THE LIFE-BOAT the Journal of the Royal National Life-Boat Institution
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THE LIFE-BOAT The Journal of the Royal National Life-boat Institution VOL. XXXIV MARCH, 1956 THE LIFE-BOAT FLEET 155 Motor Life-boats 1 Harbour Pulling Life-boat LIVES RESCUED from the foundation of the Life-boat Service in 1824 to 31st December, 1955 79,970 Notes of the Quarter THE year 1955 has been classified by seas running. The Bridlington life- meteorologists as the one with the best boat, a 35-feet 6-inches Liverpool summer since 1911, and throughout type boat, is one of the smallest types the greater part of the year there was of boat in the Service. The coxswain, an unusual absence of storms and Walter Newby, reported: bad weather. Nevertheless life-boats "It is the first time I have been in went out on service in 1955 587 times this boat in extremely bad weather. and rescued 387 lives. The busiest I am more than satisfied with her per- month was July, when there were 72 formance. After we got five miles launches. May was the month when out of the bay, as we were going broad- most lives were rescued, the number side to the swell all the time, she was being 84. never clear of water, and one sea, six By contrast, twenty years ago there or seven feet higher than the boat, were only 378 launches on service. broke into her and washed the drogue This increase of more than 50 per cent clean over her stern, and with two of in the number of services, even in a her crew hanging on to her life-chains year of exceptionally good weather, is split the gunwale by way of the stan- a further indication of the mounting chion. But the boat acted wonder- demands made on life-boats in com- fully." parison with pre-war years. The mechanic, James Robinson, The past year has fortunately been stated: wholly free of disasters or accidents "In my estimation the performance to life-boats. No member of any crew of this boat was better than ever was lost, and no boat was even expected by me or any of the other seriously damaged. men aboard. The stability was re- markable considering the amount of CREW'S OPINION water taken aboard. I have been to A remarkable tribute to the quality sea for fifteen years in life-boats, and of modern life-boats was paid by two would never have believed that a boat members of the crew of the Bridlington of this size could stand such punish- boat after she had returned from ment. service early this year. A northerly "One particular thing I noticed was, gale had been blowing and very heavy when going over a sea, she seemed to 186 THE LIFE-BOAT [MARCH, 1956 slide gently down the wave. She Service No. 30. This model had took one sea aboard which filled her earlier been included in the Lord level with her gunwales, but she freed Mayor of London's procession on the herself within a minute. I will say 9th of November, 1955. that the engines ran perfectly through- out the whole of the voyage, never A GREAT SUPPORTER OF THE giving me a moment's anxiety." INSTITUTION A full account of this service will By the death of Dr. Cyril Garbett, appear in the June number of the Archbishop of York, the Institution Life-boat. has lost a greatly valued and devoted supporter. It was at his own sugges- INCREASING CO-OPERATION WITH tion that the late Archbishop gave the HELICOPTERS address at the funeral of the three members of the Scarborough life-boat During 1955 there were 58 services crew who lost their lives on the 8th of in which life-boats co-operated directly December, 1954, saying of the Life- with helicopters, as contrasted with 12 boat Service: "It is a service of which reported occasions of such co-operation the nation is proud." The late Arch- a year earlier. In most cases during bishop of York dedicated four life- the past year co-operation took the boats on the north-east coast of form of a joint search, sometimes England, at Bridlinolon in 1948, successful and sometimes unsuccessful. Redcar in 1951, and Filey and Humber In February, however, a helicopter in 1954. transferred a doctor and connected a tow and the St. Mary's, Scilly Isles, DOCTOR IN THE LIFE-BOAT CREW life-boat landed four injured men. In On two separate occasions on the March the Lizard life-boat rescued two people and a helicopter then 29th of December, 1955, the Ramsey, landed on shore and took them away. Isle of Man, life-boat put out with a In December, as reported on page 217, doctor on board. The first service, the Bembridge, Isle of Wight, life-boat which is reported on page 221, took took a doctor to a fort and a helicopter place in the morning, when the life- took off a patient whom he had been boat answered a call from a steam attending. trawler, which had two sick men on board. The second service took place in the afternoon, in order to land a DORCHESTER BALL sick man from another trawler. The H.R.H. the Duchess of Gloucester doctor was Dr. William Bridgewood, was the guest of honour at a ball who is himself a regular member of organised by the Central London the Ramsey life-boat crew, and when Women's Committee, which was held the life-boat went out in the morning at the Dorchester Hotel in London he acted as bowman. Dr. Bridgewood on the 12th of December, 1955. The recently passed his proficiency test Countess Mountbatten of Burma was as a Grade I boat signalman. president and Lady Tedder chairman It is particularly appropriate to of the Ball Committee. The Institu- find a member of a learned profession tion has derived a total profit from who is also a member of an Isle of the ball of more than £2,500. One Man life-boat crew, for it was at of the attractions at the ball was a Douglas in the Isle of Man that the half-scale model of the Southend-on- founder of the Institution, Sir William Sea 46-feet 9-inches Watson cabin Hillary, gained his long first-hand life-boat Greater London II, Civil experience of service in life-boats. New Year Honours Captain Alexander Finlayson, oway station branch, was appointed D.S.C., honorary secretary of the Storn- M.B'.E. in the 1956 New Year Honours. MAECH, 1956] THE LIFE-BOAT 187 Three Men Rescued from a Barge AT 9.26 on the night of the 21st of of chain paid out because of the seas October, 1955, the Southend coxswain, which were sweeping the barge's decks. Sidney Page, learnt from the coast- Coxswain Page then brought the guard that the S.S. Cardiff brook had life-boat alongside the Fence's star- wirelessed that she had seen a ship board quarter and took off two of her aground one mile north-north-west crew. Before the third man could be of the North-East Mouse buoy, and taken off the sea carried the life-boat that she herself was standing by near clear, and another attempt had to be the West Barrow buoy. made to bring off the third man and Coxswain Page consulted the honor- the member of the life-boat crew who ary secretary, Mr. P. G. Garon, who had boarded the barge. gave instructions for the Southend This next attempt was unsuccessful life-boat Greater London II, Civil but once more the life-boat was Service No. 30 to be launched. This brought alongside, this time along the was done at 9.45. A gale was blowing port quarter. The two men still on from the north-north-west, with short board the barge jumped into the life- steep seas. There were frequent rain boat. The life-boat then returned to squalls and visibility was poor. It her station, which she reached at 1.30 was nearly low water. early on the morning of the 22nd. As the Fence's lights had been extin- Sparks front Funnel guished she was thought to be a danger Coxswain Page set a course for the to navigation, and at 5.14 the life- West Barrow buoy, and after some boat was launched again to tow her time sighted a vessel with sparks com- in. She did not succeed in finding ing from her funnel. The vessel was her and returned to her station at later seen to fire red rockets. 8.40. The life-boat closed the vessel at Third Launch 11.50 and found that she was the motor At 11.9 the coastguard reported barge Fence, of London, with a crew that he could see a vessel, which he of three. The Fence had grounded believed to be the Fence, drifting on the West Barrow Sand, but she was slowly to the north-west, off the Red now clear in about five fathoms of Sand forts. The life-boat was there- water. Her circulating pump had fore launched a third time at 11.25. sucked in sand, which had caused the By this time the weather had moder- engine to become red hot, and her ated, and the life-boat found the barge crew had difficulty in keeping her half a mile west-south-west of the afloat. She was awash and was being- forts. Three members of the life- swept by the sea. The three members boat crew boarded her and the life- of her crew could be seen in the wheel- boat towed her to Southend, arriving house.