Evening star., 1948-03-08
Breeche:s Buoy Takes
Il From Motorship
off Carolina Coast
BY the Associaisd Press


BY the Assecioted Press
MOREHEAD CITY, N. c., Mar.
8.-Twenty-one men were rescued
today from the stricken motorship
Norfolk.
While towering waves still pound
ed the grounded tanker, Coast
Guardsmen used q breeches buoy
to take the men to safety one by
one. One crewman was rescued
yesterday.
The 81 men, all reported in good
condition, spent a dreary night
aboard their battered, leaking YES
sci. The Norfolk, a 252-foot, 2,453-
ton ship, piled into the treacherous
sand reef off Beaufort Inlet yes
terday while in distress and trying
to make harbor.
Coast Guard Stood By.
For time, it appeared she would
be broken up by the surging sea
Today Coast Guardsmen said sal
wage might be possible when the
sea calns.
Coast Guard boats stood by the
vessel all night in heavy fog
Bright sunshine this morning soon
burned off the fog, but the waves
still kept boats from going along
side and the breeches buoy was
brought into play. Planes roared
over the area as the men trans
ferred from the motorShip TO the
Coast Guard vessels along the
slender line.
The first IA men were taken i'm
mediately to the Fort Macon Coast
Guard station and the boats re-
turned for the remaining seven. BY
mid morning all were safely ashore.
Swept Under Keel.
Rescue efforts were abandoned
last night because of darkness and
heavy seas after the ships elec-
trician, who volunteered to be first,
was swept from a rescue line and
dashed under the keel of a Coast
Guard boat. He was pulled aboard
the boat and hospitalized with head
injuries.
Two Coast Guardsmen also we're
injured in the rescue operations
in the 18-foot waves.
The rest of the crew elected to
spend the night on the silent, fog
shrouded ship, buffeted by the
waves. They were cheered only by
the sight of blinker lights and signal
flares which told them Coast Guard
boats were standing by in case the
vessel brokeup during the night.
Whipped by Gale.
Whipped by a 60-mile gale and
shipping water. the Norfolk sought
safe harbor here from the storm
The Coast Guard attempted late
yesterday morning to put pilot
aboard, but the small boat took a
terrific beating and one Coast
Guardsman was hurt in the unsuc-
cessful effort.
The vessel then apparently at
tempted to make the harbor with
out a pilot through the narrow
inlet and hit the bar where she
stuck fast.
K. F. McCrary, treasurer Of the
st. Lawrence and Erie Navigation
Co., said in New York the ship was
en- route from Port Sulphur, La,
to Alexandria, Va, with 1890 tons
of sulphur.
Sent Distress Message.
First word that the Norfolk was
in difficulty was a radio message
at 3:31 am. yesterday from Capt.
T. E. Brown of New York, reporting
she was shipping heavy seas, and
in danger of losing hatches." She
then was Is miles south southwest
Of Cape Lookout.
The Coast Guard at Norfolk dis
patched the buoy tender Confer
and the Mendoza from Wilmington,
N. c. At 11:17 am. the Norfolk re-
ported she was off Morehead City
and said urgent we get in harbor.
need assistance"
One Coast Guard boat nearly
swamped during the rescue work
yesterday, but got safely to shore.
Communication with the stranded
vessel was hampered because her
radio room was flooded.
Oil Poured on Waters.
Oil was poured on the surging seas
to calm it sufficiently to remove the
men, but without avail.
Meanwhile, two coast guardsmen
and the member of the Norfolk's
crew who was removed were reported
in good condition at hospital here.
They are Guardsmen Carl M. Willis
of Harkers's Island, under treatment
for a broken rib, and Darrell Lupton
of Sedar Island, who suffered a
broken finger in rescue attempt,
and Electrician Carlos Mario
Riquelme, who suffered head injuries
when he left the Norfolk.
Tanker Rescues Six
From Damaged Schooner
("