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Displaying items by tag: Lough Neagh Rescue

On Sunday 5th June lifeboats went to the aid of a jet ski with two people on board in difficulties on the River Blackwater which flows into the south western corner of Lough Neagh. It was towed to Maghery where the casualties were handed over to the Coastguard team.

And on the same day the Lifeboats were tasked by Belfast Coastguard to attend a vessel with five people on board that had broken down on its way from Ardboe on the western shore of the Lough to Sandy Bay Marina on the east. By the time the Lifeboats attended the scene the casualty vessel had managed to start the engines and were able to make their own way back to Sandy Bay, escorted by the Lifeboats.

On Thursday 9th there was another call out to a vessel with two on board which had broken down near Kinnego Bay in the south of the Lough and it was towed back to the Marina

And on 11th June, the lifeboats and shore crew were tasked to search for a vessel that had lost steering on the River Bann. But as information was limited both the Upper and Lower River Bann (which flow into both the North and South ends of the Lough) were searched.

The casualty vessel with two on board was located on the Lower Bann and after a side tow was secured, the vessel was brought to the jetty at the lock gate where it was inspected for damage and the steering problem was resolved. With steering and propulsion checked a crew member remained onboard the casualty vessel whist the lifeboat escorted it from the River Bann to its mooring in Ballyronan marina.

Tagged under

On Monday, May 2 Lough Neagh Rescue was alerted by Belfast Coastguard to reports of an overturned Jetski in Antrim Bay on the Northeast corner of what is the largest freshwater lake in the British Isles and Ireland.

Two casualties were taken from the water onboard the lifeboat and then were transferred to Antrim Marina where they received medical attention before being handed over to the Northern Ireland Ambulance Service.

Also at the scene was the Lough Neagh Coastguard Rescue Team which is based at Kinnego Marina on the Southeast corner of the Lough.

Lough Neagh Rescue is a voluntary search and rescue organisation based on the shores of Lough Neagh.

Published in Rescue

Seven people were rescued from two vessels that ran aground on Lough Neagh in Northern Ireland on Saturday night (12 September).

Lifeboats and shore crew were quickly tasked by Belfast Coastguard to the scene at Coney Island, where the vessels were in just 1-2 feet of water.

Their position in the shallows — plus an onshore wind creating a lot of swell — made access difficult, according to Lough Neagh Rescue.

The team decided to carry out a lee shore rescue, with two crew entering the water to rig a tow on the first casualty vessel, with three on board. This boat was bright to safety in Maghery, east of Dungannon.

Next, Lough Neagh Rescue launched its swift water boat from the slip at Maghery to bring the four people on the other grounded vessel to safety.

With all seven back ashore, rescue crews returned to the grounded boat to try to remove it from the rocks — an effort that was eventually successful. Once refloated, the boat was taken under tow to safe mooring at Maghery.

Lough Neagh Rescue also launched last night (Sunday 13 September) to a broken-down vessel on the Blackwater River.

Two people on board the vessel, which was half-way between the Maghery and the M1 motorway bridge, were taken onto the lifeboat while a rescue team member set up a tow for the stricken vessel.

Published in Rescue

Royal National Lifeboat Institute (RNLI) in Ireland Information

The Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) is a charity to save lives at sea in the waters of UK and Ireland. Funded principally by legacies and donations, the RNLI operates a fleet of lifeboats, crewed by volunteers, based at a range of coastal and inland waters stations. Working closely with UK and Ireland Coastguards, RNLI crews are available to launch at short notice to assist people and vessels in difficulties.

RNLI was founded in 1824 and is based in Poole, Dorset. The organisation raised €210m in funds in 2019, spending €200m on lifesaving activities and water safety education. RNLI also provides a beach lifeguard service in the UK and has recently developed an International drowning prevention strategy, partnering with other organisations and governments to make drowning prevention a global priority.

Irish Lifeboat Stations

There are 46 lifeboat stations on the island of Ireland, with an operational base in Swords, Co Dublin. Irish RNLI crews are tasked through a paging system instigated by the Irish Coast Guard which can task a range of rescue resources depending on the nature of the emergency.

Famous Irish Lifeboat Rescues

Irish Lifeboats have participated in many rescues, perhaps the most famous of which was the rescue of the crew of the Daunt Rock lightship off Cork Harbour by the Ballycotton lifeboat in 1936. Spending almost 50 hours at sea, the lifeboat stood by the drifting lightship until the proximity to the Daunt Rock forced the coxswain to get alongside and successfully rescue the lightship's crew.

32 Irish lifeboat crew have been lost in rescue missions, including the 15 crew of the Kingstown (now Dun Laoghaire) lifeboat which capsized while attempting to rescue the crew of the SS Palme on Christmas Eve 1895.

FAQs

While the number of callouts to lifeboat stations varies from year to year, Howth Lifeboat station has aggregated more 'shouts' in recent years than other stations, averaging just over 60 a year.

Stations with an offshore lifeboat have a full-time mechanic, while some have a full-time coxswain. However, most lifeboat crews are volunteers.

There are 46 lifeboat stations on the island of Ireland

32 Irish lifeboat crew have been lost in rescue missions, including the 15 crew of the Kingstown (now Dun Laoghaire) lifeboat which capsized while attempting to rescue the crew of the SS Palme on Christmas Eve 1895

In 2019, 8,941 lifeboat launches saved 342 lives across the RNLI fleet.

The Irish fleet is a mixture of inshore and all-weather (offshore) craft. The offshore lifeboats, which range from 17m to 12m in length are either moored afloat, launched down a slipway or are towed into the sea on a trailer and launched. The inshore boats are either rigid or non-rigid inflatables.

The Irish Coast Guard in the Republic of Ireland or the UK Coastguard in Northern Ireland task lifeboats when an emergency call is received, through any of the recognised systems. These include 999/112 phone calls, Mayday/PanPan calls on VHF, a signal from an emergency position indicating radio beacon (EPIRB) or distress signals.

The Irish Coast Guard is the government agency responsible for the response to, and co-ordination of, maritime accidents which require search and rescue operations. To carry out their task the Coast Guard calls on their own resources – Coast Guard units manned by volunteers and contracted helicopters, as well as "declared resources" - RNLI lifeboats and crews. While lifeboats conduct the operation, the coordination is provided by the Coast Guard.

A lifeboat coxswain (pronounced cox'n) is the skipper or master of the lifeboat.

RNLI Lifeboat crews are required to follow a particular development plan that covers a pre-agreed range of skills necessary to complete particular tasks. These skills and tasks form part of the competence-based training that is delivered both locally and at the RNLI's Lifeboat College in Poole, Dorset

 

While the RNLI is dependent on donations and legacies for funding, they also need volunteer crew and fund-raisers.

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