THE LIFE-BOAT The Journal of the Royal National Life-boat Institution VOL. XXXII OCTOBER, 1948 No. 347 THE LIFE-BOAT FLEET Motor Life-boats, 154 :: Pulling and Sailing Life-boats, 2 LIVES RESCUED from the foundation of the Life-boat Service in 1824 to October 31st, 1948 - 76,177 In Pursuit of a Yacht A STRONG south-westerly gale was blow- waterlogged wreck, and she drifted ing on the Sussex coast on the morning eastwards of the harbour entrance into of Sunday, the 8th of August. The shallow, broken water. Here she man- sea was very rough and there was a aged to anchor, but the «able parted. heavy swell. Nothing could now save her from being Just after half past eight the coast- driven ashore. guard at Shoreham Harbour saw a The seas were tremendous; the risk yacht three miles out at sea. Her sails of the life-boat herself striking in that were torn and the gale was driving her shallow water were great; but the cox- eastwards along the coast, out of con- swain took her straight into the surf. trol. At 8.42 the coastguard rang up As he did so a sea smothered the life- the life-boat station, and at 9.15 the boat and he thought that he had lost motor life-boat Rosa Woodd and Phyllis half his crew. But they came safely Lunn was launched. She crossed the through, and he laid her along the bar in heavy breaking seas, and then, weather side of the Gull. Lifeboatmen hoisting sail to help her engines, settled seized and dragged aboard five of the down to a long, hard chase. The yacht six on board. There was still one man was the Gull, of about fourteen tons. left. The life-boat went in a second She had on board three men, two women time and rescued him. It had been and a boy. done in the nick of time, for the crew of the yacht could not have long sur- A Long Chase vived the pounding of the seas. The chase continued for fourteen " A Pretty Piece of Work " miles, until the yacht reached New- Many people at Newhaven were haven. The wind had now backed anxiously watching the rescue. Among to the south and was blowing dead them was the honorary secretary of on shore. When the Gull reached the the Newhaven station. He saw it all western arm of Newhaven Harbour through his binoculars and wrote of she was about five hundred yards out the coxswain: "His timing and ap- at sea, with the pursuing life-boat lying proach were wonderful to watch, and about a hundred yards behind her. She the whole job, carried out as it was in made a desperate attempt to enter the severe conditions^ in a bad position with harbour, but, as she gybed, the seas very little water, was indeed a pretty washed right over her. They left her a piece of work." A 194 THE LIFE-BOAT [OCTOBER, 1948 The life-boat landed the six rescued and each of the seven members of the people at Newhaven, and arrived back crew with £5. at Shoreham Harbour at 3.30 in the For this very skilful and gallant afternoon. She had been out for seven rescue the Institution awarded to hours. COXSWAIN JAMES UPPERTON a bar to The owner of the yacht made gifts of £25 to the crew and £25 to the funds the silver medal which he won during of the Institution "as a small tribute the war for rescuing twenty-one lives to the services rendered by the Institu- from a mine-sweeper, and its thanks on tion and to the skill and courage of the vellum to each of the other seven life-boat crew." The Shoreham Bon- members of the crew.—Rewards, fire Association presented the coxswain £15 13s. 6d. Bronze Medal for Weymouth AT the beginning of June the twin-screw passed the Bill. It was then blowing motor yacht Mite (a converted naval a fresh gale from the south-south-west motor launch 110 feet long) was coming and a heavy sea was running. Oft up Channel on her way from Malta to the Shambles the yacht was sheering London. On the 6th of June, when she wildly. Her steering gear would not was fifteen miles west of Portland Bill, work and she was continually broad- both her engines broke down and her side on to the seas. Twice the tow- wireless failed. The wind was from the rope parted and was fixed again. south-south-west. It was blowing freshly. Both wind and sea were Tow Parts Again increasing. There was every prospect It parted a third time, and this time of bad weather. Through the driving the coxswain told the owner that he rain those on board could just see the could not continue to tow. The land. weather was now as bad as it could be, Two of the crew volunteered to make visibility was very poor, and the boats for the shore and summon help. They were within two miles of the shore. succeeded with great difficulty and at The life-boat had then towed for twelve considerable risk. miles. She went alongside the yacht and with some difficulty, in the rise and fall A Long Slow Tow of the seas, rescued the three men. It The coastguard had seen the dinghy was safely accomplished, but all the driving ashore and had rung up the baggage went overboard. Weymouth life-boat station. When It was not until half an hour after the men landed the coastguard tele- midnight that the life-boat reached phoned the information that they gave Weymouth. She had then been out him. That was at 1.45 in the after- in very heavy weather for eleven hours noon. Five minutes later the motor and all the crew were exhausted. It life-boat William and Clare Ryland had been a long and arduous service. slipped her moorings. At 4.30 she The yacht was washed ashore later near reached the Mite, which was still at Lulworth Cove. anchor. Wind and sea were increasing, COXSWAIN F. J. PALMER showed but the owner would not abandon the great determination and skill and the yacht. He asked for a tow. The cox- Institution awarded him the bronze swain was faced with a very difficult medal for gallantry, with a copy of decision, in the worsening weather, but the vote inscribed on vellum. he consented, and the long, slow tow It also made to him and to each started. In order to clear the bad water member of the crew a special reward round Portland Bill, the life-boat had of £2 in addition to the reward on the to steer southwards, straight out to ordinary scale of £2 11s. each. Ordin- sea. ary rewards: £19 5s. 6d.; additional It was 8.30 in the evening when she rewards, £16; total rewards, £35 5s. 6d. OCTOBER, 1948] THE LIFE-BOAT v.:vrv • AFTER THE RESCUE: THE GULL AT NEWHAVEN See page 193) 196 THE LIFE-BOAT [OCTOBER, 1948 The Henry Blogg The First Sea Lord's Tribute to the Life-boat Service IN December, 1945, the Institution senting the third gold medal of the sent to Cromer one of the first two of a Institution to Coxswain Blogg, and new type of 46-feet Watson -cabin other medals and certificates of the life-boat. In them, for the first time, Institution to the members of his the steering wheels were placed amid- gallant crew. ships instead of at the stern. This boat was sent to Cromer that she might "To the people of Cromer I need be thoroughly tested by the Institu- say nothing about the wonderful ser- tion's most experienced coxswain, vice which Henry Blogg has rendered Henry Blogg, and his crew. They to seafarers of all races. ... It is were so pleased with her that they asked quite unequalled in the whole hundred if they might keep her at the station, and twenty-four years of the Life-boat and at the same time the Cromer branch Service. We in the Admiralty had a asked that this new boat should be very lively appreciation of the consum- named Henri/ Blogg. With this request mate seamanship which Henry Blogg the Institution was delighted to agree. exhibited on so many occasions, and The naming ceremony was held at it was chiefly in order to pay such Cromer on August 5th, 1948, in the testimony as we could to his skill and presence of a very large audience, and the gallantry of the Cromer life-boat's the occasion was taken to pay final crew, that the Board of Admiralty tribute to Coxswain Henry George permitted me, right in the middle of Blogg himself, who had retired the the war, to leave London and come here previous September, at the age of 71, to Cromer for the presentation of that having then completed 53 years' ser- third gold medal. vice as a life-boatman. During those " I would like to read to you the letter 53 years he had taken part in the which the Boafd of Admiralty wrote to rescue of 873 lives, had been coxswain the Institution early in 1940, and which of the boat for 38 years, and had won could not, I think, be bettered as a the Institution's gold medal three description of, and tribute to, the work times, its silver medal four times, the of all its gallant crews.