Newhaven RNLI Launch to mayday from vessel taking on water

Our Severn Class ALB 17-21 ‘David & Elizabeth Acland’ launched at 13:45. Coastguard Rescue Helicopter 163 arrived on scene first, and located the casualty vessel West of Beachy Head, off Cuckmere Haven.

Once Eastbourne Lifeboat and Newhaven Lifeboat were on scene, Eastbourne’s crew conducted welfare checks of the two people on the casualty vessel. The two people on the casualty boat were safely transferred onto Newhaven Lifeboat.

Newhaven Lifeboat transferred a crew member onto the casualty vessel to ascertain where the water ingress was. A crack was found in the hull of the casualty vessel. Newhaven’s salvage pump was used to pump the water out of the vessel.

Lewis Arnold, Coxswain, said: ‘Once all of the water was pumped out of the casualty vessel using our salvage pump, we brought the vessel back to Newhaven Harbour, continuing to pump water out intermittently. Once within reach of the marina, the vessel manoeuvred under it’s own power to it’s berth'.

Notes to editors

· Newhaven RNLI was established in 1803, and covers from Beachy Head to Brighton. It’s a modern afloat station and operates an all-weather Severn class lifeboat.

· ALB – All-Weather-Lifeboat

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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 over 238 lifeboat stations in the UK and Ireland and, in a normal year, 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.

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.

Learn more about the RNLI

For more information please visit the RNLI website or Facebook, Twitter and YouTube. News releases, videos and photos are available on the News Centre.

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Members of the public may contact the RNLI on 0300 300 9990 (UK) or 1800 991802 (Ireland) or by email.