Hartlepool RNLI search for distress call
An emergency beacon transmitting a distress call prompted a search of the River Tees by the Hartlepool RNLI all-weather lifeboat and volunteer crew.
Following a request from Humber Coastguard the all-weather lifeboat and volunteer crew launched at 2.55pm on Thursday 7 December to search an area of the River Tees near the Transporter Bridge at Middlesbrough for an 'Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacon' (EPIRB) that was transmitting a distress call from a vessel.
At 3.50pm Humber Coastguard informed the RNLI all-weather lifeboat that the EPIRB had stopped transmitting and were to end their search.
The lifeboat returned to the Ferry Road lifeboat station at 4.15pm and was made ready for service by 4.45pm.
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The RNLI charity saves lives at sea. Its volunteers provide a 24-hour search and rescue service around the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland coasts. The RNLI operates 238 lifeboat stations in the UK and Ireland and more than 240 lifeguard units on beaches around the UK and Channel Islands. The RNLI is independent of Coastguard and government and depends on voluntary donations and legacies to maintain its rescue service. Since the RNLI was founded in 1824, its lifeboat crews and lifeguards have saved over 146,000 lives.
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