Engine room fire THE TRAWLER St Patrick reported to the Coastguard Channel Navigation Service on channel 10 VHP at 1805 on Wednesday December 7, 1977, that she was hove to with smoke coming from the engine room five miles south east of Dover Harbour and might need help.

Two minutes later her skipper reported that the engine room was afire, the chief engineer was suffering from burns and immediate assistance was required.

At 1812 HM Coastguard telephoned the honorary secretary of Dover lifeboat station requesting an immediate launch and three minutes later the assembly signal of electronically fired maroons was made by Dover Port Control. At 1827 Dover lifeboat, the 44ft Waveney Faithful Forester, slipped her moorings in the submarine pens and was on her way.

A strong, force 6, breeze was blowing from the south south east producing a moderate to rough sea and swell.

Visibility was only fair due to rain. It was two hours before high water Dover.

Faithful Forester under the command of Coxswain/Mechanic Arthur Liddon cleared the harbour entrance and set course at full speed for the position given: bearing 165°M five miles distant from Dover Harbour. By 1835 she had arrived at the casualty where she found the ferry Earl Leofric standing by and acting as 'on scene commander'.

Once alongside St Patrick Second Coxswain/Assistant Mechanic Anthony Hawkins was manhandled aboard and the first of the trawler's crew snatched on to the foredeck of the lifeboat from a pilot ladder.

On board St Patrick Second Coxswain Hawkins found the chief engineer suffering from burns and shock and having breathing difficulty as a result of inhaling burning glass fibre fumes. Using the trawler's VHP, he asked the lifeboat to provide a doctor and oxygen.

While Second Coxswain Hawkins was attending to first aid and fire fighting on board the trawler, Coxswain Liddon manoeuvred Faithful Forester alongside on seven separate occasions, on five of which one crew member was grabbed from the pilot ladder and brought safely aboard the lifeboat. During one attempt the severe rolling of both lifeboat and fishing vessel in the rough seas and winds, which had now risen to gale force 8, resulted in the wheelhouse top, the guardrail stanchions and the belting in way of the well on the starboard side striking the port quarter of the fishing boat, causing damage.

At 1900 a request was put out over Earl Leofric's public address system for any doctor on board to come to the bridge. Dr Sotiris Mantoudis, a Greekdoctor on his way to a sabbatical year at the Department of Surgery, University of South Manchester, reported to the master. As it was thought too hazardous for the injured seaman to be transferred from the trawler to the ferry, Dr Mantoudis agreed to be put aboard St Patrick by the lifeboat.

Wearing a lifejacket and secured to a lifeline, Dr Mantoudis descended a boarding ladder rigged over the ship's side in the continuing gale force winds and driving rain. In this very rough weather it took three attempts to manoeuvre the lifeboat into the exact position from which it was possible to grab Dr Mantoudis from the pilot ladder on to the pitching foredeck of the lifeboat and with perfect timing the lifeline from the ferry weather deck let go. Faithful Forester remained in position while additional first aid equipment and oxygen were lowered from the ferry before steaming back to the casualty.

At this time a helicopter from RAF Mansion carrying a doctor arrived on scene, but she returned to base when it was clear that it would not be feasible to transfer the doctor by winch to the heavily pitching and rolling trawler in the dark with visibility seriously hampered by blinding rain.

As it was, it took two attempts before Dr Mantoudis and the medical supplies could be transferred to the trawler. Once aboard, at 1945, the doctor immediately examined the injured chief engineer and decided that it was safer that he should remain aboard.

Second Coxswain Hawkins helped Dr Mantoudis and then examined the areas adjacent to the engine room again and reported by VHP that the fire was now contained; so it was decided by the Coastguard that St Patrick should be towed into Dover Harbour by the local tug Dominant.

Faithful Forester meanwhile took the six crew members to Dover and landed them, returning to resume station close to the stricken trawler.

At 2055 St Patrick passed between Dover Harbour breakwater towed by Dominant and at 2105 in the sheltered waters of the harbour the injured seaman was transferred by Neil Robertson stretcher to the lifeboat and landed to be taken to hospital. Two lifeboat crew members were put aboard the trawler to help Second Coxswain Hawkins secure St Patrick alongside.

For this service the thanks of the Institution inscribed on vellum were accorded to Coxswain/Mechanic Arthur Liddon and Second Coxswain/ Assistant Mechanic Anthony G.

Hawkins; vellum service certificates were presented to Second Assistant Mechanic John J. Smith and Crew Members Mark Smith, Roy W.

Couzens and Robert J. Bruce. A special doctor's vellum was awarded to Dr Sotiris Mantoudis who has also been awarded a piece of plate for outstanding bravery at sea by the British Secretary of State for Trade..