Hurricane in Straits of Dover DOVER STRAIT COASTGUARD received a Mayday call at 2204 on Monday, December 1, 1975, from the 1,199-ton phosphate loaded Cypriot coaster Primrose indicating loss of steering gear in a position some 3 miles east of Dover breakwater and that tug assistance was required immediately.

At 2205 Dover Strait Coastguard informed Dover Port Control that a tug was required forthwith for the stricken coaster, and in reply was advised that the tug was not considered suitable in the weather conditions prevailing. So the Coastguard informed the honorary secretary of Dover lifeboat station and it was agreed that the lifeboat would stand by to launch if required. Her crew were already assembled and waiting advice to launch to a ferry adrift in Dover Harbour with an injured person aboard.

At 2208 Townsend ferries Free Enterprise VII and Free Enterprise VIII both indicated a 15-minute ETA at the position of the coaster Primrose and the motor vessel Cornish Wasa reported her position to be some 30 minutes' steaming from that of the casualty. At 2226 North Foreland Radio broadcast the position of Primrose to be 4 miles east of Dover eastern breakwater.

At 2221 Dover honorary secretary was told that no tug assistance for Primrose was available and was asked to launch the Dover lifeboat. Accordingly, at 2237, the 44' Waveney lifeboat Faithful Forester slipped her moorings in the submarine pens and set out to sea.

Weather conditions recorded at Dover Strait Coastguard at the time of launching showed the wind direction to be from 200°T with the force as Beaufort Scale storm force 10 (wind speed 48- 55 knots). Tide was just one hour after high water Dover.

The storm force winds and tide created appalling sea conditions at the eastern entrance to Dover Harbour; an enormous maelstrom of confused sea and spume confronted Faithful Forester as she tried to claw her way seaward through the breakwaters. Before clearing them she was laid over on her beam ends but righted herself and went on under the expert helmsmanship of Coxswain/Mechanic Arthur Liddon.

On clearing the eastern harbour entrance at 2242, Faithful Forester was told by Free Enterprise VIII that the course to steer for Primrose was 086°T and, after verifying this to be correct, the lifeboat accordingly set course 092°M.

Wind speed at this time was recorded by instrument aboard Free Enterprise VII to be 70 knots—Beaufort Scale hurricane force 12. Direction was 190°x. Tide was setting 054°T at 2.5 knots.

At 2245 Primrose gave her position as 5 miles north east of Varne LightvesselLightvessel and 5 miles east of Dover breakwater.

At 2257 she reported that jury steering gear had been rigged and that a heading of 190°T was being maintained; she was in fact wind and tide rode and making up to the north east at a speed of 2.4 knots.

Free Enterprise VII reported at 2318 that from radar observation the casualty was 1J miles off the Goodwin Sands and closing. At 2320 Dover lifeboat arrived at the casualty having been guided on to her by the deck and searchlights of Free Enterprise VIII. Faithful Forester had covered the 5 miles from Dover Harbour at an average speed of 7.69 knots despite mountainous quarter seas reliably reported by observers on both ferries to be in excess of 25 feet high. To have reached the casualty so promptly despite such conditions highlights the fine seamanship and dogged perseverance of Coxswain Liddon.

Captain Robinson, master of Free Enterprise VII, said of that night: 'The weather at this time was the worst 1 have experienced in this area in some eighteen years service in the Dover Straits. The wind was jusf west of south and my anemometer was indicating 100 mph in regular gusts and then settling at 70 mph. Had Admiral Sir Francis Beaufort lived 170 years later he would certainly have had second thoughts on his wind scale.

'The seas were mountainous and it was obvious to all that the Dover lifeboat had no chance of navigating visually.' Coxswain Liddon expertly conned the Dover lifeboat into a position some half a cable off the starboard quarter of the coaster, which was shipping heavy seas overall, and stood by, maintaining course and speed equivalent to the drift of the casualty. At 2355 navigation lights sighted indicated that an unidentified craft was fast bearing down on to and on collision course with Primrose.

Free Enterprise VII, acting as on scene commander, broadcast a warning on VHF and ascertained that the craft was Malcolm Miller, approaching at 13 knots under bare poles, and that avoiding action was being taken.

At 0042, Dover Strait Coastguard reported by VHF that the weather front would pass through the casualty area in 30 minutes' time and at about 0049, with a wind speed reading of 100 mph recorded by Free Enterprise VII, the Dover lifeboat was for the second time on this service laid on to her beam ends by a combination of sea and wind pressure; it was about half a minute before the wind slackened and Faithful Forester righted herself; she then resumed station off the casualty. During this occurrence Free Enterprise VII, keeping careful watch on the lifeboat, realised something was amiss and checked by VHF radio that all was well.

Meanwhile a Dutch tug reported by VHF that she had sailed from Zeebrugge and gave her approximate ETA as 0930.

The tide was now slack and as thewind had veered to west and diminished in force to 60 knots—still hurricane force 12 though—Coxswain Liddon suggested to the master of Primrose that he should steer 270°T with a view to making some westing and gaining a lee from the land. By 0317 it was obvious that the coxswain's advice, which had been followed, was sound as the coaster had closed to just under six miles from Dover breakwater.

When some two miles off Dover Harbour eastern arm Primrose requested a pilot to take her into harbour. At 0346, however, Free Enterprise VIII relayed a reply to the effect that weather conditions were too severe for the pilot vessel to put out, so Faithful Forester offered to lead Primrose into the anchorage. Thus at 0350 Dover lifeboat took station ahead of the coaster, and by passing alterations of course and speed and also details of the tidal conditions, at 0412 safely piloted Primrose into Dover Harbour whence no other craft had dared to venture all night.

Once Primrose had anchored, Faithful Forester returned to her berth in the pens where she was again made ready for sea and placed on station at 0518.

In the final paragraph of his report Captain Robinson wrote: 'The whole incident from start to finish must be the finest piece of seamanship I have ever seen with such limited facilities in the worst possible conditions and I salute this small band of dedicated lifeboatmen who risked life and limb for some eight hours.' For this service the silver medal for gallantry was awarded to Coxswain/ Mechanic Arthur Liddon. The bronze medal was awarded to Second Coxswain/ Assistant Mechanic Anthony G.

Hawkins, who maintained a very high standard of navigation and communications in particularly bad weather conditions.

The thanks of the Institution inscribed on vellum were accorded to Second Assistant Mechanic Richard J.

Hawkins and Crew Members John J.

Smith and Gordon Davis. Letters of thanks from Captain Nigel Dixon, RN, the Director of the Institution, were sent to L. C. White, district officer of HM Coastguard Dover Straits, and the masters of the Townsend car ferries Free Enterprise VII and Free Enterprise VIII, Captain B. Robinson and Captain J. Davenport..