THE LIFEBOAT. The Journal of the Royal National Life-boat Institution. VOL. XXVII.—No. 296.] NOVEMBER, 1928. [PRICE Disaster to the Rye Life-boat. The Whole Crew Drowned. THE worst disaster which has fallen on needs of the families of the Crew, and the the Life-boat Service for many years Institution, according to its invariable occurred on 15th November. It fell practice, will pension the widows, with crushing weight on the gallant dependent children and other dependent Life-boat Crew of the little village of relatives of the Crew, according to Rye Harbour, sweeping away practi- the principle of the Pension Scheme cally the whole adult male fishing adopted in 1917, namely, that the population. widows and dependents of Life boatmen At 6.15 in the morning of that day who may lose their li«es on ser.ice the Rye Life-boat, which is a Pulling should be treated in the sams way as and Sailing Life-boat of the Liverpool the widows of man of corresponding rank Type, was launched with a Crew of in the Naval and Military Forces of the seventeen in response to a message that Crown who may be killed in action. In a steamer (a Latvian vessel, Alice) was the present case the Committee of leaking and in danger, drifting eight Management will take the scale in force miles from Dungeness. A south-westerly in the Navy and Army under the current gale was blowing, with very heavy rain Royal Warrant as a minimum. The squalls, and a heavy sea. The tide was Coxswain will rank as a Chief Petty at low water. Five minutes after the Officer or Colour Sergeant, the Second Life-boat was launched another message Coxswain as a First Class Petty Officer came that the crew of the Alice had or Sergeant, the Bowman as a Second been rescued by another steamer, with Class Petty Officer or Corporal, and the which she had been in collision. The Life-boatmen as Seamen or Privates. recall signal was fired three times, but In addition, the Mayo: of Rye (Captain no answer came from the Life-boat. Leopold A. Vidler), who is also the Apparently the Crew had not seen it. Honorary Secretary of the Station, opened a Fund to which such an imme- Capsized. diate and generous response was made At 10.30 the Life-boat was seen return- that within a fortnight nearly £30,000 ing under sail. The wind had increased, had been contiibnted, and the tund was and there were heavy squalls. As she closed. This response and the many appeared to be coming in to the harbour messages of sympathy which have been mouth with a following sea she was seen received have shown how deeply the to capsize. As quickly as possible helpers public have been moved by this tragedy. gathered on the beach, and every effort was made to help the Crew as they were Messages of Sympathy. washed in, but without avail. Six of One of the first messages to be re- them were recovered at the same time ceived was from H.M. the King, our that the Life-boat was driven ashore, Patron, who telegraphed: but all were dead. The whole crew had perished. " As Patron of the Royal National As soon as the nsws reached the Life-boat Institution, I offer you Headquarters of the Institution the very sincere sympathy in the tragic Deputy-Chief Inspector of Life-boats loss of the Rye Life-boat with all was sent down to Rye with nstructions hands. to make immediate provision for the " GEORGE, R.I." 146 THE LIFEBOAT. [NOVEMBER, 1928. The Prince of Wales, our President, At the funeral, five days later, of the who is in Africa, sent the following fifteen members of the Crew whose message : bodies had been recovered, the Institu- " I am deeply moved by news of tion was represented by the Hon. George terrible disaster to Rye Life-boat Colville, Deputy-Chairman of the Com- with loss of the whole of her gallant mittee of Management, Captain the Crew. My heartfelt sympathy is Viscount Curzon, C.B.E., V.D., A.D.C., with the Institution and with the R.N.V.R., M.P., Mr. George F. Shee, relatives of our heroic Life-boat- M.A., Secretary of the Institution, men. Captain Howard F. J. Rowley, C.B.E., " EDWARD, P., R.D., Chief Inspector of Life-boats, " President, Royal National Commander Edward D. Drury, O.B.E., Life-boat Institution." R.D., R.N.R., Deputy-Chief Inspector of Life-boats, Captain G. H. Bevan, Princess Louise, Duchess of Argyll, O.B.E., R.N., Deputy Chief Inspector Patron of the Ladies' Life-boat Guild, for Stores, and Commander R. L. Hamer, wrote: R.N., Inspector of Life-boats for tlie " I have heard with deep grief of Southern District. The Lat ian Minis- the terrible tragedy that has be- ter and Consul-General were also p esent, fallen the Rye Life-boat, which has and H.M. Coastguard were represented involved the loss of the whole of by Captain A. L. Strange, Inspector of her gallant crew. Coastguard at Hoie. " As Patron of the Ladies' Life- As suggestions were made at the in- boat Guild, I wish to express my quest that the life-belts used by the heartfelt sympathy with the Insti- Crew were not in sound condition, the tution, and above all with the sor- Institution at once asked the Board rowing mothers, widows, children, of Trade to hold an Inquiry. We shall relatives and other dependents of hope to publish a full account of the these heroic men. disaster and the report of the Inquiry " This fresh proof of devotion in the m-xt issue of The Lijebnnl. All and sacrifice of the Life-boat Crews we would say now of the men who ought indeed to inspire the women have died is that they have perished of Britain, and those who are gloriously, with no less honour than Members of the Ladies' Life-boat the sailor or soldier who gives Ids life Guild, to renew, d efforts in their in defence of his country. Indeed, work for this splendid cause." theirs is the hightst courage of all, for Many messages of sympathy have also it is inspired solely by the wish to been received from foreign Life-boat bring succour to those in peril, whoever societies. they may be. The New Launching Tractor. By Captain Howard F. I. Rowley, C.B.E., R.N., Chief Inspector of Life boats. LAST year the Institution completed the capable of launching off all kinds of flat first of a new type of tractor for launch- beach. It was completed in June last ing Life-boats off flat beaches. It was year, and a dedication service and built as the result of six years' experi- naming ceremony was held at the works ence with tractors at various stations. of the makers, the Four Wheel Drive That experience had established the Lorry Company. H.R.H. Princess Vic- tractor as an essential part of Life-boat toria performed the naming ceremony, equipment, but it had also shown that giving the tractor her own name, and the existing tractors were not sufficiently the Bishop of Buckingham conducted powerful and that, while successful on the dedication service.* sandy beaches, they were not suitable for * A description of the tractor and an launching off shingle or very soft mud. account of the ceremony appeared in The The new tractor was designed to be Lifeboat for August, 1927. NOVEMBER, 1928.] THE LIFEBOAT. 147 By permission of] [R. Sell BoUon. Amble. THE TRACTOR TRIALS AT BOULMER. By permission of] [H, Rentley. Barrow-in-furness. THE NEW PEL (BARROW) BOAT-HOUSE AND SLIPWAY. (In the last issue of The Life-boat, in the account of the Inaugura Ceremony of the new Motor Life-boat at Piel, a photograph of the old boat-house was reproduced in mistake for the new one.) 148 THE LIFEBOAT. [NOVEMBER, 1928. Immediately after the ceremony the the worst foreshores to be found—on tractor was sent down to New Romney, hard sand, soft wet sand, sand dunes, in Kent, which has one of the most banks of shingle and soft mud. These difficult foreshores anywhere on our trials were so successful that, though coasts, and trials were carried out they showed that some minor improve- lasting three days. These trials showed ments can be made in future tractors, that important alterations would be the Princess Victoria, after completing necessary, and the tractor was returned the trial at Hoylake, was at once to the makers, who, as they had under- stationed there in place of the tractor taken to design a tractor suitable to of the old typ3. the requirements of the Service, have Rigorous Tests. reconstructed it at their own expense. They have provided a much lower The following are some of the diffi- reduction gear, while using the same culties which the tractor overcame. 60 h.p. engine, so as to increase pulling At New Romney she took the Life- power. They have reconstructed the boat for 40 yards through soft mud in frame to make it stronger, and they have which the carriage tracks sank to a dfpth of 18 to 20 inches. substituted open for closed sprockets f jr At Boulmer, when the tide was at the creeper tracks. full ebb, the tractor launched the boat Increase of Pulling Power. after pushing her over about 150 yards The result of these alterations has been of soft sand under water.