In the early hours of this morning (16th May, 2013), Hoylake lifeboat’s volunteer crew was tasked to a 94m wind farm survey vessel, 8.5 miles from station to evacuate one of its crew, suffering from severe chest pains and breathing difficulties. The casualty was transferred to the lifeboat and was landed back at station and transferred him to the awaiting ambulance.

Here’s a short video that captures some of the ‘shout’:

Many thanks to crew member Ian Davies for the information about this RNLI shout.

Hoylake RNLI crew, (left to right) Geoff Ormrod, Dave Dodd, Dave Whiteley, Steve Armitage.

As reported by John Curry, Lifeboat Operations Manager in the RNLI press centre.

Hoylake RNLI Lifeboat Station is delighted to announce that four of the crew have been awarded a bar to their twenty year long-service badges.

The RNLI has for some time been thinking of recognising service beyond the original twenty year service badge, and in the last week has announced the names of the serving crew, who in some cases have doubled this service time in the interest of saving lives at sea.

At Hoylake, four serving crew members qualify for the bars. Two long serving members: David Dodd MBE and Geoff Ormrod qualify for the forty year bar. Both men have served with distinction as Coxswain of the Hoylake Lifeboat.

At present, David holds the position of Head Launcher and Geoff is Shore Crew. Both men have served well in excess of forty years.

Two other serving members of the crew: Deputy Second Coxswain Steve Armitage, and last but certainly not least, is the present Coxswain of the Hoylake Lifeboat David Whiteley.

Both these men have been awarded the thirty year bar, and again both have served well in excess of this time.

The Hoylake RNLI Lifeboat Station is very proud of its history of saving lives at sea, and all four men are no exception. Despite the hardships experienced on occasions, and the ever present danger of being at sea in heavy weather conditions in a small, but extremely seaworthy craft, none would have had their life any other way.

They are all dedicated lifeboat men and, despite the hardships, have found their roles of lifeboat crewmen to be both rewarding and not without times of great pleasure and fun within the camaraderie of the Lifeboat Service at Hoylake, which to a man they have been proud to serve.

Many thanks to Ian Davies for some Hoylake RNLI news:

Yesterday afternoon there was small ceremony of wreath laying to mark the 201 years since the 1810 Hoylake Lifeboat Disaster.Pictured in front of the memorial outside Hoylake Lifeboat station are (l-r) David Dodd MBE former Coxswain and now Head Launcher, Geoff Ormrod former Coxswain and now Divisional Assessor, Howie Owens Lifeboat Crewman, Andy Dodd 2nd Coxswain and station Mechanic and holding the wreath is John Curry Lifeboat Operations Manager.

The Lifeboat was “out on a shout” on Tuesday 20th December 18:25Hrs to assist one of the pilot vessels Petrel as she had lost an engine and was taking on water.

Tug O War on Boxing day at 12:00 noon the score so far is 17 wins to the Sailing Club and 16 to the Lifeboat so you can expect it to be a bit lively as the Lifeboat Crew make every effort to bring the scores equal.

Hoylake RNLI will be one of the first lifeboat stations in the country to receive an innovative new class of RNLI lifeboat, the Shannon.

The £1.5m Shannon (example pictured) will replace Hoylake’s Mersey class lifeboat, the Lady of Hilbre, when it comes to the end of her service in three years. The new lifeboat will be partly funded by the proceeds of a major appeal run by the charity between 2007 and 2009 which also helped pay for Hoylake’s new RNLI lifeboat station.

John Curry, Hoylake RNLI Lifeboat Operations Manager, said: “Everyone at Hoylake lifeboat station is delighted and extremely honoured that we are to receive one of the first of the new Shannon class of lifeboats. Some of the crew saw the prototype of the vessel in action and were impressed by her capabilities so we are sure the Shannon will enhance our ability to save lives.”

‘We are fortunate to have a marvellous new lifeboat station here at Hoylake and the arrival of the Shannon will make the building complete. People in this area were extremely generous when we appealed for their support to raise funds for our new station and lifeboat and so we are very much looking forward to demonstrating what the appeal has helped provide for the Wirral coast.”

The Shannon has been designed in-house by RNLI naval architects who have harnessed cutting-edge technology to ensure the new lifeboat meets the demands of a 21st century rescue service and to allow the charity’s volunteer crew to do their lifesaving work as safely as possible in all weather conditions.

The new lifeboat features twin water jets instead of conventional propellers, allowing her to operate in shallow waters and be highly maneuverable, giving the crew greater control when alongside other craft and when in confined waters. The water jets also reduce the risk of damage to the lifeboat during launch and recovery, or when intentionally beached. She will be the first RNLI all-weather lifeboat to run on water jets instead of propellers.

The Shannon’s seats are designed to protect the crew members spines as much as possible from the forces of the sea in rough weather. Additionally the Shannon incorporates SIMS (System and Information Management System) which allows the crew to monitor the lifeboat from the safety of their seats, again reducing the likelihood of injury to the volunteer crew members during search and rescue operations.

With a top speed of 25 knots, the Shannon is faster than her predecessor the Mersey, which has a top speed of 17 knots. The introduction of the Shannon will be the first step in enabling the RNLI to fulfil its commitment to ensure that all its operational all-weather lifeboats have a top speed of 25 knots – a crucial factor when lives are at risk.

The Shannon can be launched and recovered from beaches independent of slipways and harbours and a new RNLI tractor and carriage is also being developed to accompany the Shannon. Like all RNLI all-weather lifeboats, the Shannon is self-righting and will return to an upright position in the event of a capsize during extreme weather or sea conditions.

The new class of lifeboat will undergo full sea trials later this year, with the first operational Shannon class lifeboats going on station in 2013.