Lifeboat stranded on rocks

by infomatique | January 30, 2008 at 03:00 pm

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High seas and gale force winds threatened fresh damage to the stranded £2m Portrush lifeboat which was stuck on rocks on Rathlin Island tonight.

Earlier the crew and engineering experts had to be rescued by helicopter after an attempt to pull it free failed when a line snapped.

Worried RNLI Ireland officials in charge of the operation fear worsening weather conditions pose a serious risk of more damage to the `Katie Hannan` which is filling up with water.

New attempts will be made tomorrow to get it off the rocks close to the entrance to the island`s harbour off Ballycastle on the North Antrim coast.

During one bid to steady the stricken boat two of the lifeboat men were thrown into the sea when their inflatable dinghy was hit by a wave.

The 40-tonne lifeboat became jammed on Tuesday night when the crew was called out from Portrush 15 miles away to rescue three people whose fishing boat got into trouble in a heavy swell with gales of 30-35mph.

At one stage today a tugboat from Derry tried to pull the boat free. But the line snapped forcing the operation to be abandoned and later the crew themselves had to be airlifted to safety by an Irish Coastguard helicopter.

Colin Williams, divisional inspector with the RNLI, tonight confirmed the difficulties involved in the operation to get the lifeboat back into the harbour`s deep water for emergency repairs.

He said: "There is alot of water inside the vessel. There is alot of damage around the keel. We thought we were in with a chance, but it does not have the buoyancy to lift.

"All the watertight doors are closed, but there is a lot of water in the vessel. Unfortunately the there is a very bad weather forecast and we will have to wait until tomorrow before we decide what to do next."

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Lifeboat stranded on rocks after rescue attempt
30/01/2008 - 12:40:41

The Portrush RNLI all-weather lifeboat was left stranded on rocks at Rathlin Island off the North’s coast last night after attempting to rescue three people whose boat was perilously close to rocks.

After several failed attempts to throw a line to the stricken boat, lifeboat Katie Hannan was grounded when struck by a heavy swell.

Despite the efforts of a local fishing vessel and Larne’s RNLI lifeboat to tow the Katie Hannan from the rocks, the lifeboat could not be moved.

Two of the lifeboat crew were thrown into the water from the lifeboat’s small inflatable boat after assisting in the attempts to refloat the all-weather lifeboat. They both managed to scramble ashore safely.

For their own safety, the five Katie Hannan crew remaining on board had to leave their vessel.

The three people who were at the centre of the rescue attempt were safely assisted to the shore by the Rathlin Island Coastguard team.

An attempt to pull her off the rocks by tugboats will be made early this afternoon at high tide.

RNLI lifeboats from Larne, Islay and Lough Swilly are helping to maintain all-weather lifeboat cover until a relief lifeboat arrives at Portrush later tonight.

The Portrush inshore lifeboat continues to operate normally.

The Inspector of Lifeboats for RNLI Ireland, Colin Williams, praised the bravery of the Portrush lifeboat crew and their colleagues from Larne.

“The Larne lifeboat crew, helped by local fishermen from Ballycastle, aboard the fishing vessel Siobhan 2, struggled for several hours in very difficult sea conditions to attempt to refloat the Portrush Lifeboat,” he said.

“The Rathlin Island Coastguard team greatly assisted rescue efforts from ashore and the operation was efficiently co-ordinated by Belfast HM Coastguard.

“This incident clearly demonstrates the crucial importance of RNLI training that all our volunteer crew receive. It ensures they stay as safe as possible in sometimes hostile and dangerous conditions as has happened here.”

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The Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) is a charity that saves lives at sea around the coasts of Great Britain and Ireland, as well as inshore. It was founded on 4 March 1824 as the National Institution for the Preservation of Life from Shipwreck, adopting the present name in 1854.

There are over 230 lifeboat stations strategically placed around the coast of the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland together with RNLI Lifeguard units in the south, south west and east coast of the UK. Lifeboat rescues have doubled since 1980, the RNLI rescues an average of 22 people a day.

The RNLI also directly employs beach lifeguards on beaches in the south west, south Wales and Norfolk. In 2008 this service will be expanded to cover 107 beaches.

The RNLI is funded by voluntary donations and legacies (together with tax reclaims), with an annual budget of £130M.
Originally many of the lifeboat crews came from maritime backgrounds, but with the decline of many maritime industries only one in ten volunteers now come from a professional maritime background. Volunteer crews are more likely to be teachers or shop keepers than fishermen.