40 years ago the Penlee Lifeboat set off into mountainous sea on 19 December 1981

[oldmanofthehills]

Penlee has particular relevance to as I explored Mousehole area on a cycling holiday in summer 81 and fell in love with that coast, so was uterly shocked when I heard the news.

As Frogman says, the boats are better than in the 60s and 70s and the Watson class in particular has been criticised by the board of trade.

May the memory of the crews of Broughty Ferry, Fraserburgh and Longhope, be blessed. They did their very best with the tools available and gave their all trying to save ives

 

[Frogmogman]

Penlee has particular relevance to as I explored Mousehole area on a cycling holiday in summer 81 and fell in love with that coast, so was uterly shocked when I heard the news.

As Frogman says, the boats are better than in the 60s and 70s and the Watson class in particular has been criticised by the board of trade.

May the memory of the crews of Broughty Ferry, Fraserburgh and Longhope, be blessed. They did their very best with the tools available and gave their all trying to save ives

True. The boats are hugely improved, as they are on this side of the channel.

The 2019 catastrophe at Les Sables dOlonne, when the SNSM vedette Patron Jacques Morisseau capsized, and Coxwain Yan Chagnolleau, deputy coxswain Alain Guibert and engineer Dimitri Moulic all lost their lives, would very probably have been averted had the new boat, the Jacques Joly been available on the day. As it was, she was plagued with issues when delivered, so was in dock for remedial work, so it was the old boat, the Patron Jack Morisseau that put to sea.

The men who risk their all to save lives at sea are true heroes.

RIP all of those who have lost their lives keeping us safe.

 

[Major_Clanger]

Forty years ago. If you do nothing else today, spare a thought for those eight men who went out. RIP

 

[fisherman]

My mate Nigel was second cox on the Lizard L/B, his accout here (Posted before)

 

[Capt Popeye]

My mate Nigel was second cox on the Lizard L/B, his accout here (Posted before)

Most 'moving' an account of the Mans personal experiences of that night .

Thank you

Much apprecated

 

[fisherman]

Don't know if he mentioned, but the Lizard boat outer hull was breached in the trip round, double bottom full of water when she hauled out. Could easily have been two crews gone.

 

[Capt Popeye]

Don't know if he mentioned, but the Lizard boat outer hull was breached in the trip round, double bottom full of water when she hauled out. Could easily have been two crews gone.

Humm guess that not enough credit is made of the Lifeboat Designers and Builders when considering Lifeboat Safety improovements these days ; they i recon are the ones who have made the most to lifeboat crews safety

Suggest that the RNLI consider recognising the excellent part played by Designers and Construction in the sucess of the Lifeboats in action

For as Fisherman states above a Boat Hull to part and split letting in the sea water which would most probably entail a boat floundering beggars belief

 

[Frogmogman]

My mate Nigel was second cox on the Lizard L/B, his accout here (Posted before)

Thanks for posting that Fisherman. Very moving account.

 

[Frogmogman]

Delighted to report that my #2 daughter has just donated her annual charity bonus of £2500 to the RNLI.

This is a bonus her company pays to employees who meet a certain quota of hours of voluntary work for charity over the course of the year.

 

[fisherman]

Radio 4 prog 'Solomon Browne' this pm was very good. One glaring inaccuracy, not an important one.

BBC Radio 4 - Solomon Browne

 

[Capt Popeye]

Might menton that there is a very good Prog about the Penlee Disaster on UTUBE ; just watched it , it has at the end a summery of the Enquiry findings and observations.

Thankfully the Rules were changed as a result of this disaster and the Coast Guard can decide upon wether a offer of a Salvage Tow should be accepted by any Ship in trouble

Might ask if any Seamen on here can comment upon why Water was found in the Ship fuel tanks ?

 

[oldmanofthehills]

Radio 4 prog 'Solomon Browne' this pm was very good. One glaring inaccuracy, not an important one.

BBC Radio 4 - Solomon Browne

My Navigator was enthralled by the R4 programme. I came downstairs as it was playing the coastguard radio response as it faded to despair. It still had the power to shock.

 

[penberth3]

Might menton that there is a very good Prog about the Penlee Disaster on UTUBE ; just watched it , it has at the end a summery of the Enquiry findings and observations.

Thankfully the Rules were changed as a result of this disaster and the Coast Guard can decide upon wether a offer of a Salvage Tow should be accepted by any Ship in trouble

Might ask if any Seamen on here can comment upon why Water was found in the Ship fuel tanks ?

All covered as part of the Inquiry.

 

[fisherman]

I think it was badly fitted breathers.

 

[penberth3]

I think it was badly fitted breathers.

ISTR breathers not sealing 100% in the extreme conditions was the conclusion.

 

[Oiltrash]

My train back from London yesterday - just thought worth sharing

 

[Capt Popeye]

Humm , well , I must admit that I am in many minds about this dissaster , the main one being , that it could never have happened if the Ship (Master , Company , whoever ?) had accepted the Tow Offered much earlier on when the Ship was in trouble , but in calmer waters ? (thats according to the many TV Programmes about this disaster )

In my view it was recless , but most probably considered as normal seamanship in them dark times to decline any first 'TOW' first offered , but as the Ship had Passengers aboard (Girl Friend and young Women ?) surely the Ships Captain was wrong not to accept a Tow when offered ?

 

[fisherman]

The tragedy was that the LB was only called when all else had failed, and far too late. The ship was 8nm east of the Wolf when the engines failed, by the time the master accepted the offer of a tow they couldn't complete it.

 

[Capt Popeye]

The tragedy was that the LB was only called when all else had failed, and far too late. The ship was 8nm east of the Wolf when the engines failed, by the time the master accepted the offer of a tow they couldn't complete it.

Well thank you 'fisherman' for that local info : I have thought for many years now , are the RNLI consulted by the Coast Guard , when a Shout is out , as to the logistics on a Lifeboat being able to Launch , Time estimated to striken Ship /Boat , likely hood of success , (in full or part ?) estmated last chance of 'calling out' the Lifeboat , etc etc ; so that the Coast Guard are well informed of 'the state of play' well early on ?

I get the impression that there might be a sort of ideology / belief along the lines of ; 'We can fix it' prevailing amoungst some RNLB members , which I think is plaing not correct , or acceptable

I was effected by the 'Herald of Free Enterprise' sinking , as one of the Ships Officer was taken on by the company I was working for at the time , and also then working in the main area that the Cross Chennel Ferrys recruited the main season crews from : so talk by others around me relected what appeared to me a real dodgy working practices on the Cross Channel Ships , with access to Drinks too available to the Crews , but it helped the apparent Boredom of them Jobs on board the Ships

 

[KevinV]

Humm , well , I must admit that I am in many minds about this dissaster , the main one being , that it could never have happened if the Ship (Master , Company , whoever ?) had accepted the Tow Offered much earlier on when the Ship was in trouble , but in calmer waters ? (thats according to the many TV Programmes about this disaster )

In my view it was recless , but most probably considered as normal seamanship in them dark times to decline any first 'TOW' first offered , but as the Ship had Passengers aboard (Girl Friend and young Women ?) surely the Ships Captain was wrong not to accept a Tow when offered ?

Hindsight is a wonderful thing, the skipper initially had no reason to suspect a catastrophic failure on his brand new ship. In pre-gps days he would also not have had a dot on an electronic chart to show him minute by minute how fast he was actually drifting. Both things leading him to underestimate the seriousness of his situation. The investigation didn't find him reckless.

He then (based presumably on cost v risk to safety) initially refused salvage terms but requested the tug come out and stand by, the tug (based presumably on cost) refused - exactly the reason that the coastguard can now make this decision regardless of cost.

I'm sure this has been done to death over the years, but the word "reckless", when the man was specifically exonerated of that, stuck in my craw.