Swedish vessel Alva had to be towed into St Peter Port early yesterday after fishing nets had disabled its rudder and propeller. (Picture by Tony Rive, 0650081)
A SHIP with 40 people on board was dramatically rescued in gale-force winds early yesterday by the St Peter Port lifeboat.
The Alva, a 44-metre, three-masted maritime school for Swedish teenagers, was on its way to St Malo when a large amount of netting fouled its rudder and propeller.
Initially, the Jersey coastguard and French authorities responded but failed to pass a tow from Jersey tug the Duke of Normandy in atrocious conditions and the tug had to return to St Helier with the Jersey lifeboat to land an injured crewman.
It was then decided to call in the St Peter Port lifeboat because the Alva had drifted nearer to Guernsey than St Helier.
Harbour master Captain Peter Gill said it had been a dramatic rescue.
‘I’ve spoken to lifeboat coxswain Buz White and although he is trying to play down what they did, what he and his crew managed in force eight and nine winds was quite something. And it was only because the captain of the Swedish ship, which was built in 1939, was an ex-lifeboatman himself that he knew what was required in those conditions to get a tow secured.’
Deputy harbour master Tony Pattimore, who coordinated the rescue, said the lifeboat had set out at 1.30am.
‘When the St Peter Port lifeboat arrived on the scene at 2am, the coxswain and crew assessed the situation and, after discussion with the master of the casualty and being mindful of the weather forecast, it was decided to tow the Alva to St Peter Port.
‘The French RTV [rescue tug] Abeille Liberte escorted the lifeboat and tow until they reached St Peter Port at 5.36am, at which time it was stood down.’
The captains of the Alva and the Abeille Liberte both praised the lifeboat crew for the dramatic rescue.
Article posted on 6th October, 2008 - 2.30pm
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