Selsey Lifeboat Station - Launches
10th October 2010
Dive RIB 'Mottley Crew' Broken Down With 5 Divers Missing
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Selsey inshore lifeboat (ILB) “Betty and Thomas Moore” launched at 12:08pm followed shortly after at 12:15pm by the all weather lifeboat (ALB) “Voluntary Worker” in response to a mayday call from a local dive club support RIB “Mottley Crew”. The 2-man support team had recovered two divers from the water but was unable to restart its engine (which for safety reasons is always switched off during diver recovery). Without power and with a total of 4 persons on board the RIB had become completely swamped in the rough sea conditions and had yet to recover a further 5 divers still under water at the dive site.
At 12:25pm the ILB located the dive RIB approximately 150 yards offshore just west of Pagham Harbour and evacuated all 4 persons on board transferring them to “Voluntary Worker”. By now Coastguard helicopter “Rescue 104” was on scene and searching for the 5 missing divers. At 12:30pm all five divers were spotted by the helicopter in a group on the surface. The ILB immediately headed to the position approximately half a mile offshore on the east side of Pagham Harbour. By 12:40pm all 5 divers were safely on board the inshore lifeboat from where they were then transferred to “Voluntary Worker”.
By now the Littlehampton lifeboat “Blue Peter 1” was on scene so a combined effort between the Littlehampton lifeboat and Selsey ILB resulted in the dive RIB being towed off the beach and handed over to “Voluntary Worker”.
Conditions east of ‘Selsey Bill’ were too rough to land the casualties so the ALB and ILB headed west of the ‘Bill’. The divers were then landed on the beach at Grafton Road (Selsey) where they were met by the local coastguard team.
Selsey ALB then continued on to Chichester Harbour with the divers 2-man support team and the RIB “Mottley Crew” in tow. Chichester Harbour Patrol then took over the tow and returned the RIB and support team to Northney Marina from where they had left earlier in the day.
“Voluntary Worker” was unable to rehouse at Selsey due to tide and weather conditions and so remained in the harbour until 3:15pm, finally arriving back on station at 4:00pm. “Voluntary Worker” was rehoused by 4:45pm and again ready for service at 6:00pm.
ILB Crew: P.Delahunty (Helmsman), J.Reeves, T.Watson.
ALB Crew: M.Rudwick (Coxswain), M.Gilligan (2nd Coxswain), G.Pearce (Mechanic), W.Moir, S.Troughton-Smith.
WIND: East 6. SEA: Slight-Moderate. WEATHER: Sunny.