Rescue of crew members from a stricken ship.

At 2015hrs we were tasked to the Raynes jetty at Llanddulas, near Colwyn Bay, to reports of a Ship aground. We arrived at scene at 2025hrs and immediatly requested a full team call out. We also requested the Llandudno and Rhyl All-Weather Lifeboats and they were launched on service at 2030hrs. They arrived by 2100 and stood by as it was considered too dangerous to attempt a rescue by boat. We were also met by Rhyl Coastguard to assist in the rescue.

A helicopter was requested as this was deemed the safest option, but the nearest Helicopter available was Royal Navy Rescue 177 from HMS Gannet (Prestwick, Scotland) as 22 squadron at RAF Valley were out of action. It took an hour from HMS Gannet to reach RAF Valley on Angelsey to refuel before arriving at scene.

When they arrived they spotted a small fire on the Port side bridge wing. This made extracting the crew quickly crucial. This was later confirmed as a distress flare. At 2240, five of the seven crew had been rescued. The first five crew members were landed on the A55 and handed over to The Welsh Ambulance Service but required little or no treatment.

But during the rescue of the second group, the winch became tangled around a light fixture and had become un-serviceable. Rescue 177  then landed at the North Wales Police HQ, to drop off the two casualties on board the helicopter, as a power failure on land had caused the street lamps to extinguish.

Rescue 177 then flew to RAF Valley to attempt a repair on its winch. A second helicopter was requested, which arrived from RAF Leconfield, to extract the two remaining casualties and Royal Navy Winchman who were still on board.

The crew were all evacuated by 0100 and we returned to station.

Concerns that the fuel tanks have ruptured were raised as fuel could be smelt around the ship. The A55 had been closed until 1300, where a reassessment took place to determine weather it was safe to reopen the carriageway.

Pollution and salvage experts have assessed the situation this morning and are determining the best course of action. It was found that some gas oil had leaked, but because of the sea state it dispersed quickly and left little enviromental damage.

The MCA Secretary of States Representative for Maritime Salvage and Intervention (SOSREP) are working closely with Environment agency Wales, the Welsh assembly Government and the RSPB.

BBC Article
Daily Mail article

Early start to the season

At 16:00hrs we were called to a climber that had fallen 30ft from a cliff face at a location known locally as Pen Trwyn on the Great Orme. The Paramedic (who is also a member of the team) requested our attendance to assist in the recovery of the casualty as he knew that area well.

The casualty suffered suspected spinal injuries and was placed on a spinal board. Due the difficult position of the casualty the safest method of extrication was via RAF Rescue 122 who winched the casualty to safety and took him to Ysbyty Gwynedd, Bangor.

Climbers at Pen Trwyn

BBC Article
Daily post article

As we cleared from this incident we were tasked to a boat on fire at Conwy. Details of casualties at this time was unknown.

When we arrived at the scene, the boat known as 'The Grey Lady' was well alight.

The Grey Lady on fire

The Grey Lady in its  former state

North Wales Fire and rescue service arrived on scene and extinguished the fire and remained on scene damping down until it was safe.

We were tasked to preserve life and protect the scene from members of the public who might have been in danger. We also made sure that the environment was protected from hazards and pollutants.

BBC Article

Welcome

Welcome to the new blog for Llandudno Coastguard. Our main aim is to educate, raise awarness of what we do and to improve safety along our coast. We hope you all enjoy the new blog and please rembember to drop in now and again to check our updates.