Vessel Refloated in Few Hours
Fog Casualties - Motor-ship Hauled Off Whitburn Steel
Within a few hours of Sunderland tugs hauling the motorship Frederik off Whitburn Steel this morning in a fog in which visibility was described as nil, came news that the Lowestoft drifter Young Mun was fast on the rocks below Souter Point lighthouse.
The crew of five were taken off by Tynemouth life-boat, but returned later and the drifter was refloated this afternoon.
A line was fired aboard the grounded drifter by South Shields Volunteer Life Brigade, whose assistance, however, was fortunately not required.
When members of the crew of Tynemouth lifeboat were called to the station, they had just been able to snatch a few hours’ sleep following their all-night search with Sunderland lifeboat for two vessels presumed to have collided off the mouth of the Tyne.
Hastily collecting breeches buoy apparatus, South Shields Volunteer Life Brigade rushed to Souter Point and fired a line aboard the trawler. Their assistance was not needed, however, for by this time the lifeboat had arrived on the scene and succeeded in taking aboard the five or six men in the crew.
Leaving a line connected with the Young Mun, the Shields Brigade returned to their station and stood by in case they were needed later in the day.
The France Fenwick Sunderland tugs Wexford and Cleadon and the Cook Towage Co.’s Wear tug Stag stood by ready to make refloating efforts this evening.
Shortly after 2 p.m. however, the Young Mun was refloated, apparently under her own steam.
Except for two men who took brief spell ashore, the drifter’s crew had remained in the lifeboat until they returned to get up steam.
After refloating the drifter made for the Tyne.
Hooting of Sirens
A Whitburn auxiliary coast watcher told a Sunderland Echo representative, who visited the drifter, that she went aground about 8.15 in a particularly thick fog. “There was a continuous hooting of sirens the time as vessels proceeded cautiously up the coast, and at first it was thought larger vessel had grounded.”
The Souter Point lighthouse keeper said the drifter appeared to make straight for the rocks despite the close proximity of the fog-horn, which is one of the most powerful on the coast. The vessel, it seems, is not damaged, although she had a list, and none of the crew were injured when she grounded.
The Young Mun, which has a gross tonnage of 87 and a length of 84ft. 51n., was constructed in 1911 at Lowestoft and is owned by E. T. Capps & Sons.
Source: Sunderland Daily Echo and Shipping Gazette 11 August 1938
Stranded Drifter
Temporary repairs were carried out to the Lowestoft drifter Young Mun in Brigham and Cowan’s Tyne dock before the vessel sailed to her home port. The Young Mun was ashore for more than six hours below Souter Point lighthouse, and damaged her keel.
Source: Sunderland Daily Echo and Shipping Gazette 15 August 1938