§ 81. Mr. Hector Hughesasked the Minister of Transport if he is yet in a position to make a further and fuller statement as to the causes of the disaster during the recent great storm to the Fraserburgh lifeboat; and what steps he is taking to prevent the occurrence of another disaster of a similar character.
§ Mr. Lennox-BoydYes. The Fraserburgh lifeboat went out on the afternoon of Monday, 9th February to escort fishing vessels into the harbour. At the time a very heavy swell was running and as the lifeboat was approaching the harbour entrance on her third return journey a heavy sea lifted her stern into the air and broke amidships. Almost immediately a second sea struck the lifeboat on the starboard quarter filling the cockpit and the space under the canopy. All the crew except the coxswain were swept forward against the engine controls under the canopy and the lifeboat capsized. One of the crew managed to escape from the lifeboat and swam ashore. The other six were drowned.
While every step is taken to ensure the greatest possible safety for the crews that man the lifeboats round our coast I am afraid we shall never altogether overcome the risks that necessarily attend heroic and gallant service of this nature. Fortunately, however, tragedies of this nature are very rare.
140WMy right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Scotland has already expressed the sympathy of the House with the relatives of the men who lost their lives.