Eastbourne Lifeboat called to capsized trawler
Eastbourne’s all-weather lifeboat was launched at 3.52pm last evening (7 Nov) in atrocious conditions following a Mayday distress call involving a capsized Belgium trawler.
The trawler was working 15 miles offshore on the edge of the Dover Straits shipping lanes when its nets apparently snagged an underwater obstacle and quickly capsized.
All four crewmen were thrown into the water which was being whipped up into a four metre swell by near gale force winds.
In a stroke of amazing good fortune a passing coaster witnessed the event and immediately put out a Mayday distress message before plucking two of the fisherman from the water.
Meanwhile the remaining crewman managed to scramble unto the upturned hull of the stricken vessel. Lifeboats from Eastbourne and Newhaven were scrambled along with coastguard rescue helicopter 163.
The helicopter was first on scene and winched the two men from the upturned hull and then the two men from the coaster before taking all four to the Conquest Hospital at Hastings for assessment.
Meanwhile the volunteer crew of Eastbourne lifeboat were requested to stand by the upturned hull to mark its position and to warn other shipping in the area of the danger until such time as HM Coastguard could organise a tug to take the wreck to a safe place and set up an exclusion zone.
Notes to editors
Eastbourne has celebrated over 185 years as a lifeboat station and currently operates an all-weather Tamar Class lifeboat Diamond Jubilee and an inshore D-Class lifeboat Laurence and Percy Hobbs.
RNLI media contacts For more information please contact:
- Bob Jeffery, Eastbourne RNLI Volunteer Lifeboat Press Officer, on 07802 878017 LPObob@btinternet.com
- Paul Dunt, RNLI Press Officer (London/East/South East) on : 0207 6207426 Mob: 07785 296252
For enquiries outside normal business hours, contact the RNLI duty press officer on 01202 336789
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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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