North West fishing vessel in Mayday rescue
1st May 2023
A fishing vessel that issued a Mayday call after it began taking on water has been safely returned to port following an emergency response.
The urgent call for assistance from the Lady Helen FD 65 was received by HM Coastguard Holyhead at 9.50pm on Sunday, 16 April. The Barrow all-weather lifeboat Grace Dixon was tasked to attend the 16m vessel, which was located 30 miles west of Barrow.
The Douglas lifeboat and the Caernarfon-based Coastguard helicopter Rescue 936 were also requested to attend.
The Lady Helen FD 65 was towed back to Fleetwood after issuing a Mayday. (Photo: RNLI/Barrow lifeboat)
Several other vessels responded to the Mayday call, with five of the crew from the Lady Helen transferred to the nearby Fairline Surveyor. The Anne Mary B FD 536, sister vessel of the Lady Helen, also steamed from Fleetwood to assist.
Barrow lifeboat RNLI station said in a statement on its Facebook page: “The Barrow and Douglas lifeboats assessed the condition of the casualty, and it was agreed that the Anne Mary B could take the Lady Helen under tow back to Fleetwood.
“The Barrow lifeboat then transferred the rescued crew members from the Fairline Surveyor, and at 1.57am they were in turn transferred to the Anne Mary B.
“The lifeboat was stood down shortly after 2am.”
This story was taken from the latest issue of Fishing News. For more up-to-date and in-depth reports on the UK and Irish commercial fishing sector, subscribe to Fishing News here or buy the latest single issue for just £3.30 here.
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