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Dunmore East RNLI rescue three fishermen after boat fouls propeller

Lifeboats News Release

Dunmore East RNLI rescued three men onboard a fishing vessel this morning (Sunday 26 March) after they got into difficulty at sea.

Picture of fishing boat being towed with Hook Head lighthouse in the background

RNLI / Peter Grogan

Fishing Vessel being towed by Dunmore East RNLI
The volunteer crew were paged at 9.30am following a notification from the Irish Coast Guard that a fishing vessel required assistance south east of Hook Head. Shortly afterwards, the Shannon Class all-weather lifeboat William & Agnes Wray was launched.

The lifeboat proceeded without haste towards the position indicated by the casualty vessel and quickly located the crew approximately 10 nautical miles south east of Hook Head. With an entangled propeller, they were unable to make any headway under their own power.

Following an assessment of the situation, it was decided that the safest course of action was to tow the fishing boat back to the nearest safe port at Dunmore East.

Once the tow was established, the lifeboat proceeded towards Dunmore East Harbour, a journey which took approximately two and a half hours. Upon reaching the harbour, the 12m vessel was taken into an alongside tow before being carefully manoeuvred into a safe berthing location at the pier.

Conditions at the time were Force four to five north easterly winds, with a moderate sea state and good visibility.

Speaking about the call out, Peter Grogan, volunteer Lifeboat Press Officer for Dunmore East RNLI, said: ‘We would encourage anyone going to sea to ensure that you have the appropriate means of calling for help should you need it such as a VHF radio or a mobile phone. Should you get into difficulty or see someone else in trouble, call 999 or 112 and ask for the Coast Guard.’

Ends

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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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