Tanker aground GUERNSEY LIFEBOAT, the 52' Arun Sir William Arnold, had been called out at 2250 on July 14, 1975, to escort a fishing boat under tow into harbour.

She returned from this service at about 0100 on July 15 and had just finished securing to her moorings at St Peter Port and closing everything down when, at 0128, a mayday call from Point Law was received at the Port Signal Station. The duty signalman sent a watchman to shout from the jetty to the lifeboat crew as they were about to embark in theirboarding boat to come ashore, and thus was the lifeboat alerted for the second time at about 0135.

Sir William Arnold left her moorings again at 0145 and, learning via VHF from St Peter Port that the casualty was aground on Le Puits Jervais on the extreme south-west tip of Alderney, Coxswain John Petit set course 040°M for that position, which was 19 miles distant. The tide was in the second hour of ebb, the weather fine with good visibility, the wind south south west force 6 to 8. The sea condition was slight to moderate until clear of the lee of Guernsey when it soon became rather rough.

On passage the lifeboat established radio contact with the master of Point Law, a tanker of some 1,500 gross tons, 250' long, in ballast from Guernsey to the Isle of Grain. The master said that there were rocks ahead of him, down his starboard side and astern of him. On arrival at the scene at 0245, however, the lifeboat illuminated the area with parachute flares, searchlight and Aldis lamp and these revealed that the hopedfor access to the port side of the vessel was precluded by the fact that she was hard against the base of the cliffs on that side. She lay in a sort of gully with her bows eastwards, the cliff and shore all along her port side, and rocksall round except for the small opening through which she had entered and which now exposed her starboard quarter to seaward. The forefoot of the vessel was high and dry and the tide was ebbing, so it was apparent to Coxswain Petit that the crew of the casualty were in no immediate danger.

The wind was now freshening to a fairly steady force 8 and the master appeared anxious for half of his crew of 12 to be taken off straight away. In view of all the circumstances, however, the lifeboat coxswain and crew persuaded him that it would be wiser to wait until daylight before this was attempted, so long as none of them was injured or required urgent medical attention.

Sir William Arnold then stood by, being held by her engines stern to the sea within 100 yards of Point Law. At about 0300 MFV Christmas arrived and lay off astern of the lifeboat. She carried Alderney pilots on board who were able to advise Coxswain Petit when he enquired regarding rock hazards nearby.

Meanwhile, Alderney Fire Brigade and Cliff Rescue Team arrived at the top of the 300' cliffs and helped in illuminating the area with searchlights.

At first light, at about 0400, Coxswain Petit closed to about 70 yards of Point Law to start taking off the six men. The master was told by the lifeboat to put his inflatable liferaft into the water and for his six crew to enter it by the rope ladder which was already hanging over his starboard side aft, so that they could transfer to the lifeboat's inflatable dinghy, one at a time, and be hauled back to the lifeboat. Rescue by breeches buoy was not favoured because of the amount of oil on the water, and also there were doubts about whether the tanker might be carrying spirit which would make the firing of a rocket line dangerous.

The dinghy was considered too smal for more than one crew if survivors were also to be embarked and Crew Member John Robilliard volunteered to take it alone. The lifeboat lay stern to sea, head to casualty, so that if any rocks were encountered only the stem would be hit, and the propellers would be clear to go astern. A very heavy ground swell was lifting the lifeboat before the onshore gale so that she tended to surf in towards the beach ahead of the breakers, and Coxswain Petit had frequently to put the engines full astern to hold his position.

On the first run in to the casualty, the outboard engine of the inflatable dinghy stalled, and the recoil starter safety pawl jammed in the flywheel so that it could not be restarted. John Robilliard, with difficulty, managed to row back to the lifeboat which Coxswain Petit now brought to within about 20 yards of Point Law. It was then decided to unship the outboard engine and row to the casualty with a line attached to the dinghy from the lifeboat's bow.

The inflatable dinghy was veered downfrom the lifeboat with the helmsman rowing it to counter the effect of cross eddies between the rocks and of breaking seas. On a number of occasions both the liferaft and the dinghy were swamped by breakers and by seas washing back from the side of Point Law, There was much diesel oil floating on the water and making the surface of both the inflatable boats and the oars slippery and difficult to handle. This oil also impregnated the ropes being used and covered the decks of the lifeboat. After two trips, other crew members tried to persuade John Robilliard to let them relieve him in the dinghy, but he insisted on carrying on.

After four complete rescue runs had been made, Deputy Coxswain Alfred Ogier, who was in constant communication with the tanker's master on Channel 16 VHF, was informed that of the final two off, one was injured and would be transferred by Neil Robertson stretcher.

John Robilliard decided that it would be extremely difficult to transfer this man to the inflatable dinghy and fatal for the injured man if the stretcher should be dropped into the rough water in the process. He therefore told the sixth survivor, who was accompanying the man on the stretcher, to stay in Point Law's liferaft with him. John Robilliard then secured the dinghy to the liferaft and the tanker was told to veer away the liferaft's line while both boats were hauled back to the lifeboat. On final arrival alongside at about 0500 John Robilliard was found to be completely exhausted.

Having taken these last two aboard, the lifeboat then told the tanker to haul back her liferaft and leave it lying at fairly long stay so that it would be ready should it be needed later to take off the remaining six crew members.

Sir William Arnold then lay off and stood by until Point Law had finally settled. Then, having been informed by St Peter Port radio that a French helicopter was standing by, and with the master's concurrence, Coxswain Petit set course for Alderney to land the six men already taken off.

Point Law's master had summoned the assistance of a French tug, which had arrived at about 0600, because he hoped to try to get afloat again on the rising tide. Three fireman had been put aboard, by a line rigged from the cliff, to help the remaining crew pump out the ship's flooded compartments.

Sir William Arnold arrived at Alderney Harbour at about 0700 where she remained until 0900. Coxswain Petit then returned to stand by the tanker while towing was attempted. However, the wind and swell, and the extremely limited room to manoeuvre, combined to make it impossible for the French tug even to attempt the operation. Soon the ship began to pound on the rising tide so that there were fears for the safety of those left on board. She was starting to break up.

The master then decided to abandonship, and the French helicopter, which had been standing by at the airport, was called in to lift off the six crew and three fireman one by one and deposit them on the cliff top. The lifeboat stood by until this operation was completed and then departed, at 1115, for St Peter Port where she arrived at 1215.

For this service a bar to his bronze medal was awarded to Coxswain John Petit and the bronze medal for gallantry was awarded to Emergency Mechanic John Robilliard. Medal service certificates were presented to Second Coxswain Wilfred Savident, Assistant Mechanic Robert Vowles and Deputy Coxswains Alfred Ogier and Lloyd de Mouilpied.

Coxswain Petit was awarded his bronze medal in 1963 when the lifeboat, then under the command of his father, Coxswain Hubert Petit, rescued nine crew members of the motor ship Johcm Collett. Hubert Petit was awarded the gold medals of both the RNLI and the Norwegian Lifeboat Institution on that occasion..