
Aldeburgh RNLI launched to aid ketch with electrical failure
On Sunday 1 December, the Coastguard tasked Aldeburgh RNLI at 4.15pm to make an assessment on a 43 foot Ketch that had lost all internal power and navigational lights.
The Aldeburgh Atlantic 85 Lifeboat was launched at 4.30pm and proceeded to the location provided. However, the position had been taken from a mobile phone signal 30 minutes previously and it took the volunteer lifeboat crew some time to locate the casualty vessel in the dark. The vessel's engine was still running and it was making slow progress in a southerly direction.
As progress was slow, the Coastguard tasked the Southwold lifeboat to assist in the operation and their crew launched at approximately 6.21pm to rendezvous with the Aldeburgh lifeboat. When they arrived on scene it was decided that both crews would escort the casualty back to Southwold harbour and they arrived at 7.45pm.
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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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