Photo: Roy Abrahamsson
The volunteer lifeboat crews of Dunmore East, Kilmore Quay and Rosslare Harbour RNLI will be taking to the small screen on Tuesday 12 October as they feature in the eighth episode of the BBC TV series Saving Lives at Sea.
Real life rescue footage gives a frontline view of how the charity’s lifesavers risk their own lives as they go to the aid of those in danger at sea and strive to save every one.
Now in its sixth series, the 10-part documentary showcases the lifesaving work of the RNLI’s volunteer lifeboat crews from around Ireland and the UK. The series is on BBC Two on Tuesdays at 8pm as well as being available on BBC iPlayer following broadcast.
Real rescue footage is accompanied by emotive interviews from the volunteer lifeboat crews alongside the people they rescue and their families.
This forthcoming episode, on Tuesday 12 October, sees Dunmore East, Kilmore Quay and Rosslare Harbour RNLI, along with Rescue 117, conduct a joint rescue operation off the Wexford coast.
The Lily, a 100m general cargo vessel with nine crew onboard and carrying 4,000 tonnes of coal, lost all power two nautical miles from Hook Head last October. Conditions on scene were Force 8 with severe Force 9 gusts and wave heights between eight and 10 metres. The Lily was drifting and in danger of striking rocks on Hook Head or capsizing in the heavy seas.
The 12-hour service in challenging conditions saw multiple attempts by the lifeboat crews involved to establish a tow between the casualty vessel and the lifeboats. With the crew of the Lily B unable to stay on deck for long in the poor conditions and with language difficulties, two of the lifeboats were eventually successful in passing a rope on deck by using a rocket line and pulling the cargo vessel clear of the rocks. The lifeboat tow was maintained for three hours with waves continually crashing over the decks until the tug vessel Tramontine from Waterford Port arrived on scene and took up the tow. The three lifeboats stayed with the Lily B until they reached the safety of the Waterford Estuary. The rescue operation was finally stood down after 12 hours at sea for the lifeboat crews.
The three lifeboat crews involved are now to receive gallantry awards from the RNLI for their role in the rescue.
Neville Murphy, one of the Dunmore East RNLI lifeboat crew members featured in the forthcoming episode, said: ‘It's great that we can showcase the lifesaving work of RNLI volunteers in a TV programme like this. Without the generous support and donations from the public, we wouldn’t be able to save lives at sea and it’s great to be able to share what we do with our supporters from the comfort of their own home’
During 2020, RNLI lifeboats in Ireland launched 945 times with their volunteer crews coming to the aid of 1,147 people, 13 of whom were lives saved.
