Crew Walk to Safety After Survey Vessel Grounds on a Pebble Beach in UK
On Tuesday night, a small survey vessel ran aground off the coast of Newgale, UK while working on a telecom line project, forcing the crew to abandon ship onto the beach.
At about 1830 hours Tuesday, HM Coastguard received a distress call from the landing / survey craft MTS Terramare, which was in distress off Newgale. The vessel had lost power in one engine while operating close to the beach, and in rough surf, it could not maintain its heading. It ran aground broadside to the shore, and waves began washing over the working deck. Bright arcs from an apparent electrical short on deck were reported by bystanders.
Courtesy St Davids RNLI
The St. Davids RNLI lifeboat was dispatched to assist, and it made top speed to Newgale. The crew of the Terramare requested salvage pumps to dewater their vessel, but in the rough surf there was no way to carry out a transfer, even with smaller launches. The responders considered running a towline, but because of the relative size of the Terramare compared to the RNLI response boats and the hazards of the situation, they decided not to attempt a salvage tow.
The vessel’s crew were unharmed, and since the Terramare was nearly high and dry, they were able to step down onto the pebble beach and walk away. At this point the RNLI responders concluded their mission and returned to station, arriving at berth after 2000 hours.
"The RNLI mission is to save lives at sea, and we endeavor to save boats if possible, but it is beyond our remit to salvage," said Will Chant, coxswain for the St Davids RNLI lifeboat. "In this instance, the size of vessel and its position broadside to the beach compromised a tow, therefore once assured the crew were safe ashore, there was nothing further our lifeboats could do."
Courtesy RNLI
Good Samaritans Rescue Crew of Fishing Vessel in Gulf of Alaska
A good Samaritan vessel has rescued two fishermen from the cold waters of the Gulf of Alaska after a fishing vessel capsized off the coast of Kodiak, the U.S. Coast Guard said Thursday.
At about 0945 hours on Wednesday morning, Coast Guard 17th District received a distress alert from the fishing vessel Tanusha's EPIRB, located about 20 nautical miles southeast of Kodiak. In response, the command center dispatched a helicopter aircrew from Air Station Kodiak to the scene and made a VHF call to nearby shipping to request assistance.
The fishing vessel Victory received the call and diverted to Tanusha's last known location. The lost boat had begun taking water and had capsized, and the two crewmembers aboard had successfully abandoned ship. The crew of the Victory soon spotted the two survivors, who were drifting in a life raft near the upturned hull of their boat. One of them had a head injury and was showing signs of hypothermia.
Both fishermen were taken safely aboard the Victory, and the Coast Guard helicopter aircrew arrived to airlift them for a medevac, with assistance from a patrol boat operated by the Alaska State Troopers.
"The use of a functioning and properly registered EPIRB means quite literally the difference between life and death," said Petty Officer 3rd Class Sean Streyle of Coast Guard Sector Western Alaska. "In this case, it was our only notification that the crew of Tanusha needed assistance."
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