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HMCS Cheboque

An outstanding service carried out by the Mumbles Lifeboat was during Oct 1944.The Frigate Cheboque of the Royal Canadian Navy was part of the escort to the westbound Atlantic Convoy. On Oct 4th 1944 when she had been at sea for five days, She broke off to attack a enemy submarine. With a full moon rising astern of her she was a perfect target for the U-Boat and was hit by a torpedo there was many Casualties. With some of the crew taken off leaving 42 on ship she was towed to Mumbles by the Tug Earner arriving on Oct 11th

While at anchor a gale blew up and at 5:00 she started to drag her anchors the tug Earner kept her engines running but the tow parted the tug was also damaged.The Lifeboat was called but due to the phone lines being down there was a delay till 7:45 They arrived on scene The frigate was by now stuck by the stern on a sand bar at Port Talbot

It was now Dark with Hail and a bad sea running it was hard for them to find her. It was not possible to veer down on her due to the fact her anchors and cable's would of fouled the Lifeboat's Props nor was it possible to use a breeches buoy. The Lifeboat tried to run along side her in a attempt to take the crew off with the heavy sea the lifeboat was one moment as high as the ships forecastle the next below the water line

In the few second's the lifeboat could stay along side a few men jumped on to her but only 2 or 3 at a time so the lifeboat had to make a return run circling the stricken vessel to run back in. This was done 12 times till all the men had been taken off amazingly all bar 3 landed safely one broke a leg but one other had a lucky escape falling between the two vessels to be rescued by the quick actions of the lifeboat coxswain the other landing on top of the coxswain injuring him

The coxswain William Gammon was later awarded the R.N.L.I.`s Gold Medal with a copy of the vote inscribed on vellum to William Davis mechanic and Thomas Ace bowman each a Bronze medal. To Charles Davies,Thomas Davies,William Eynon,Alfred Michael and William Michael each the thanks of the Institution inscribed on vellum Also worth noting is the fact that out of the lifeboat's crew that night two was over 70 years old two more in their 60s and the youngest was 40 years old