THE lifeboat George Elmy was agonisingly close to dry land when it disappeared before the eyes of the anxious crowds gathered on the harbourside.

According to Seaham coastguard Paul Thompson, it had set sail in what many local people still describe as the worst weather Seaham has ever seen, to try to save the crew of the fishing coble Economy.

Four fishermen and a nine-year-old boy had found themselves in trouble when a severe storm bombarded their boat with hurricane-strength winds, snow and towering waves.

But the lifeboat that saved them was overwhelmed and its five crew - coxswain John Miller, second coxswain Fred Gippert, Arthur Brown, Leonard Brown and James Farrington - and four people from the fishing boat were killed.

At 7pm today, a church service will be held in Dawdon, east Durham, to remember the victims who died on the afternoon of November 17, 1962.

Irene Waller, from Seaham, was just eight-years-old when the incident happened, watched closely by her father, Joe Salt, a fisherman.

She still remembers the anxious air in the town when the fishermen set off their flares.

People made their way to the cliff tops and harbour, knowing many pairs of hands would be needed in such severe weather.

The fishermen had been plucked from their boat and those lining the harbour breathed a sigh of relief as they saw the lifeboat lights approaching.

But just 30ft from the harbour, the sea made one last attempt to claim the lifeboat and its cargo of crew and survivors, and overturned the boat.

Irene said: "Everybody was devastated, whether they knew the people who had been on the boat or not.

"When they set the flares off, everybody knew it was something serious, because it was such a vicious night.

"Everybody was turning out to help with the search but they never, ever thought the lifeboat would go down."

Only one man survived, Donald Whinfield Burrell, a miner.

He had gone out on the cobble with his nine-year-old son, David, brother Gordon Burrell, and two other men, Joseph Kennedy and George Firth.

Mr Burrell tried in vain to save his son when the lifeboat tipped over, by clinging on to him.

However, a wave parted them and Donald was washed ashore, holding on to the upturned boat.

Donald is still alive today, but has never talked about the incident.

Today, a stone monument in Seaham stands overlooking the site where the tragic accident happened.

The incident has passed into folklore in Seaham and a lament to the tragedy can be read on the walls of the Lion pub.