dancrane
Well-known member
Terrific documentary on BBC3, just started at ten pm, about the Penlee lifeboat disaster.
Thirty years ago, yesterday.
- Thread starter dancrane
- Start date
BlueSkyNick
Active member
Correction it is on BBC4, Eastenders is on BBC3 
dancrane
Well-known member
Quite right, apologies.
Grim story. Reminds me of the much later Channel 4 documentary about a trawler in peril off the Grand Banks, which required a long-range helicopter to be refuelled in flight, from a tanker-aircraft. The storm was so bad, the coupling couldn't be made, so the rescue copter itself fell out of the sky.
I remembered the documentary, sitting in the cinema a year or so later, watching a movie made about that same night...
...the film was The Perfect Storm.
Grim story. Reminds me of the much later Channel 4 documentary about a trawler in peril off the Grand Banks, which required a long-range helicopter to be refuelled in flight, from a tanker-aircraft. The storm was so bad, the coupling couldn't be made, so the rescue copter itself fell out of the sky.
I remembered the documentary, sitting in the cinema a year or so later, watching a movie made about that same night...
...the film was The Perfect Storm.
Lakesailor
New member
Very good documentary I thought. Not too much over-dramatisation.
Looking at it from this distance the error seemed to be in not taking the tow. Or at least leaving it too late to eventually ask for it.
Looking at it from this distance the error seemed to be in not taking the tow. Or at least leaving it too late to eventually ask for it.
splashman237
Member
Timely reminder how dangerous rescues can be at sea. Recent emergency services rescue 'fly on the wall' documentaries dont seem to tell the whole story ... a small but significant percentage of the time lifboat crews lives are at risk despite improving technology, designs , and experiences learned from previous disasters.
Although not been a crew member just a long time yachtie hoping I never need to call them, real glad to have them around .. so wishing these guys a safe Winter and not too many risky call outs ...
Although not been a crew member just a long time yachtie hoping I never need to call them, real glad to have them around .. so wishing these guys a safe Winter and not too many risky call outs ...
nigel1
Active member
I wasa thinking that it would have been extremely difficult to even pick up a tow, ship had no power, very limited crew, probably two down in the pit trying to get power restored, so may have left a couple of crew to brave the focsle and try and handball a heavy tow wire from a tug.
It was a very good documentary, I was touched by how calm every one seemed to be on the VHF, quite surreal, not a note urgency or panic.
Rest in peace
fisherman
Well-known member
I believe that the situation started at about 10.00, and the ship was, as they said 8nm east of the Wolf, plenty of sea room. The skipper alledgedly was newly promoted and anxious not to cost his company money on a brand new ship. Why they waited til it was too late to launch the lifeboat is beyond me, should have been standing by on scene much earlier.
We came within a whisker of losing the Lizard lifeboat as well, when she was slipped they found she was a write off with the bottom breached just from being out there, never hit anything.
We came within a whisker of losing the Lizard lifeboat as well, when she was slipped they found she was a write off with the bottom breached just from being out there, never hit anything.
JayBee
Member
I spent 35 years of my working life boarding and disembarking from ships at sea in pretty tightly controlled conditions. This was not always easy, so I am in awe of the skill and dedication of the lifeboat coxswain and crew who managed to get four people off before themselves being overwhelmed in those horrendous sea conditions, in close proximity to the shore.
Putting any kind of small boat alongside a heavily pitching and rolling ship in large seas makes damage to the boat almost inevitable and no amount of effort with ropes and fenders will improve the situation. The forces involved are too great and too random. The motion of ship and boat are impossible to synchronise for more than one or two seconds. The result for those at the rails of the two vessels is almost inevitably going to be exhaustion and/or serious injury. The earlier Bonita rescue where the crew were recovered from the sea, after being encouraged to jump clear over the ship’s stern, was a success. But every case is different and there is not much point in speculation about whether this would have worked with the Union Star in those conditions.
An early tow may or may not have been possible, but it is hard with hindsight to say that the master of the Union Star should have signed Lloyd’s Open Form. No one will ever know what encouragement he was being given to believe that the main engine would soon be restarted. However, I welcome the power now given to the Coastguard to insist on tug assistance in similar situations . The availability of a suitable tug at short notice is another question altogether.
How did seawater get into the fuel? I haven’t read the findings of the inquiry but I am reminded of the Braer, which was lost on the coast of Shetland with her 200,000 tonnes plus of crude oil. Her main engine was incapabable of being restarted when the fuel tanks were contaminated with seawater, via accidentally fractured air vent pipes on deck.
Putting any kind of small boat alongside a heavily pitching and rolling ship in large seas makes damage to the boat almost inevitable and no amount of effort with ropes and fenders will improve the situation. The forces involved are too great and too random. The motion of ship and boat are impossible to synchronise for more than one or two seconds. The result for those at the rails of the two vessels is almost inevitably going to be exhaustion and/or serious injury. The earlier Bonita rescue where the crew were recovered from the sea, after being encouraged to jump clear over the ship’s stern, was a success. But every case is different and there is not much point in speculation about whether this would have worked with the Union Star in those conditions.
An early tow may or may not have been possible, but it is hard with hindsight to say that the master of the Union Star should have signed Lloyd’s Open Form. No one will ever know what encouragement he was being given to believe that the main engine would soon be restarted. However, I welcome the power now given to the Coastguard to insist on tug assistance in similar situations . The availability of a suitable tug at short notice is another question altogether.
How did seawater get into the fuel? I haven’t read the findings of the inquiry but I am reminded of the Braer, which was lost on the coast of Shetland with her 200,000 tonnes plus of crude oil. Her main engine was incapabable of being restarted when the fuel tanks were contaminated with seawater, via accidentally fractured air vent pipes on deck.
