The Wick lifeboat was called out on 25 October 1939 after a report had been received that the Star of Victory had run aground off Keiss. The trawler had run aground the previous evening and her Skipper had tried repeatedly to free the ship, using a kedge anchor, first from the bows and then from the stern. The trawler however, had remained hard aground and so the lifeboat was launched at 9.07am on the 25th and in calm seas, stood by the trawler until 2.00pm, when she returned to harbour. At 10.30am the following morning the coastguard reported that the Star of Victory was in need of immediate assistance, an ESE gale having blown up during the night with heavy seas then battering the stranded trawler. Five minutes later the City of Edinburgh was heading out of the harbour and with great skill in the very heavy seas, Coxswain More succeeded in getting alongside the trawler and her crew of 10 were rescued being landed safely at 1.00pm.
Three days later a salvage party of seven men went out in a small boat from Keiss and boarded the Star of Victory, to make a survey with a view to salvaging the vessel, the small boat returning to Keiss. As the morning wore on however, a fresh ESE wind blew up, whipping up very choppy seas. The salvage party signalled for the small boat to go back out again and take them off the trawler, but this proved to be impossible in the prevailling conditions and so the City of Edinburgh was launched at 12.05pm, Coxswain More being summoned from a Communion service which he was attending in the Old Parish Church. With heavy seas beginning to break over the wrecked trawler, Coxswain More took the lifeboat alongside and rescued the seven men, landing them at 2.15pm.
The trawler became a total wreck. Possible position 58 32 00N, 03 07 00W.
The Star of Victory was built in November 1917 by John Duthie, Shipbuilding Co. of Torry, Aberdeen as the Admiralty Strath-Class trawler William Ashton. She was renamed temporarily City of Perth while on loan to the U.S. Navy from 1919. She reverted to her original name when sold by the Navy and sailed from Grimsby as the William Ashton until 1929, when she was bought by the Walker Stream Trawl Fishing Co. Ltd, who renamed her Star of Victory (A4).
Her dimensions were 120' x 22'6" x 12'6". She had a triple expansion 71RHP engine built by W. Beardmore & Co, Glasgow and she was steel built.
Three days later a salvage party of seven men went out in a small boat from Keiss and boarded the Star of Victory, to make a survey with a view to salvaging the vessel, the small boat returning to Keiss. As the morning wore on however, a fresh ESE wind blew up, whipping up very choppy seas. The salvage party signalled for the small boat to go back out again and take them off the trawler, but this proved to be impossible in the prevailling conditions and so the City of Edinburgh was launched at 12.05pm, Coxswain More being summoned from a Communion service which he was attending in the Old Parish Church. With heavy seas beginning to break over the wrecked trawler, Coxswain More took the lifeboat alongside and rescued the seven men, landing them at 2.15pm.
The trawler became a total wreck. Possible position 58 32 00N, 03 07 00W.
The Star of Victory was built in November 1917 by John Duthie, Shipbuilding Co. of Torry, Aberdeen as the Admiralty Strath-Class trawler William Ashton. She was renamed temporarily City of Perth while on loan to the U.S. Navy from 1919. She reverted to her original name when sold by the Navy and sailed from Grimsby as the William Ashton until 1929, when she was bought by the Walker Stream Trawl Fishing Co. Ltd, who renamed her Star of Victory (A4).
Her dimensions were 120' x 22'6" x 12'6". She had a triple expansion 71RHP engine built by W. Beardmore & Co, Glasgow and she was steel built.