Trawler Ashore at Findon (1937)

Once again fog played its part when the Strathavon, an Aberdeen trawler, ran ashore on rocks near Findon Ness in August of this year. An SOS was sounded on the vessels siren and this was heard by the coastguard who in turn informed the lifeboat authorities in Aberdeen. 

The Aberdeen lifeboat, Emma Constance, was launched and went to the vessel’s assistance. A line was passed to the Strathavon and an attempt was made to tow the trawler off the rocks but that attempt was unsuccessful. An anchor was then ran out and with the assistance of the lifeboat and the rising tide the vessel was successfully refloated clear off the rocks after being aground for about two hours. The Strathavon safely reached Aberdeen escorted by the lifeboat. 

By the 1930’s there were less and less instances of wreckages and loss of life and with modern lifeboats being in the vicinity of Aberdeen and Stonehaven any vessels that did run aground had a better chance of escape than those from earlier years. There is no doubt that modern navigation aids, better designed vessels and new technology played their part in ensuring that losses along the British coast were vastly reduced from what we saw in earlier centuries.