Barrow RNLI lifeboat Responds to Offshore Alert
Barrow RNLI’s volunteer crew launched their all-weather lifeboat yesterday afternoon (Monday, 2nd September) in response to the activation of an emergency beacon in the East Irish Sea.
The request for assistance and immediate launch was received from HM Coastguard in Belfast at 2.08pm. The information received was that an EPIRB (Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacon) had been activated near to one of the turbines at the Walney Offshore Windfarm.
The crew of the all-weather lifeboat, Grace Dixon, assembled and launched at 2.27pm with the vessel under the Command of Coxswain, Jonny Long, assisted by a crew of six. The lifeboat headed for the location of the beacon which was being picked up on AIS (Automatic Identification System) and was approximately 12 miles west of Walney Lighthouse.
The crew were instructed to conduct a search of the area to try and locate the beacon and, potentially, a person in the water. The Coastguard helicopter, Rescue 936, was also tasked to attend the scene and assist with the search. However, shortly after 4.00pm with nothing having been found and no reports of anyone missing, the search was called off and the crews stood down. The incident may have been the result of an accidental activation of the EPIRB.
The lifeboat returned to the Boathouse at Roa Island at 5.00pm where it was washed down and made ready for the next launch with help from the waiting shore crew.
The weather at the time of the incident was overcast and the wind was north westerly, Force 4 – 5. The high tide at Barrow had passed at 12.10pm with a predicted height of 8.5 metres.
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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 142,700 lives.
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