Call Reports

So far in 2008, Littlehampton's lifeboat crew has respnded to 24 calls. Littlehampton's lifeboats launched on service 77 times during 2007 after a quiet 2006 with only 49 calls. There were 81 calls in 2005 and 85 in 2004.

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.

Harbour Entrance Capsize
5 July 2007

Two children of around 10 years old were reported by VHF radio to be in the water after their dinghy capsized in the harbour entrance. The conditions were not good, with southwesterly winds gusting to force 8. An Arun Yacht Club safety boat was on hand and successfully recovered the children as the lifeboat arrived on scene. The dinghy was towed back to it's launch site.

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.

On The Rocks
10 June 2007

A Mayday was transmitted just after 2am by the 43ft sloop 'Petrel' after she found herself grounded on Bognor Rocks and sinking. Littlehampton's Atlantic 75 lifeboat 'Blue Peter 1' was on scene twelve minutes after launching, and the D-Class lifeboat, 'Spirit of Juniper' joined her shortly afterwards. Once alongside and having checked that the sole occupant of the casualty was safe, the crew rigged pumps and started to clear the flooded bilges. Selsey's 47ft Tyne class all weather lifeboat was also launched, and provided additional pumping capacity.

The water ingress was successfully stemmed, and the decision taken to tow the casualty vessel to Littlehampton, but only after waiting for the flood tide to provide more depth - Petrel has a fin keel and draws 2.5 metres. The casualty was towed to Littlehampton and secured to the visitor moorings at Town Quay. The lifeboat returned to station, and was refuelled and made ready for service before standing down at 5:30am.

Unsafe Safety Boat
28 May 2007

Both Littlehampton lifeboats were launched in response to reports that a person had fallen overboard from a safety patrol boat off the coast of Worthing. Safety boats from Worthing Yacht Club had heard of the incident, started searching, located and recovered the missing person. The lifeboats checked the other small boats in the area before returning to station.

Gone Fishing
4 May 2007

A small fishing boat broke down about a mile south of the harbour, with three people on board. Littlehampton's Atlantic 75 lifeboat, 'Blue Peter 1' was launched, and towed the casualty vessel back to Littlehampton.

Escorted Yacht
2 May 2007

The Yacht 'Brillean' was having some problems with its engine and was entering the harbour under sail, and found itself blown towards the West Works. The lifeboat was launched, but Brillean managed to get under way under her own power, and was escorted to County Wharf.

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.

Adrift at Arundel
26 February 2007

Littlehampton's D-Class inshore lifeboat, Spirit of Juniper, was launched to attend a small boat that had broken down and was drifting in a strong ebb tide. The lifeboat towed the boat and its three occupants back to Littlehampton.

Three In a Day
20 August 2006

Good Intent
A member of the public was concerned that a small motor boat seemed to have difficulty making progress a few hundred yards offshore from Elmer. Suspecting that the boat may have motor problems, Solent Coastguard asked Littlehampton Lifeboat to launch and investigate. Perfect timing, because the duty crew of Gavin Simmons, Ollie Clarke & Jenny Cradock had just returned from Breakfast at the Dinky Doo. As everyone knows, Ollie is particularly keen to respect the sanctity of mealtimes.

On reaching the vessel, it transpired that they were not in any form of distress, but were making way slowly because they were fishing. Since another meal was not scheduled for a while, the lifeboat remained at sea on exercise.

Swan Song
A number of people reported to Littlehampton Coastguard lookout that they were concerned for the wellbeing of a swan, which had become entangled in fishing lines near the shoalbank just inside the harbour entrance.

Littlehampton's D-Class lifeboat, Spirit of Juniper, with the same crew as earlier, Gavin, Jenny and Ollie, launched immediately and proceeded to the harbour entrance. Lucky timing really, the crew had just finished consuming the excellent Chilli con Carne that Ollie's mum had cooked for their lunch.

The swan was recovered onto the lifeboat, which then returned to the boathouse so that the fishing line could be carefully removed, away from the confines of a small boat. Wielding wire cutters, Keith 'Chopper' Booth worked his way through the lines and then Jenny and Gavin carried the swan back to the water's edge to rejoin its flock.

Slow Speedboat
A 14' speedboat had landed two of its four occupants, and then had engine problems just to the east of Littlehampton Harbour entrance. Littlehampton Coastguards had the vessel under observation, and watched one of the two remaining occupants make a call on her mobile, which turned out to be the 999 call to Solent Coastguard.

Just about at low water, but with neap tides and therefore around a metre of water over the bar, Littlehampton's Atlantic 75 lifeboat 'Blue Peter I' was launched with the duty crew of Gavin Simmons, Jenny Cradock and Ollie Clarke aboard. The timing was slightly unfortunate, because Ollie had just settled down to a second helping of the Chilli that his mum had cooked for the crew's lunch.

The lifeboat was alongside the casualty within a few minutes, and stood by for a period waiting for extra depth before taking the vessel in tow and returning her to Fisherman's Quay, from whence she came.

Doggy Paddle
29 July 2006

Littlehampton's D-Class inshore lifeboat was launched to investigate an object partially floating just off the harbour entrance. Arriving on-scene, it transpired that the object was a wheely-bin, weighted down with rocks, and containing the body of a Staffordshire Bull Terrier, wrapped up in a sheet. The bin and its contents were recovered and taken ashore, then handed over to the council and RSPCA.

Scorchio
19 July 2006

Scorcher, a 7 metre dayboat with an inboard diesel engine had broken down about 1/2 mile south of Littlehampton Harbour. The weather and visibility were good, but the south westerly force 4 to 5 breeze could have led to some discomfort to those aboard a drifting boat. The lifeboat was on scene within a few minutes of launching, and took the casualty in tow and back to the harbour.

Sick Person in Water
8 July 2006

Blue Peter I was launched in response to reports of a man in the water near Worthing Pier. The lifeboat arrived on scene at 20:10 to find that the casualty had been recovered onto the girders of the pier at sea level and was being attended by two ambulance men and a police officer. He was on the edge of consciousness (that's the casualty not the copper) and had to be carried with the support of a harness manoeuvred by coastguards from the pier deck, into the lifeboat which senior helmsman Andy Harris had skilfully wedged inside the pier structure.

The casualty was attended aboard the lifeboat by the paramedic and ambulance technician as they, together with the policeman, were delivered to the waiting ambulance on Worthing beach.

Broken Down Fishing Boat
16 June 2006

Littlehampton Lifeboat launched to attend a broken down fishing boat, about 1/2 mile south of the harbour entrance. It was approaching low water, so it was not possible to tow the casualty vessel into the harbour at that time. Instead, the owner of the vessel was happy that it should be anchored and recovered later, and the lifeboat delivered him and his colleague back to shore.