Dunmore East RNLI lifeboat ‘Elizabeth and Ronald’ returns to service
Hundreds gathered on the high wall in Dunmore East to welcome Dunmore East RNLI’s lifeboat ‘Elizabeth and Ronald’ back home. After more than a year out of service, the lifeboat finally returned to its rightful place.
On 1 December 2017 Dunmore East RNLI’s all-weather Trent class lifeboat ‘Elizabeth and Ronald’ sustained damage overnight while moored alongside its pontoon. Afterwards, the lifeboat was moved to Falmouth Boat Yard in the UK for repair. Last week the lifeboat went through extensive sea trials before it was allowed to return on service in Dunmore East.
At 5pm on Sunday 20 January 2019 Dunmore East RNLI lifeboat 14-17 ‘Elizabeth and Ronald’ returned to a huge welcome as people gathered on the high wall in Dunmore East to catch the first glimpse of the lifeboat as it returned home. Refreshments were served to all at the station house after in celebration of the lifeboats return.
The service has been maintained in Dunmore East with relief lifeboat 14-06 ‘Windsor Runner’ on station. The volunteer crews are having a busy period responding to three separate incidents this week alone. On Wednesday 16 January Dunmore East lifeboat crew assisted a 26m fishing vessel with engine trouble,10 miles South of Dunmore East. On Sunday afternoon 20 January, assisted a 26m fishing vessel with engine trouble, 6 miles South East of Dunmore East and also assisted a 15m fishing vessel on rocks 1-mile North of Hook Head.
Ciaran O’ Muaillain, RNLI Lifeboat Operations Manager for Dunmore East RNLI, said: ‘It is fantastic to have our own lifeboat back again, our volunteer crew are very attached to ‘Elizabeth and Ronald’. It was a very emotional evening and I would like to thank everyone for coming out to support our lifeboat crew on this special evening’.
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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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