FIVE fishermen were
brought to safety by Lough Swilly RNLI after a
gruelling nine-hour rescue mission on Sunday. The
five were onboard a 50ft fishing boat when its
engine broke down a mile and a half from Fanad
Lighthouse.
The all-weather Tyne class lifeboat arrived on scene
at 3.15pm where the crew observed a steel crabber
with five men and a load of crab on board.
Weather conditions were poor with "blowing gusts of
between gale force five and six up the Lough".
The Irish Coast Guard helicopter Rescue 118 was also
tasked in the event that the stricken vessel’s crew
would need to be evacuated. |
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The RNLI's state of the art Tyne
class lifeboat in action on Lough Swilly. |
As the boat was being
towed up the lough it lost all power and VHF was
transferred from the lifeboat for communication.
Portrush RNLI arrived on scene and the crew assisted
with the tow while the Lough Swilly relief lifeboat
stood by.
Lough Swilly RNLI operations manager John McCarter
paid tribute to the lifeboat crew who arrived back
at the station in the early hours of Monday.
‘This was a long callout in difficult weather
conditions and we are glad that we were able to
assist this vessel and her crew in making it to
shore safely.
"This was a testament of the commitment, skill and
selfess nature of our volunteers who are always
willing to give their time and readily leave the
comfort of their homes to face challenging
conditions to help people who find themselves in
difficulty at sea," he said. |
