Angle lifeboat assists a 35 metre fishing vessel

Shortly after 10pm on Sunday 23 of February, Angle volunteer lifeboat crew were requested to launch by Milford Haven Coastguard to provide safety cover whilst a tug connected a tow to a disabled fishing vessel in a position six miles from St Ann’s Head. The 35 metre beam trawler had suffered gearbox problems whilst working off Trevose Head, Cornwall, and had been towed towards Milford Haven by another fishing vessel.

The Lifeboat launched and arrived on scene 30 minutes later, with the tug standing by. The tow was passed to the trawler but shortly after commencing the tow, the tug experienced issues so the lifeboat was requested to take over the tow.

The lifeboat rigged a tow and proceeded towards Milford Haven. With wind speeds of up to 30 knots and three metre seas, the tow was slow, arriving off Milford Shelf at 1:45am on Monday morning. Once off Milford Shelf the tow was passed over to a commercial tug who continued to tow the trawler up to the Port of Pembroke. With no further assistance required, the lifeboat was released and returned to station at 2:25am.

Key facts about the RNLI

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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