at Flimston Head and was badly damaged. The sea was calm, but there was a thick fog. The steamer sent out an SOS call for immediate help. It was picked up by Land’s End Radio and passed by the coastguard to Tenby at 3.35. The Tenby motor life-boat John R. Webb was launched at four o’clock, found the steamer, and stood by. A tug and a salvage steamer had also answered the call for help. At the request of the master the life-boat stood by all day until the evening when she left and went to Broadhaven Bay. She had with her three men of the steamer, whom she had picked up in a small boat, and she had the boat in tow. She landed them. The life-boat then returned to the steamer and stood by her all through the night. Next morning, the 28th, about eight o’clock, it was decided to call out the Angle life-boat to relieve her, and at nine o’clock the Angle motor life-boat Elizabeth Elson was launched. On her arrival the Tenby life-boat left, bringing three more men of the steamer with her, and reached her station at 2.30 that afternoon. She had then been away for over thirty-four hours. The Angle life-boat stood by all day and at nine that night took twentysix men from the steamer to the salvage steamer, which was also standing by, leaving only four aboard. She continued to stand by, and at 2.30 in the morning of the 29th she was signalled to rescue the remaining four men.

This she did and put them on board the salvage steamer. She then made for her station, which she reached at seven that morning. She had then been out for twentytwo hours. Later in the day salvage operations were abandoned and the steamer became a total wreck. - Rewards : Tenby, £48 17s. ; Angle, £25 3s. 6d..