Remembrance Day launch for Swanage RNLI

The lifeboats were tasked to search the shoreline from Durlston Head westwards past St Albans head to Pondfield Cove, just east of Worbarrow Tout. Weymouth inshore lifeboat, Jack and Phyl Cleare, was also launched and tasked to search from Weymouth eastwards to the same point. The Coastguard rescue helicopter, Rescue-375, was also performing a variety of search patterns in the area, along with Coastguard units on foot.

The two Swanage lifeboats were quickly into the search area, faced with a strong swell bouncing off the cliffs causing confused and uncomfortable seas.

The two lifeboats remained close to each other, the D-class inshore lifeboat, Roy Norgrove, staying as close to the cliffs as possible while the all-weather lifeboat, George Thomas Lacy, stayed a little further offshore.

Roughly 40 minutes into the search, both boats rounded St Albans head and continued west past the shallow ledges of Kimmeridge Bay.

At 9.11am the boats arrived at Worbarrow and reported back to the Coastguard that nothing had been found.

Confident that, despite the sea conditions, the search had been thorough, the volunteer crews aboard both boats were asked to retrace their steps and search back to Durlston Head on their way back to station. The steady passage back to Durlston took another hour, in the meantime all other search assets had also been unable to locate the missing person.

When back at Durlston Bay, the Coastguard confirmed that both boats could stand down and return to station. The all weather lifeboat was back on the slipway at 10.45am, with the inshore lifeboat arriving some minutes beforehand. Both boats were re-fuelled and made ready for further service.

Later in the day, Police reported that the missing person had been located.