A perilous rescue in May 1906 involved Coxswain Thomas Langlands using his own fishing boat to rescue three fellow fishermen from rough seas. He kept them safe until they could be transferred to the RNLI lifeboat. For his outstanding seamanship and great courage, the RNLI awarded him a Silver Medal for Gallantry.

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On 14 May 1906, six local cobles (flat-bottomed fishing boats) were returning to Whitby in rough seas and a high wind. Four of them reached the harbour safely, but the fifth was hit by two huge waves which left her sinking within seconds. Three fishermen were thrown overboard.

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Thomas Langlands, who was on one of the first four boats, immediately took his own coble back to the harbour entrance and pulled one of the men onboard. The other two men had managed to grab hold of a line thrown from the pier, but were being battered by the tide. Langlands manoeuvred his boat close enough to the pier to haul the two terrified survivors aboard.

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Soon the lifeboat Robert and Mary Ellis arrived at the scene and all three rescued fishermen were transferred to the safety of the lifeboat.