Castletownbere Lifeboat Station

PRESS RELEASE

Two Fishing Boats brought to Safety

Castletownbere Lifeboat  answered two calls to Castletownbere based fishing boats on Thursday last. Both vessels were brought to safety by the lifeboat having spent over eleven hours at sea.

  The first call came at 9.32 a.m. when the trawler Spalpín Fánach with three crew on board fouled her propeller twenty six miles south west of Castletownbere Harbour. The  52’ all-weather  lifeboat ‘Roy & Barbara Harding’ launched at 9.40 a.m. under the command of Coxswain B. O’Driscoll and crew J. Cross, D. Murphy, P.Stevens, L. Murphy & M. Martin-Sullivan Jnr and proceeded to the casualty. Conditions were good with a 1-2 metre swell and an easterly Force 4 wind and by 11.15 the casualty was under tow. Five  hours later the Spalpín Fánach was berthed at the pier in Dinish Island.

   The lifeboat was refuelled and washed down and the crew was about to stand down when Valentia Radio requested immediate assistance for the fishing vessel ‘Dee Marie’  which had lost power and was drifting a half a mile south of Crow Head. The vessel anchored and was located by the lifeboat at 6.17. p.m. The ‘Dee Marie’ was towed at a speed of 6 knots and was brought into Dinish Island at 8.26 p.m.

The lifeboat was refuelled for the second time that day  was ready for service again 9.05 p.m.

ENDS.