Blyth Lifeboat Station

30/06/2009 21:05 *LAUNCH*

Date - Tuesday, June 30th 2009
Launch Time - 21:05
Incident - Members of Blyth Lifeboat crew who were waiting at station to recover the lifeboat from the water following a regular training exercise were informed by 2 members of the public that they had just witnessed a car entering the water on the opposite side of the river from Blyth lifeboat station.

The lifeboat crew informed humber coastguard of the reported incident and proceeded immediatly to the scene just up-river from Blyth lifeboat station. Upon arrival the crew found the vehicle almost completly submerged with only the rear window showing above the waterline.

One of the lifeboat crew entered the water to confirm if any persons were trapped whilst other crew members sought information from on-lookers and the vehicles driver, who it was discovered had been in the vehicle at the time it entered the water. Once it was apparant that the vehicle was no longer occupied the lifeboat crew awaited the arrival of Police and Coatguard Mobile units.

Recovery of the vehicle was arranged by the police and port of blyth to avoid any hazard to navigation. The lifeboat then returned to station and was again made ready for service at 22:00.

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A BBC news report of this incident can be found here
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/tyne/8128831.stm

 A report by the Newcastle Journal newspaper can be found here
http://www.journallive.co.uk/north-east-news/todays-news/2009/07/03/harry-potter-crashes-car-into-river-blyth-at-cambois-61634-24062638/

Blyth Lifeboat Open Day 2009, Sunday 5th July

The anual RNLI open day at Blyth lifeboat station will be held on sunday 5th July 2009 between 12.45pm & 4.30pm and is to be officially opened by BBC weather presenter Hannah Bayman.

08/06/2009 19:06 *LAUNCH*

Date - Monday, June 8th 2009
Launch Time - 19:06
Incident - Blyth Lifeboat was launched to reports of 3 persons on board a day fishing vessel which was suffering from engine failure and drifting towards rocks.

The lifeboat left station and headed towards the incident in Cambois bay on the north side of the Alcan loading facility.

The vessel “Musketeer” was located approximately 5 minutes later just after she had drifted aground onto a small sandy beach at the bottom of the rocks. The lifeboat crew proceeded to attach a tow line and with the help of the crew of the Musketeer and despite a rapidly falling tide, managed to drag her from the beach and back afloat.

The Musketeer and her 3 crew were then returned to berth on the river Blyth and the lifeboat returned to station.

The Lifeboat was on scene within 5 minutes of launch and recovered two males aged 19 & 20 and one inflatable dinghy from near the end of the east pier. The males who has sustained no injuries were then taken to meet with the Blyth Coastguard mobile unit on Blyth beach where they were given safety advice.

The 3 musketeers were all found to be safe and well, acknowledging they had had a lucky escape they commented that “if the tide had been higher or they had drifted in a slightly different position the vessel could have easily been smashed onto the rocks”

01/06/2009 16:59 *LAUNCH*

Date - Monday, June 1st 2009
Launch Time - 16:59
Incident - Blyth Lifeboat was launched to reports of 2 persons in a small inflatable dingy, drifting out to sea in the Blyth bay area, Upon launching Humber Coatsguard informed the lifeboat crew that the position of the casualties was now the end of Blyth’s east pier.

The Lifeboat was on scene within 5 minutes of launch and recovered two males aged 19 & 20 and one inflatable dinghy from near the end of the east pier. The males who has sustained no injuries were then taken to meet with the Blyth Coastguard mobile unit on Blyth beach where they were given safety advice.

25/05/2009 19:37 *LAUNCH*

Date - Monday, May 25th 2009
Launch Time - 19:37
Incident - Blyth Lifeboat ‘Jennie B’ was called out by HM Coastguard at 19.32 hours to assist the Police rescue a person in the River Blyth near the Commissioners Quay.

The Lifeboat was launched at 19.37 hours and arrived at the scene off the Commissioners Quay 19.38 hours and the casualty was recovered from the river at 19.45 hours. The casualty was brought ashore at  Blyth Lifeboat Station and met by waiting Police and Ambulance.  The Lifeboat was then made ready for service again by 20.20 hours.

Blyth Lifeboat Operations Manager John Scott said

“The cooperation with the Police, Ambulance and the Lifeboat crew made it possible to quickly reach the scene and recover the casualty”

D-606 “Jennie B” back on-station at Blyth

Following a refit and essential maintenance at the RNLI’s Cowes Inshore Lifeboat Centre , Blyth’s D Class (IB1) lifeboat D-606 “Jennie B” has today been returned to station.

05/04/2009 11:35 *LAUNCH*

Date - Sunday, April 5th 2009
Launch Time - 11:35
Incident - Whilst already launched on a training exercise the Blyth Lifeboat ‘Marjorie Wilkinson’ (relief fleet boat) came across an 18ft pleasure fishing boat “Ginger Lass” suffering from mechanical failure with two persons on-board. The lifeboat crew informed Humber Coastguard of the situation and at the request of the skipper of the Ginger Lass, rigged a tow and returned the Ginger Lass to her berth in Seaton Sluice harbour.

The lifeboat crew then continued with their planned training exercise before returning to station at Blyth.

D-680 “Marjorie Wilkinson” now on-station at Blyth

To allow for refit and essential maintenance, Blyth’s D Class (IB1) lifeboat D-606 “Jennie B” has today been removed from station and temporarily replaced with an  identical boat from the RNLI’s relief fleet.

D-680 “Marjorie Wilkinson” is now on-station enabling the crew to provide the same level of service as before.

Although many maintenance and repairs can be carried out on-station at Blyth, The RNLI maintains a relief fleetso that all RNLI lifeboats around the UK and Ireland can receive periodical refits and upgrades at the RNLI’s Cowes Inshore Lifeboat Centre 

Refurbishment & Station Updates at Blyth, now complete

The refurbishment’s to the crew changing, storage and drying facilities at Blyth Lifeboat Station are now complete, thanks to voluntary donations the RNLI is able to provide crew’s with the facilities needed allowing them to continue to provide the essential lifeboat service around the coast of the UK and Ireland.

Pictures ofthe refurbishment work in progress can be found here, pictures of the completed work are below.

  
click an thumbnail for a larger version

Blyth’s LOM John Scott receives RNLI Award in 2009

The RNLI Council has decided to make an award to Mr John C Scott, the Lifeboat Operations Manager at the RNLI Blyth Lifeboat Station Management Group, in recognition of his many years of voluntary work.

John Scott has served 12 Years as Lifeboat Operations Manager, and has done sterling work for the RNLI Blyth Station during some difficult years of restructuring at the Station.

It is interesting to note that John started his voluntary service with the RNLI during 1974 as a crewmember of the D Class lifeboat, probably the fastest class of lifeboat at that time. He later joined the crew of the Civil Service Class Lifeboat ‘Winston Churchill’. Then as the years passed he qualified as Assistant Mechanic, then Mechanic, then as Second Coxswain Mechanic.

Like many things in life there is change, the lifeboats became larger and faster that gave the craft a greater range of service. The types of incidents at sea needing the assistance of lifeboat crew also changed some 80% of the incidents are closer to shore and require the assistance of the Atlantic or D Class Lifeboats.

During the past 35 years Mr John Scott has seen the changes and development of the D Class Lifeboat, which is probably the longest serving class of RNLI Lifeboat. The D Class lifeboat was introduced into service in 1963 and has over the years been improved and developed, and today it has a speed of 25 knots and the power to tow a vessel of some 40feet should a tow be necessary.

Mr J C Scott will be formally presented with his award at an event to be arranged later this year.