Castletownbere RNLI assists stricken fishing vessel with six crew onboard
Castletownbere RNLI were launched last night (Monday 10 May) just after 9pm to go to the assistance of a fishing vessel which experienced mechanical failure close to Mizen Head in West Cork.
Castletownbere RNLI was requested by Valentia Coast Guard Radio last night to go to the assistance of an 18m Castletownbere-based fishing trawler whose propeller had become fouled and therefore was unable to move. The vessel had six crew on board.
The lifeboat was launched within minutes under the command of Coxswain Dean Hegarty with crew Marney O’Donoghue, Sean ‘Bawn’ O’Sullivan, Kyle Cronin, Aaron O’Boyle, John William O’Donoghue and Donagh Murphy. At 9.46pm, the lifeboat located the stricken vessel one mile south-west of Mizen Head.
Conditions on-scene were described as a 2-3m swell and with Force 5 south-westerly winds. The volunteer lifeboat crew secured a tow to the fishing vessel and proceeded to tow the vessel towards Castletownbere without incident. The stricken vessel was safely berthed at Castletownbere Pier just before 1am this morning and the lifeboat was refuelled and made ready for service.
Commenting on the call out Castletownbere RNLI Lifeboat Operations Manager, Paul Stevens, stated: ‘The fishing vessel made the right call in seeking assistance – given the boat’s proximity to the shore and the prevailing wind conditions, the lifeboat ensured that a potential critical incident was averted.' Paul also complimented the crew on its rapid response, maintaining strict Covid-19 protocols and the successful outcome of the call out.
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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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