An eventful Flag Day as Redcar RNLI rescue four divers
Crowds of people who had come to Redcar to see RNLI lifeboat volunteers carry out a demonstration rescue, as part of their Flag Day money raising efforts, found themselves watching the real thing this Saturday afternoon.
At 1.13pm on Saturday 1 July, Redcar Lifeboat pagers sounded and crews for the Atlantic 85 and the station’s D class inshore lifeboat (ILB) were tasked with a search operation, after four divers were reported missing. The skipper of the dive boat had called Mayday after being unable to see the divers in the area they had been diving.
Visibility was good with a moderate breeze and choppy sea conditions.
Both lifeboats launched and headed out towards the wreck of the Dimitris a cargo ship that sank just off the Redcar coast in 1953. The divers were reported to have been diving to this wreck. The lifeboats started a search in this area and found all four divers close to the area they had last been seen.
Cameron Bond, helmsman for the D Class ILB said: ‘Once we arrived at the area, we commenced a search and located all four divers within a few minutes. We got all the divers into the lifeboats and returned them safely to shore.'
Dave Cocks, Redcar RNLI Chairman said: ‘The crowds that had come to the seafront to see our Flag Day rescue demonstration actually got to see the real thing. It was a perfect example of a well-executed rescue operation with all four casualties being returned safely to shore. A job well done.'
Notes to Editors
Redcar lifeboat station has been operating since 1802
Redcar currently operates a B-class lifeboat named Leicester Challenge III, paid for by the people of Leicester, and an IB1-class lifeboat named Eileen May Loach-Thomas, paid from the legacy of the late Mr Nick Thomas of Shropshire.
RNLI Media contacts
For more information, please contact Andy Watson, Lifeboat Press Officer, Redcar RNLI on 07954 435834 or 01642 484491 or email [email protected]
Key facts about the RNLI
The RNLI charity saves lives at sea. Its volunteers provide a 24-hour search and rescue service around the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland coasts. The RNLI operates 238 lifeboat stations in the UK and Ireland and more than 240 lifeguard units on beaches around the UK and Channel Islands. The RNLI is independent of Coastguard and government and depends on voluntary donations and legacies to maintain its rescue service. Since the RNLI was founded in 1824, its lifeboat crews and lifeguards have saved over 142,700 lives.
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