SAILORS' GALLANTRY.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 787, 9 April 1910, Page 7

SAILORS' GALLANTRY.

PLUCKY EESCUES AT DOVER. ; A naval fatality occurred Tecently at Dover, and was accompanied - by some thrilling rescue scenes. The torpedo gunboat Leda entered the naval harbour during the height of a gale, and lowered a boat containing six.men to moor her to a buoy. The boat was.lowered just inside, the western entrance, and had hardly got clear of the warship when it was caught by a heavy sea and capsized. Another boat was promptly lowered from the Leda, whilst all the warships in the harbour also sent boats to the rescue. In the meantime a plucky act was performed by Surgeon Shannon, of the Leda. Undeterred by the heavy sea, he took a line, and, jumping overboard in the surging .sea, v swam to the assistance of the' men. He got hold of one sailor and'held him np until the man was picked up by a boat' Surgeon Shannon was so .exhausted that he sank twice before' it was possible to save him. ; . The boat from the battleship Venerable rescued him,, and he was taken aboard the battleship, where ha received medical attention. Another gallant action was performed by Able-Sea-man Fredericks, of the battleship Formidable. As the Formidablo's picket boat came up to the scene of the accident Fredericks noticed one' of tho men from the Leda's boat, floating with his head under the water, owing: to his lifebelt ■not. being ,on properly. Fredericks at once jumped overboard from the picket boat, got the man's head above water, adjusted his lifebelt, and swam with him to the boat, and .helped to get him aboard. All the men from the capsized boat were rescued, with the exception of an able seaman named Bims'on, who was drowned.