FOUR RESCUED FROM WHITBY FISHING VESSEL
Published: 15 October, 2010
The Whitby based fishing trawler Defiant called Humber Coastguard at 6.35am this morning to say it had gone aground on rocks north of Sandsend, with four crew onboard.
Whitby's offshore all weather and inshore lifeboats were called to the incident along with the Whitby Coastguard Rescue Team and a rescue helicopter from RAF Boulmer. Another Whitby trawler, the Emulator, also in the vicinity offered their assistance.
The skipper of the Defiant indicated that the situation onboard was deteriorating and that the crew needed to be rescued. Two of the Defiant’s crew members were taken off the stranded vessel by the lifeboat on its arrival. As conditions onboard worsened, the two remaining crew members were winched by the RAF helicopter and passed into the care of Whitby Coastguard Team and a North Yorkshire Ambulance crew.
Whitby Lifeboat succeeded in securing a line to the Defiant, then with a rising tide and all crew members safely ashore, the lifeboat crew refloated the vessel and assessed the situation onboard. Unfortunately, however the Defiant continued to take water and began to list, despite the best efforts of the lifeboat crew to salvage the vessel, the towing operation had to be abandoned. The Defiant sank in 10 metres of water at 09.45 am. Shortly afterwards the Defiant’s liferaft and EPIRB were recovered from the sea by the lifeboat.
Phil Saltonstall, Humber Coastguard said:' The crew of this fishing vessel has been safely rescued from their distress situation. Unfortunately, despite the best efforts of the lifeboat, the vessel was unable to be saved.'
Further information can be accessed at the contact Maritime and Coastguard Agency Press Office on (023) 8032 9401 Press releases and further information about the agency is available online at www.mcga.gov.uk.
The following press release's cover the incident, the first of which has some photographs:
Maritime and Coastguard Agency
RNLI Divisional Media Relations Manager, Alison Levett
Copyright © Colin Brittain 2022 All Rights Reserved