YACHT TRAGEDY

Hokitika Guardian, 22 August 1930, Page 5

YACHT TRAGEDY

IN A CHANNEL GALE. .United Press Association—By Electric Telegraph.—Copyright.) (Received this day at 9.40 a.m.) LONDON, August 21. In the worst Channel gale since November, the eight ton auxiliary yacht islander broke up in furious seas of St. Austell. The Islander was chartered by Commodore 11. King who is thought to have been aboard the yacht with two passengers and three of the crew. No bodies have' been recovered.

A life boat from Fowey went to the rescue but was unable to approach. Increasingly heavy seas drove the yacht towards the cliff face where coastguards descended and endeavoured vainly to get a rocket life line aboard. They lieaixl screams from women entrapped in the cabin and saw a man come back aiUl dive off, but he was swallowed up immediately in the raging sea. . The yacht became a total wreck.

i FURTHER PARTICULARS. i ~ A NOTABLE LOST. (Official Wireless.) . (Received thi* dev at 11 a.m.) RUGBY, Aug. 22. Commodore King, a member of Parliament for South Paddington, who had held a number of posts in the Con- . eerva.ti.ve Government, has perished in a yachting disaster off the coast of Cornwall. He chartered the yacht Islander for a holiday cruise, and aboard with him were one of his daughters, Commander Seale, of the Royal Naval Volunteer Service, Surgeon-Oapt. Brailey;! Medical Officer of his Majesty’s ship President, Oapt. Glazebrook (skipper) arid two deck hands. : A gale was raging and night falling when the yacht was driven on the rooks, in .Lanliver Bay, near Polperro. Fonv.ey lifeboats went out b'u oould not approach the vessel. A lifeline was •fired over the yacht and two men aboard were seen desperately hanging on to the lifelife, but it gave way in the terrific seas. A tidal wave caught the vessel and altered .its position, flinging it against the. rooks. One man was seen to dive from the yacht and begin to swim to the- shore, but he disappeared under the water. The Fowey lifeboat strove for two 'hours to get near the yacht, but heavy seas and dangerous rocks proved too formidable. The yacht pounded to destruction and all aboard were drowned. I , Commodore King was one of the most versatile men in the Conservative Party and was regarded as destined to hold a high place in some future Conservative administration, He was 53 mid still young, as politicians go, He had been Junior Lord of the Treasury, and Financial Secretary to the War Office, and in the lost Conservative Administration was in charge of the Mines Department, Before he entered upon his Parliamentary career he took part in the defence of Antwerp, served in the Gallipoli campaign, and was with the .Royal Naval siege guns in Flanders.