Barrow lifeboat assists grounded vessel

The tasking request for assistance was received from HM Coastguard in Holyhead at 6-16pm. The initial information given was that one or more boats from a group of several small boats had run aground whilst on passage back to Barrow from Fleetwood.

The crew was paged and the inshore lifeboat, Raymond and Dorothy Billingham, was launched at 6-42pm with Jonny Long at the helm along with crew, Adam Cleasby, Michael Armstrong and Mike Harris.

The lifeboat was tasked by HM Coastguard to make its way Piel Island and speak with those on board two of the boats which had managed to reach the island’s shoreline. It was established that during the passage to Barrow, the wind had got up and separated the group leaving one boat unaccounted for. It was believed that this boat had run aground on Mort Bank in Morecambe Bay. However, with low tide approaching there was insufficient water for the Barrow lifeboat to reach the stranded vessel. Consequently, the RNLI Hovercraft from Morecambe was tasked to assist and upon reaching the grounded vessel transferred three people from it and brought them back to the safety of the lifeboat station. A fourth person remained on board awaiting the incoming tide to re-float his vessel.

The Barrow lifeboat returned to the boathouse to re-fuel but at 9-20pm was tasked again by HM Coastguard to assist the re-floated casualty vessel and escort it back to Barrow. The lifeboat, this time with Adam Cleasby at the helm and crew, Nic Johnson and Michael Armstrong, located the casualty and undertook the escort along Walney Channel to Barrow Sailing Club.

With all persons accounted for and the casualty vessel recovered, the lifeboat returned to the boathouse at 11-00pm where it was re-housed by the waiting shore crew and made ready for the next launch.

The teams from Furness Coastguard and Ulverston Inshore Rescue were also involved in achieving a successful conclusion to the incident.

The weather at the time of the initial call-out was good and the wind was south-westerly, Force 4. The low tide was at 8-08pm with a height of 0.8m.

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The RNLI is the charity that 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 146,700 lives.

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