Rhyl All-Weather Lifeboat 12-24 "Lil Cunningham" services 2012 (latest service at top of page)
AWB = all-weather offshore Mersey-class lifeboat. ILB = D-Class Inshore lifeboat
14/5/2012. 1800. Both boats were launched to assist in the rescue of a woman in distress on Kinmel Bay beach, at the entrance to Rhyl’s harbour, on an area known as Horton’s Nose. The local coastguard volunteer team were also called to assist police recover the woman, who was face down in the water, about 20 metres out from the shore. The coastguard team had arrived just before, together with police officers; and the lifeboat crew assisted in calming the woman and administering oxygen. The woman appeared to be hypothermic, and the best course of action was to take her on board the inshore lifeboat, and transfer her into the harbour to waiting paramedics. The all-weather lifeboat was also on scene, and escorted the inshore boat in to the harbour. The RNLI crew of both boats then helped coastguards, police and ambulance personnel get the woman into an ambulance and she was taken under police charge to Glan Clwyd hospital. This was the first time the RNLI crews had worn the new lifejackets supplied by donations to the Rhyl station over the last 3 months. RNLI PRESS OFFICE ITEM AND PHOTO
24/4/2012.1429 Both boats were launched after an 18' foot cabin cruiser with 4 persons on board, reported their engine had failed off Kinmel Bay. As the crew were assembling, it could be seen that the boat was being blown to the shore, and so the ILB was launched first, backed up by the ALB. The ILB took the boat in tow until they were far enough offshore for the ALB to close. As there were so many on board the casualty, the offer of transferring to the ALB was given, to lighten the load when entering Rhyl harbour, due to the swift waters there during the harbour reconstruction. The offer was declined, and so the ILB towed the boat alongside, with the ALB following up. Due to the current, the ILB was only making about 4 knots, but managed to get the casualty on to moorings in the harbour, and then both boats returned to station by 1550.
3/4/2012. 2019 The crew were at the station for their monthly meeting when word came through that the 2000-tonne coaster "Carrier" had gone aground near Raynes Jetty, and the boat was being battered against the rocks in a north-easterly gale and 5m breaking waves, with 8 crew on board. The crew immediately got ready, launching the boat and being on scene in 25 minutes. Llandudno lifeboat was also launched to assist. Numerous Coastguard units were tasked to help, and also police, fire and ambulance units were mobilised. On scene, the breaking seas meant the lifeboats could not get less than 150m away from the vessel, which was broadside on to the rocks at Llanddulas. The RAF helicopter was unavailable at the time, so a Royal Navy rescue helicopter was tasked but had to refuel at RAF Valley first, and so the lifeboats and multiple rescue services on land stood by until the helicopter arrived. 6 crew were winched off the coaster, but a tangled winch wire meant the helicopter winchman and 2 remaining crew were left on board. These were picked up by a separate helicopter tasked from Ireland about an hour later. The 2 lifeboats had taken quite a beating in the large confused sea and were stood down at about 2320, as the tide was ebbing, and the boat was settling on the beach. Rhyl lifeboat returned to station at 2345 and Llandudno's boat some 15 minutes later. These seas were perhaps the most confused and rough seas the crew had encountered for many years, and the coxswains of the 2 boats did a great job holding the boats in position for nearly 3 hours. The incident attracted great media attention (see links). The vessel had been holed on the starboard side and during the following few days, the diesel was pumped from it's tanks, with only minimal pollution, which would be dispersed naturally, according to experts on scene.
Related news items----------
BBC news item Sky news item World maritime news RNLI news release Daily Telegraph Internet
Rhyl Lifeboat video on YouTube Other You Tube video And another