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Royal Navy assist Hartlepool RNLI to tow fishing boat

Lifeboats News Release

Hartlepool RNLI volunteers were paged at 4.32pm on Wednesday 20th October to assist an 11 metre fishing boat with three people on board that had suffered mechanical failure 2 miles off Blackhall, County Durham and had been taken under tow by Royal Navy patrol and training vessel 'HMS Explorer'.

RNLI/Tom Collins

The casualty vessel between Hartlepool RNLI all weather lifeboat 'Betty Huntbatch' and Royal Navy boat 'HMS Explorer'.
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The all weather lifeboat Betty Huntbatch launched at 4.50pm and was alongside the casualty vessel within a few minutes as it was then approximately a mile and a half off Hartlepool where the tow was handed over to the RNLI boat.
The vessel was towed to Hartlepool Marina where a team from Hartlepool Coastguard Rescue were waiting to assist.
The all weather lifeboat returned to the Ferry Road lifeboat station at 5.30pm and was refuelled and made ready for service by 5.55pm.
Hartlepool RNLI station mechanic and second coxswain Garry Waugh said "It was a bit different working alongside the Royal Navy with the casualty vessel but it was good to see the vessel and its crew returned safely to a berth at the Hartlepool Marina and thanks again to the Royal Navy crew for their assistance."

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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About the author

Tom Collins
Lifeboat Press Officer, Hartlepool Lifeboat Station

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