The Castletownbere RNLI lifeboat was called into action on Tuesday morning, August 13th, to aid a fishing vessel in distress located 18 miles southwest of the major West Cork fishing port.
The Valentia Coastguard Maritime Coordination Rescue Centre requested assistance at 11:52 a.m. regarding a 40-foot fishing boat with two people aboard.
The vessel had encountered mechanical difficulties and was at risk of taking on water.
Under the command of Coxswain Dean Hegarty, with mechanic Dave Fenton, and crew members Sean O’Sullivan, David O’Donovan, and Carl Cronin, the Castletownbere RNLI lifeboat 'Annette Hutton' was swiftly launched within 7 minutes.
Battling poor weather with "Force 6 westerly winds and a three-meter sea swell," the lifeboat located the stricken vessel at 12:50 and found the two fishermen safe and well. Due to damage to the propeller shaft, the fishing boat was unable to manoeuvre and was subsequently towed to Castletownbere, where it was safely berthed at the pier at 16:15. Following this successful mission, the lifeboat was refuelled and ready for service again at 16:40.
Felix O’Donoghue, the Duty Launch Authority, commended the vessel's decision to contact the Coastguard, acknowledging the challenging weather conditions and the potential for the situation to deteriorate rapidly.