FISHERMEN IN WAR TIME 



sweeping. While sweeping in the trawler Star of 

 Britain, three violent explosions occurred close 

 under her stern. The situation was one of very 

 grave danger, but the officer set to work at once 

 to meet it. He " controlled the crew " and then 

 crawled into a confined space near the screw shaft 

 and discovered the damage. Then he managed to 

 stop the leak for the time being well enough to 

 enable the pumps to keep the water down and the 

 ship to be saved. 



Little effort of the imagination is needed to pic- 

 ture the courage that was needed to carry out a task 

 like that in a damaged little craft which was in a 

 mine-infested area and might at any moment come 

 in contact with another mine and be utterly de- 

 stroyed. The circumstances of the work itself also 

 were particularly unfavourable, the screw-shaft of 

 a trawler being necessarily extremely limited. 



On the 19th also Lieutenant W. G. Wood, 

 R.N.R., in the trawler Restrivo, did excellent work 

 in going to the help of damaged trawlers. Amongst 

 other things he performed the risky duty of crossing 

 the minefield at low water when sent to bring in the 

 Valiant, which had been disabled by a mine. 



Christmas Day provided an opportunity for Skip- 

 per T. Tringall, of the trawler Solon, to show un- 

 common initiative and bravery. It was night, and 

 a steamer, the Gallier, had just been mined. To 

 add to the danger of the situation it was low water ; 

 yet these things did not keep Skipper Tringall 

 from going to the help of the mined vessel. This 



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