Call Reports

So far this year, our lifeboats have launched 23 times on service. In 2008, Littlehampton's lifeboats attended 84 incidents. Our crews were called out 80 times during 2007 after a quiet 2006 with only 49 calls. There were 81 calls in 2005 and 85 in 2004.

Grounded
27 April 2009

Coastguards requested that Littlehampton Lifeboat should launch to assist a yacht in difficulty in gale force winds east of the harbour entrance.

The 7.5m yacht on passage to Brighton, crewed by two men and a dog, ran aground as it attempted to take shelter in Littlehampton Harbour during the night. The following morning a passer-by noticing they were in difficulty raised the alarm.

Both the Atlantic 75 and the D-Class lifeboats were launched at 09:00 and were on scene a few minutes later. The conditions were harsh with torrential rain, a force 7 gale and rough seas pounding the casualty vessel. Lifeboat crew Jenny Cradock and Jon Maidment entered the water to deploy anchors and rig a towline to stabilise the yacht and hold its bow into the weather. As the tide came in and the depth increased the lifeboats were able to carefully tow the yacht into deeper water where they were able to assess the condition of the occupants and their vessel.

With the wind and the sea pushing them from behind the tow into the harbour was very difficult especially as the yacht had jammed steering. A drogue was rigged and the D-Class took a line from the stern of the casualty to assist its directional stability through the turbulent currents of the harbour entrance. Paramedics were waiting at the boathouse to attend to the hypothermic yachtsmen. The dog was fine.

Stuck in the mud
29 January 2009

Littlehampton’s Atlantic 75 launched in response to reports of a man waist deep in the mud.

He had been walking his dog near the rivermouth on Wednesday morning when he got in to difficulty. A local fishing boat and a foreshore officer were able to retrieve him safely and unharmed. They were then escorted back to the harbour by the lifeboat.

Doggy Paddle!
29 January 2009

Littlehampton’s D-Class lifeboat ‘Spirit of Juniper’ launched in response to reports of a pooch up to his neck in the river.

A man walking his dog reported said canine had jumped in to the river near the harbour entrance on Thursday afternoon. He was recovered in a joint effort with the harbour master and swiftly reunited with his owner a little damp but otherwise unharmed. There have been a number of instances when owners have entered the water to try and save their pets and have put themselves in danger. This is why lifeboats are asked to launch in these circumstances.

Christmas Cheer
25 December 2008

The lifeboat crew was paged at 02:57 on Christmas day some while after the fire service had been called to deal with a motor cruiser that had been set alight and cut adrift at Arundel.  A second vessel had also had its moorings cut, its location was at that time unknown, neither was it was known whether there was anyone aboard.

Littlehampton's Atlantic 75 lifeboat 'Blue Peter 1' launched shortly afterwards, manned by senior helmsman Andy Harris and crew Jon Maidment and Robbie Devo.  The reported vessel was located shortly afterwards having drifted in the strong current downstream to just above Ford railway bridge, where it was lodged against a wooden structure on the bank.  The vessel, a 30ft wooden passenger vessel 'Seacrest' was accompanied by a second, slightly smaller boat.  It was quickly established that no-one was aboard either vessel, but the strength of the current was such that it was  going to be a challenge to extract each boat and it was neccessary to wait until the ebb tide had reduced.  The D-Class inshore lifeboat, 'Spirit of Juniper', was launched to assist, manned by Gavin Simmons, Ivan Greer and Paul James.  Within the shelter of the river, marine radio is restricted, so comms were relayed from the boathouse to Solent Coastguard by crewmember Laura Robinson.

Both of the casualty vessels were released from their 'pinned-in' positions, and each was towed  in turn to Littlehampton Harbour by Blue Peter 1 and moored alongside Town Quay.  Both lifeboats were recovered, washed and refuelled shortly after 6am, and the crew went home to wake up their loved ones and open their Christmas presents.

Two on the Trot
31 August 2008

Littlehampton’s Atlantic 75 launched to two successive emergencies at 20:03 on Sunday. The first was a 30’ wooden motor cruiser that ran aground attempting to enter Littlehampton Harbour, she then lost steering and started to drift to the east. Senior helmsman Andy Harris, together with his crew Paul James and Clive Lindsell went alongside the casualty vessel to ascertain that the three occupants were safe, and then took her into tow and headed towards Shoreham. Shoreham lifeboat was launched to take over the tow and rendezvoused with Littlehampton Lifeboat off Lancing.

Soon after transferring the tow, the coastguard requested that Littlehampton Lifeboat attend a 16’ fishing boat which had suffered engine failure. The vessel was quickly located and towed back to its moorings in Littlehampton Harbour. The lifeboat and her crew were all back and safely tucked up in bed before midnight.

Slumbering Swimmer
19 August 2008

Both Littlehampton's lifeboats were launched after the crew was paged at 00:28 following reports from a man that he had lost sight and contact with his brother, with whom he had been swimming off the East Preston coast.  With Blue Peter 1 away from the station for repair, the relief Atlantic 75, 'Duckhams 2001' and the D-Class inshore lifeboat 'Spirit of Juniper' were launched within minutes.  The coastguard helicopter was scrambled, and a shore search was conducted by coastguards and police.

The missing man's clothes were found on the beach adding further credence to the report that he was missing.  But, he was eventually found in bed at a friend's house and the search was called off.

Good Intent
3 August 2008

After reports that a small motor boat had been sighted leaving the harbour but not seen to return, a search commenced involving both Littlehampton lifeboats, Selsey Lifeboat and the Coastguard Rescue Helicopter.  The search area stretched from Pagham to beyond Worthing and ten miles out to sea, but after comprehensively covering the area, including radar sweeps by the helicopter and lifeboats, the search was called off.  There have been no subsequent reports of either a boat or people missing.

Ropey Prop
3 August 2008

Littlehampton's Atlantic 75 lifeboat, Blue Peter 1, responded to a call for help from the 35 ft yacht 'Eldora', which was reported to have fouled her propeller.  Blue Peter 1 was at Selsey at the time, attending the Selsey Lifeboat Day where she was due to participate in a rescue demonstration with Selsey Lifeboat and the coastguard rescue helicopter. 

It took Blue Peter 1 just 16 minutes to cover the 11 miles from Selsey to the casualty's position.  Eldora was taken into tow and returned to her moorings in the harbour.  Senior helmsman Andy Harris and crewman Clive Lindsell were under threat to make sure that their fellow crew Laura Robinson was returned in an undamaged but undoubtedly wet condition ahead of her wedding on the following Thursday.

Lost & Found
26 July2008

Both Littlehampton's lifeboats responded to reports of a missing seven year old boy at Bognor. A coastguard shore search was also initiated. The boy was located ashore shortly afterwards, and both boats returned to station.

Murphy's Law
22 May 2008

Littlehampton's inshore lifeboat 'Spirit of Juniper' launched in response to reports of a dog that had swum so far away from the beach that its owner lost sight of him.  Crewed by seadogs Gavin Simmons and Keith Booth, the ILB sped out to see and commenced a search centred on the last known position, off Rustington.  The coastguard kept a shorebound lookout hoping that the casualty may have got ashore under his own steam.

A description was provided, always useful, because it would be really embarrassing to rescue the wrong dog.  This one was called Murphy, and was reunited with his owner after a call to the police announced that he had been found waterlogged and exhausted on the beach at East Preston.

Broken RIB
20 April 2008

Both Selsey and Shoreham lifeboats visited Littlehampton after a Sunday morning exercise, mooring at Town Quay, with the crews enjoying a lunchtime barbecue at the boathouse as guests of the Littlehampton crew. As the gastronomic experience came to an end, the visiting crews were returning to their boats when the coastguard reported that a diveboat had broken down, with divers still under water, about 5 miles south of Bognor

The faster Littlehampton lifeboat 'Blue Peter 1' was first on scene. By this time, the divers had been recovered, and the diveboat, a RIB which had suffered a hydraulic failure, was taken in tow to Littlehampton Marina. This was a good example of competent seafarers aboard a well equipped vessel that had suffered the misfortune of a breakdown. They were able to request assistance and accurately report their position which meant that they were attended quickly and efficiently, with no danger to anyone. The occupants of the casualty vessel later called in at the boathouse to thank the crew for coming to their assistance.

A pair of jumpers
20 March 2008

In two separate incidents, both Littlehampton lifeboats launched to recover men who had jumped into the River Arun. The first casualty appeared to be attempting to take his own life, and was quickly recovered and returned to the lifeboat station where he was attended by paramedics and then taken to hospital.

Launching again a couple of hours later, the second casualty was, to borrow a BBC quote from a police spokesman, 'suffering from the effects of raspberry juice', his exuberation apparently due to enthusiastic indulgence. It is worth noting that an excellent range of draught juices is offered at the nearby Arun View and members of the lifeboat crew have been known to themselves experience warmth and happiness after visiting this popular hostelry. Unfortunately the casualty was on this occasion lacking in warmth, and was taken to hospital by ambulance to be treated for hypothermia.

A bit chilly for a swim
8 March 2008

Senior helmsman Andy Harris, and crew Jenny Cradock and Keith Booth were first to the boathouse in response to the page alert, and launched aboard Littlehampton lifeboat to liaise with Selsey lifeboat about a mile south of the harbour.

With winds increasing towards force 7, Selsey lifeboat had launched following reports of a boat off Selsey Bill that was apparently in trouble. Upon reaching C'est La Vie, a 26' motor cruiser, it was found that the vessel had lost power whilst on passage from Poole to Eastbourne, having been purchased that day. One of the two crew had launched their inflatable tender so that he could inspect the outdrives and identify the source of the problem. With the increasingly large waves, the tender was soon waterlogged so he became very wet, worsened because he also had to enter the water during his inspection of the propulsion system.

Selsey Lifeboat took the casualty vessel in tow and took on board the now hypothermic crewman, and proceeded towards the nearest harbour shelter, at Littlehampton. At low water springs, there would be a delay of a couple of hours before there would be sufficient water for Selsey lifeboat to enter the harbour. In anticipation of this, the request was made for Littlehampton lifeboat to attend.

The cold survivor was taken aboard Littlehampton lifeboat, and quickly taken to the harbour, with the lifeboat recovered immediately into the boathouse so that shelter was maximised. The waiting ambulance crew initiated treatment, and then took their casualty to Worthing hospital. In the meantime, Littlehampton lifeboat re-launched to take over the tow and the remaining survivor. The casualty vessel was towed to the harbour. The next day, the now recovered survivors were able to retrieve the remains of a pot and its warp from their outdrive leg, refuel and continue their passage.

Where do you think you are?
28 January 2008

Blue Peter 1 was launched in response to a call by mobile phone from a 5.5m Dory with 2 people on board, which had broken down. The lifeboat proceeded to the casualty vessel's stated position, but no boats were found in the area. The casualty vessel wasn't equipped with marine radio, so the lifeboat couldn't communicate with it, and neither could a direction finder fix be taken. After a search, the casualty was found five miles south of Worthing, almost six miles from their stated position, and towed to Littlehampton harbour.

Mayday
4 November 2007

The MFV Enterprise made a Mayday alert after findng an inflated lifejacket and a still alight flare off Rustington. Both Littlehampton lifeboats were tasked at 09:30, and were later joined by the coastguard rescue helicopter 'Victor Alpha'. With very apparent signs of the immediacy of the incident, the search continued into the afternoon, but was it was eventually discovered that the lifejacket had been deliberately abandoned and the search terminated.

Breakdown
23 October 2007

The 12.2m yacht 'Spray Away' was on passage and about 3 miles from the Sussex coast when the engine started to overheat. Solent coastguard was notified by marine VHF radio, and it was requested that Littlehampton Lifeboat should launch. 'Blue Peter 1' launched at 10:05, about half an hour after high water and with a north easterly force 3 gentle breeze. The lifeboat proceeded to the casualty's position to the south west of the harbour entrance and took the yacht and its three crew in tow to Littlehampton, mooring it at Town Quay.

Red Flares
5 October 2007

Selsey Lifeboat was launched at around 7:20am in response to flares sighted off Bognor. The search was extended a couple of hours later, and Littlehampton's Atlantic 75 Lifeboat 'Blue Peter 1' launched shortly after 9am. By early afternoon, nothing had been sighted, and the search was called off.

Ducks in a Row
2 September 2007

Both Littlehampton lifeboats were launched in response to a call for help from two fishing boats about a mile south of the harbour entrance. One of the fishing boats was towing the other, which had broken down, when the engine of the towing boat burst into flames. The fire was quickly extinguished, but it would have been imprudent to attempt to restart it.

Both casualties were taken in tow by Littlehampton's Atlantic 75 lifeboat 'Blue Peter 1', but almost immediately a second call was received from a diveboat which had also broken down, about 10 miles south of the harbour. The first tow was taken over by Littlehampton's D-Class inshore lifeboat so that Blue Peter 1 could proceed to the third casualty. All three casualty vessels were towed to their launch sites and moorings.

Right Turn Only
4 August 2007

Blue Peter 1 launched at 00:25 to assist a 44ft motor cruiser, Maybo Eagle, which had suffered steering failure whilst off Littlehampton, on passage to her Brighton Marina base. She was taken in tow, but the helm was locked to starboard making it very difficult to maintain directional stability. The helmsman of Littlehampton Lifeboat decided that towing a casualty of almost twice the size of the lifeboat itself into a narrow harbour entrance, with a following sea and when the towed vessel was determined to turn to the right, was not an appealing task, and requested the assistance of a larger towing vessel.

Shoreham's 47ft Tyne Class Lifeboat 'Hermione Lady Colwyn' was launched. Shoreham Lifeboat was on scene at 01:50, and the tow was transferred. The casualty was towed to Brighton. Littlehampton Lifeboat returned to station, and was refuelled and ready for service by 02:45.

Swansong
29 July 2007

A member of the public reported that a swan appeared to be caught by fishing line near Nelson Steps, within the harbour. Littlehampton's D-Class lifeboat 'Spirit of Juniper' was launched manned by its crack team of dog/swan/seal specialists, armed with a pair of long leather gauntlets. The swan was quickly recovered but appeared to have an injured wing so it was taken back to the boathouse to be met by the RSPCA's very own milky bar kid, who took it away for treatment.

The Dog's
20 July 2007

Both Littlehampton lifeboats were launched in response to a dog that had launched itself from Fisherman's Quay into the harbour, immediately suffering the effects of the fast flowing River Arun, heading quickly for the open sea. It was dark, shortly before 11pm, but Buster was quickly located and recovered aboard Blue Peter 1. He was returned to the lifeboathouse for a tearful reunion with his owner.

If only we had a 13mm spanner
11 July 2007

Littlehampton's Atlantic 75 Lifeboat 'Blue Peter 1' launched to assist a fishing boat which suffered a fuel pump failure. The casualty vessel was located 3 miles south of the harbour and was towed back to its mooring at Ford.

Powerless Powerboat
7 July 2007

Solent Coastguard requested the launch of Littlehampton Lifeboat to attend to a 21ft powerboat in difficulty a couple of hundred yards off the beach, with three persons aboard. By the time Blue Peter 1 was on scene 3 minutes after launching, the boat was aground and its crew struggling in the surf to keep the boat afloat. The lifeboat recovered the casualty and its occupants, and towed the boat into the harbour.

Tragedy
10/11/12 June 2007

At almost the same time that the lifeboat crew was paged after reports that an unoccupied dinghy had been found, the occupants of a small boat fund a small child floating in the water about half a mile south of the harbour entrance. The child was recovered, and the crew was joined by friends from another boat who started resuscitation whilst heading for the harbour. As they arrived at Fisherman's Quay to be met by an ambulance, lifeboat crewmembers were arriving to respond to what looked very much like a linked incident.

There had been no reports of missing persons, but the dinghy, which had been recovered by a passing yacht, was in a similar position to the child. It was a natural assumption that he hadn't gone to sea alone, and so a search was commenced with both Littlehampton lifeboats, coastguard rescue helicopter 'Alpha Victor' and a shore search was conducted by local coastguards.

The family crewing the small boat that recovered the child from the sea had done an excellent job getting him to the shore and performing resuscitation until he was handed over to the ambulance team. They joined the lifeboat shore team in the boathouse while the search was underway, and awaited news. As we all now know, it wasn't good news. Medical teams had worked on the little boy for a couple of hours, but he didn't make it, and the ambulance crew returned to the boathouse themselves to break the news to the family that found him, and to reassure them that they had made a huge contribution to any chance that he might survive.

The search continued all evening for still an unknown number of additional people, before it was suspended after 1am the following morning. The crew mustered again at 5.30am to continue the search.

News came that a father and 2-year old son hadn't returned to their London home, and they were thought to have gone to the seaside. So now we knew the identity of the boy, and we had been searching for his dad. By now, however, there was no chance that he would have survived after so long in the water, and the search was called off. The following afternoon, some kite surfers spotted a body in the sea, not far from where the dinghy was thought to have launched a couple of days before. Both lifeboats launched, and the body was recovered and returned to the boathouse.

Fisherman Lost & Found
17 March/15 April 2007

Both Littlehampton lifeboats were launched in response to a report of an overdue fishing boat. With information provided by friends of the missing person who had gone to sea at a similar time, the fishing boat 'Breadwinner' was located. She was anchored by her own nets, which had been partially recovered over the bow, but with no sign of the occupant. The search was quickly expanded, with Selsey Lifeboat, the coastguard rescue helicopter India Juliet, a fishery protection vessel and a warship all joining the search.

The fishing boat itself served as a datum for the search, but once search patterns had been established, it was taken back to the harbour by the crew of Littlehampton's D-Class inshore lifeboat. The search continued, and was scaled down as darkness fell, in the knowledge that there was no hope that the missing fisherman could have survived after so much time in the water.

Nearly three weeks later, a report was received from a passing yacht of a body in the sea. Littlehampton's Atlantic 75 lifeboat 'Blue Peter 1' launched to recover the body and take it back to Littlehampton. It was later confirmed that this was the missing fisherman.