Tag Archives: Irish Coast Guard
Fishing Vessel Crew rescued by Irish Coast Guard after Grounding on Inis Mór
Five crew members were rescued by the Irish Coast Guard after their fishing vessel ran aground on the northern side of Inis Mór, on the Aran Islands. The emergency call was received by the Valentia Coast Guard shortly before 5am this morning. The 21-metre fishing vessel had five crew members on board who initially abandoned the vessel into a life raft. Shannon-based Coast Guard Helicopter R115, Aran Islands RNLI lifeboat, and North Aran Coast Guard Unit were all immediately dispatched to the scene to assist with the rescue operation. more, >>click to read<< 18:57
2,788 incidents coordinated by Coast Guard in 2023
In 2023, the Irish Coast Guard coordinated responses to 2,788 incidents which is the second highest number in 5 years (2,976 in 2021). August was the busiest month with a total of 391 incidents. The incident count covers the range of services provided by the Coast Guard. Services include search and rescue, maritime casualty support and pollution preparedness and response. IRCG also provides air ambulance services to the HSE including day and night aeromedical services to the offshore islands, assists An Garda Síochána with missing person searches, including inland and mountain rescue, as well as provision of other support to the Emergency Services. photos, more, >>click to read<< 09:56
Body recovered by navy divers in search for fisherman off Louth coast
Navy divers recovered the body of the fisherman, who was aboard the ‘Ben Thomas’, a small fishing boat which got into difficulty and began to sink on Tuesday. Around 8.45am Tuesday, a mayday call was received by the Marine Rescue Coordination Centre (MRCC) in Dublin from the vessel and its two crewmembers in the North Irish Sea. Search and rescue teams were able to retrieve one of the fishermen his crewmate in Tuesday’s search of the Dunany Point to Dundalk Bay area, but the multi-agency operation had to stand down as light faded that evening. more, >>click to read<< 08:23
Dunmore East RNLI leads multi-agency rescue of 3 fisherman
The Dunmore East RNLI volunteer lifeboat crew successfully coordinated a multi-agency rescue operation yesterday morning (25 November) for a fishing vessel in distress. The 12m vessel, with 3 persons on board, got into difficulty less than 0.5 nautical miles west of Dunmore East Harbour. It was reported to be taking on a significant amount of water when the RNLI crew was tasked by the Irish Coast Guard at 07.33am. RNLI volunteers responded to a pager alert and the all-weather lifeboat, William and Agnes Wray was launched and quickly located the vessel.>>click to read<< 07:10
Crab Fisherman Who Died Off Donegal Named
The fisherman who lost his life off the Donegal coast last weekend has been named. Madis Letsars (37), a father of two, went overboard the crab vessel, Séimí, while crab fishing about 70 miles north of Arranmore Island, Co Donegal, on February 4th. It is believed he may have got caught in a rope while the vessel was shooting pots. Originally from the Baltic States and living in Co Armagh, he was one of five on board the vessel at the time. Members of the crew of the Séimí are said to be devastated by the loss of the crewman who had been on four or five trips with the crab vessel. >click to read< 15:32
Wind turbine goes on fire off Wicklow coast after lightning strike
Dramatic images showing a wind turbine on fire off the Wicklow coast have been shared on social media after lightning strikes and thunder across the country. It has been reported the offshore turbine, located approximately 10km off the coast of Arklow, caught fire after being struck by lightning earlier today. A spokesperson for the Irish Coast Guard confirmed that they had responded to reports of the fire, which began to circulate at approximately 12.30pm. It has been reported that the owners/operators of the turbine, GE Energy, decided to let the fire run its course. >click to read< 07:18
From injury to impact: a timeline of the eight critical moments that led up to R116 crash
Shortly after 9.15pm on March 13, 2017, the F/V King’s Cross trawler was on the northern edge of Porcupine Bank when Captain William Buchan told his crew to haul in the net. It was a perfectly normal request of his crew. However, it set off a chain of events so tragic and inconceivable that it still haunts all those involved in the R116 tragedy more than five years later. Fisherman James John Strachan was assigned to one side of the vessel. While attempting to clear a section of netting that had become trapped, his right hand became entangled. Capt Buchan contacted Ian Scott, the Coast Guard radio operator at Malin Head Marine Rescue Sub Centre (MRSC). Mr Scott listened with concern as Capt Buchan detailed his crewman’s condition. Immediately after establishing the vessel’s position, Mr Scott said, “It is within range of our helicopter, and he will come and get your man off the boat.” >click to read< 15:39
Sister of tragic R116 captain Dara Fitzpatrick’s incredible gesture after ‘tough week’ as inquest ends – THE sister of tragic Rescue 116 captain Dara Fitzpatrick has told how she would love to “host a documentary on loss and grief”. Dr Niamh Fitzpatrick said a number of people have contacted her to thank her for talking about loss after the inquest into the horror Rescue 116 crash finished this week. >click to read< 17:53
Ireland: Coast Guard helicopter base in southeast to be retained
Search and rescue services will remain in place in the southeast following a confirmation from the Department of Transport that a minimum of four helicopter bases will be retained for future Coast Guard services. Initial copies of tendering documentation published by the Government in late 2021 detailed how a minimum of three helicopters were to be provided by the next contractor. This led to concerns expressed by politicians in the region that a base would be cut from the future plans, potentially in Waterford. >click to read< 12:04
Wing and a prayer for future of Waterford Coast Guard rescue base
Transport Minister Eamon Ryan admitted in recent days that the potential loss of the Waterford search and rescue base is a “life or death” situation. The fear is that the base will be lost under a new contract worth hundreds of millions of euro for the renewal of aviation services for the Irish Coast Guard.,, this has prompted fears that Waterford could lose its helicopter base, which would have ramifications for the south and south-east region. The R117 helicopter operates out of Waterford, and its crews had a busy year in 2021; typically it responds to around 700 calls a year but that increased to more than 900 last year. >click to read< 21:12
Rescue 116: ‘Anger doesn’t get you anywhere’ Father of pilot Dara Fitzpatrick shares frustration
The father of tragic pilot Dara Fitzpatrick has shared his frustration following the final report on the fatal Rescue 116 crash. The report outlined the series of failures which caused an Irish Coast Guard helicopter to smash into a Co Mayo island before plunging into the sea in March 2017. Captain Dara Fitpzatrick and three other crew members, Captain Mark Duffy, operator Paul Ormsby and winchman Ciarán Smith died in the early hours of 14 March 2017 when on a rescue mission. Captain Fitzpatrick and Captain Duffy’s bodies were recovered but Ormsby and Smith remain lost at sea. >click to read< – Rescue 116: From responding to a call about a minor fishing accident to utter devastation – >click to read< 09:01
PFD Reminder for Fishing Crews Following Report on Scallop Boat Sinking Incident That Cost Two Lives
The Department of Transport has issued a new Marine Notice on the correct use of lifejackets or personal flotation devices PFD’s on fishing vessels. It follows the report earlier this month from the Maritime Casualty Investigation Board into the sinking of the FV Alize off Hook Head early last year. Two fishermen died after the F/V Alize sank while fishing for scallops out of Duncannon, Co Wexford on 4 January 2020. Joe Sinnott was recovered from the scene by the Irish Coast Guard’s Waterford-based helicopter Rescue 117 but was later pronounced dead at University Hospital Waterford. >click to read< 12:04
Investigation finds Co Wexford boat capsized due to loss of stability
The FV Alize sank on January 4th, 2020, near the end of a 36-hour trip dredging for scallops. The two men on board were Joe Sinnott from Kilmore Quay, and William Whelan from Saltmills, Co Wexford. Shortly before 11pm, Irish Coast Guard rescue helicopter R117, and a Dunmore east RNLI lifeboat were tasked with responding to an emergency beacon, about 12km off Hook Head.,, Less than two hours before the boat capsized the skipper called a family member and told them they had 29 bags of scallops on board, and were on the final trawl, after which they would be returning home. >click to read< 09:31
Hero fishermen used tidal & weather information to find Galway paddleboarders
The mother of one of the two missing paddleboarders dramatically rescued has hailed the hero fishermen who found them and said: “We are forever indebted.” Patrick Oliver, 38, and his 18-year-old son Morgan correctly worked out their location off the Aran Islands using tidal and weather information. Speaking to RTE radio, Sara’s mum, Helen Feeney, described the rescue as a miracle. Asked about how the girls are doing, she said: “They’re wonderful now, really. I suppose they’re overwhelmed. They’re very grateful. >click to read< 07:53
‘weak and tired’ but ‘thankful’ – Fisherman Patrick Oliver ‘couldn’t sit at home’ when he heard two women were missing
The fisherman who rescued two young women clinging to the buoy of a lobster pot off Inis Oirr after 15 hours in the water has said they were “fairly shook” and “delighted” when he found them. Patrick Oliver and his son Morgan (18) found the women, aged 17 and 23, around 20 miles out from Furbo Beach in Co Galway where they had been paddle boarding on Wednesday evening. Mr Oliver, from Claddagh, said the women spent the night on their paddleboards and held onto each other overnight. He said when daylight came on Thursday morning they saw a buoy, paddled towards it and clung onto it until they were found. >click to read< 14:01
‘We really don’t know what happened’ – son of fisherman who died in Wexford tragedy says as search continues for second man
A search resumes this morning for a Wexford man who has been missing since the trawler he was fishing on sank late on Saturday night. Willie Whelan, who is in his 40s, was fishing off Hook Head with another man, Joe Sinnott (65), who was winched from the sea and rushed to hospital but who died later. The trawler, a scallop fishing vessel, was said to be in good condition and working in good sea conditions when it sank. >Click to read< 08:38
Search for missing fisherman continues – A search has resumed for a fisherman missing since the trawler he was on sank on Saturday night. >click to read<
UPDATED: Father-of-four who died in trawler tragedy named, Search for trawler has been stood down
The man who died after being winched from the sea off Hook Head following a fishing tragedy has been named locally as Joe Sinnott, from Kilmore Quay in Co Wexford. Mr Sinnott (65), a well-respected fisherman and a father-of-four, was picked up by rescue crews after an automatic distress signal was sent from the stricken Alize fishing boat, which was positioned off Hook Head at around 10.30pm last night. A sea and coastal search continues today for a second man, aged in his 40s, who was also on the Alize. >click to read< 10:41
Search for trawler has been stood down; One fisherman dies, another missing – A multi-agency search operation near Hook Head is winding down due to worsening weather conditions and visibility as darkness approaches. It is expected to resume again on Monday morning at approximately 8am. >click to read< 16:55
Fisherman suffering a heart attack refused to be airlifted from trawler twice! They got him.
An Irish Coast Guard helicopter was sent to meet a fishing trawler three times before they could eventually airlift a seriously ill crew member to hospital. The fisherman suffered a heart attack on board a French fishing vessel off the Clare coast but refused twice to be airlifted to hospital. The drama began at around 4.30pm yesterday when the Irish Coast Guard was requested to assist the captain of a 98-foot French fishing vessel who had reported that a crew member had suffered a heart attack. >click to read<16:10
Irish Coast Guard review: Remarkable and laudable record
An end-of-year review by the Irish Coast Guard reveals that the service assisted more than 3,300 people over the course of 2017, of which a total of 335 were classified as “lives saved”. The coastguard co-ordinated more than 2,500 incidents through its three Marine Rescue Co-ordination Centres based on Valentia island in Kerry, Malin in Co Donegal, and its Dublin-based headquarters. click here to read the story 18:19 
Crew member fights for life as 3 still missing in Irish Coast Guard helicoper
Hopes are fading for the survival of four crew members of an Irish Coast Guard helicopter missing off the west of Ireland, the head of the rescue service said. One crew member was pulled from the Atlantic, in a critical condition, as an intense search continued for three others off the Co Mayo coast – around six miles (10km) west of Blacksod. The Dublin-based Sikorsky S92, which was providing cover for another helicopter involved in an early-morning rescue operation, lost contact at around 1am on Tuesday. Eugene Clonan, acting director of the Irish Coast Guard, confirmed the crew member found in the water at around 7am is fighting for their life. “We don’t hold out much hope for that person,” he said. “And indeed, at this particular point in time, hopes are fading of finding the remainder of the crew.” continue reading the story here 10:16
