[1] The boilers fed a three-cylinder triple expansion steam engine rated at 380 nominal horsepower[1] that was built by David Rowan & Co Ltd, Glasgow.

[citation needed] In the autumn of 1939 Mount Ida, carrying a cargo of grain and timber, and with a crew of 29, left Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, bound for the port of Leith, Scotland.

The lifeboat had been at sea for an hour when the coastguard informed Blogg by radio that Mount Ida was not on Haisborough Sands but was grounded 19 miles (31 km) further north-east, on Ower Bank.

By 1415 hrs conditions had improved and Blogg, using the lifeboat's powerful engines with great skill, was able to maintain a steady position alongside the ship for over an hour.

During this time all 29 crewmen were brought off successfully, though one suffered crushed legs when he hesitated to descend the rope ladder and was trapped between the lifeboat and the Mount Ida; he later died of his injuries in Cromer Hospital.