LIFEBOAT MAGAZINE ARCHIVE

Advanced search

Poorsingel

Caister, and Gt. Yarmouth and Gorleston, Norfolk - At 9.40 a.m. on 6th May, 1966, the coastguard informed the honorary secretaries of the Caister and Great Yarmouth and Gorleston life-boat stations that a U.S.A.F. Phantom aircraft had crashed into the sea five to six miles east of Winterton. The Caister life-boat The Royal Thames was launched at 9.50 in a strong south easterly wind and a rough sea. It was two hours before high water. The Great Yarmouth and Gorleston life-boat Louise Stephens launched at 9.55. The coastguard requested that one of the life-boats rendezvous with the Dutch motor vessel Poorsingel and take from her an ejector seat and a rubber dinghy which she had picked up. The Caister life-boat undertook this, picking up some wreckage, which had been indicated by a helicopter on the way, and then continued searching in a northeasterly direction. At 11.45 a-m- the Louise Stephens picked up more wreckage and continued with the search. The Caister life-boat found three more pieces of wreckage and a log book off Bailey Pickle and took the wreckage into Yarmouth harbour. At 4.56 p.m. a message was received by both life-boats that the search had been discontinued and the Great Yarmouth and Gorleston life-boat returned to her station arriving, at six o'clock. The Caister life-boat arrived at her station at 6.40 p.m..