AN HEROIC RESCUE.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 19800, 27 May 1926, Page 14

AN HEROIC RESCUE.

MADE 400 MILES OFF HALIFAX. Adding a brilliant chapter to the long tale of thrilling rescues at sea during storms of the last winter, the British tanker Shirvan was en route for Falmouth, England, early last month, with 2d seamen rescued from the British freighter Laleham. The Shirvan, racing to the side of the stricken freighter in a gale of 400 miles off Halifax, boat the liner Mauretania, which also had swerved from her course at the first cry for help. The Mauretania I’esunied her course for New York after Captain A. H. Rostron had relayed a brief despatch of the rescue by the Shirvan. Captain Rostron, who was in command of tho Carpathia when he rescued the survivors of the Titanic in 1912, reported that the Laleham was nearly on her beam ends and all her lifeboats carried away. In a radiogram. Captain Kostroif, of tho Mauretania, . described the fruitless mid-Atlantic race of tile fleet Mauretania, and then commented: “The Shirvan did tho trick. Bravo Shirvan—over tno necessary distance, even tho Mauretania was beaten.’’ The message of Captain Rostron can best describe the heroic episode of the deep. It follows in full: “At 3.25 p.m,, March '3l, the Mauretania received an S.O.S. from the British steamer Laleham in latitude 39.06 north, longitude 56.36 west. All boats were washed away and the ship was on beam ends, its bunkers and stokehold flooded, and the water gaining. The Mauretania then was facing a north-west gale and a high sea. I immediately turned to tin rescue, and believed I was 180 miles off at that time. At full speed, I estimated, we would reach the Laleham about 1 a.m., Greenwich meantime. “All preparations were made aboard the Mauretania to rescue the Laleham’s crew. At 5 p.m. we received a message from the British tanker SOiirvan, which was only 20 miles away from the Laleham, and at 6.30 p.m. the Shirvan was in contact. It was 8.40 p.m. before the Mauretania received word from the Shirvan that she could dffoct the rescue and would take the survivors on to Falmouth, England. Then the Mauretania resumed its course toward New York at full speed, being still 30 miles away from the Laleham, all of whose crew had been saved. The Laleham was sot on fire and her seacocks opened. It was announced she submc’ge within three hours. Safety of the crew of 37 abroard tho Laleham is *»»vrert.- -(?«fried) Rostron.’’ The Laleham was a freighter of 4020 tons, owned by the British Steamship Co. (Ltd.). She was built in 1907.