§ Mr. FELLasked the First Lord of the Admiralty if his attention has been directed to the sinking of a steam drifter in the fairway of Yarmouth harbour, and 23 to the fact that an Admiralty salvage lighter, known as Mooring Lighter 78, came into the harbour on 4th November and moored near the sunken wreck, and that the assistance of the lighter was sought by the harbour commissioners to help in the removal of the wreck and was refused, after reference to the superintendent of Sheerness dockyard; and if he can say on what grounds such refusal was based?
§ Dr. MACNAMARAThe answer to the first part of this question is in the affirmative. Admiralty Mooring Lighter No. 78 only put into Yarmouth Harbour on account of stress of weather, and was required to proceed on urgent Admiralty service with the least possible delay, so that the local request could not be complied with.
§ Mr. FELLIs the right hon. Gentleman not aware of the fact that the lighter is still in the harbour?
§ Dr. MACNAMARAI am not aware of that. If this was a matter of life saving the tug would at once have gone to the rescue. This was a matter of clearing the fair way of wreck, and as our lighter and tug were necessary elsewhere we thought it was a matter for private salvage.