Looe RNLI volunteer crew investigate debris floating 10 miles south of Looe

Earlier this morning, Tuesday 9 June 2020, Falmouth coastguard operations centre received a call from a local fishing vessel reporting floating debris approx. 10 miles south of Looe. At 8.07 am our volunteer crew were paged to assemble, observing social distancing, outside the boathouse. A crew for the charity’s Atlantic 85 Sheila and Dennis Tongue II was selected and the inshore lifeboat was launched at 8.20 am by head launcher Chris Lewis and tractor driver Del Palfrey. Our @RNLI volunteer crew with Clive Palfrey at the helm, made best speed to the reported location where they found a large hatch panel that the fishing vessel had tied to a dan marker. Our crew were then asked by Falmouth coastguards to sweep the area for any more debris. Nothing more was found, so our crew were stood down from the search. As it could be a hazard to shipping, our crew recovered the panel onto the Atlantic 85 and returned to station.

Our crew are puzzled by the panel, with all their fishing and boating experience they have not seen anything similar before. There are no markings on the panel, which is made of wood, covered with fibre glass, carbon fibre and has a bracket for hydraulics

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Notes to editors

Photos:

· Panel recovered by Looe RNLI Atlantic 85 Sheila and Dennis Tongue II
Photo credit RNLI / Matt Jaycock

· Looe RNLI Atlantic 85 Sheila and Dennis Tongue II returning to port
Photo credit RNLI / Ian Foster

· Volunteer crew Aaron Rix with the panel outside Looe lifeboat station
Photo credit RNLI / Eric Candy

Information

· Re-established as an inshore lifeboat station in 1992, Looe RNLI operate two inshore lifeboats
An Atlantic 85 Sheila and Dennis Tongue II and a D Class Ollie Naismith

· For further information on Looe RNLI Lifeboats please visit our website www.looelifeboats.co.uk

· Looe RNLI Facebook page www.facebook.com/LooeRNLI

RNLI media contacts

For more information please telephone Ian Foster, RNLI Volunteer Lifeboat Press Officer for Looe Lifeboat Station, on 07902 753228 or [email protected] or [email protected]

or Amy Caldwell, RNLI Regional Media Manager, on 07920 818807 or [email protected]

or Marianne Quinn, RNLI Regional Media Officer, on 07786 668847 or [email protected]

Alternatively you can contact the RNLI Duty Press Officer on 01202 336789.

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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Contacting the RNLI - public enquiries

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