Dutch dredger THE DEPUTY LAUNCHING AUTHORITY of Troon lifeboat station was told by Clyde Coastguard at 1345 on Friday September 12, 1980, that the Dutch dredger Holland I working off Irvine Harbour was breaking her moorings in severe weather and in danger of being drive ashore. Realising how dangerous was her position, the master of the dredger had asked that the entire crew of five be taken off. He also reported that seas of up to 20 feet were sweeping across the dredger's main deck and that he doubted whether a lifeboat could get alongside. Maroons were fired and at 1355 Troon's 44ft Waveney lifeboat Connel Elizabeth Cargill slipped her moorings under the command of Coxswain/ Mechanic Ian Johnson.

A force 8 gale was blowing from the west with gusts up to storm force 10 inthe frequent squalls. In continuous rain and with heavy spray, visibility was poor. The tide was in the last hour of flood and setting north at 0.2 knots.

Troon Harbour entrance, across which heavy breaking seas were running, was cleared with some difficulty at 1358. Once outside Coxswain Johnson set a course of 300°M to clear the very confused seas being reflected by the west pier and shortly afterwards altered to 350°M to make directly for the reported position of the dredger. At this time, even though she was only 3V: miles away, the dredger could not be seen through the rain and spray. On his way to her Coxswain Johnson frequently had to alter course and speed in heavy beam seas of anything from 15 to 20 feet. The lifeboat was laid over on her beam ends several times and while crossing the shoal patch to the south west of Lappock Rock a particularly large sea broke aboard rolling the lifeboat so violently to starboard that the side of the wheelhouse was nearly in the water.

The lifeboat arrived on scene at 1420 and the dredger was found to be lying west by north a little less than a mile from Irvine Harbour Fairway Beacon.

She was on the edge of the surf line some half mile from the shore in a depth of 40 feet of water. The dredger was anchored fore and aft, but the port cables and the main stern anchor cable were slack so that the full weight of the dredger was being taken by the remaining stern mooring on the starboard quarter.

The dredger was stern to the weather and ranging about 15 feet with the main deck frequently awash to a depth of four to five feet. The dredger crew could be seen sheltering in the control house which was raised above the main deck near the starboard bow.

The wind, now west to west north west, had risen to strong gale force 9 gusting to storm force 10; very rough seas, some of them higher than 20 feet, were being thrown up by the rapidly shelving seabed. Tidal effect was negligible as it was nearly high water, but visibility, particularly on deck, was severely restricted by rain and the driving spray being taken overall.

Having quickly assessed the situation, Coxswain Johnson decided to approach the dredger's starboard side and take the crew off one at a time as near to the control house as possible to reduce the danger of their being washed off the main deck. His intentions were passed to the dredger's master by VHP.

Second Coxswain/Assistant Mechanic Thomas Devenny and Emergency Mechanic David Seaward were instructed to go forward while Emergency Mechanic Peter McClure and Crew Member Robert Hannah were stationed amidships to help the survivors during the transfer. All crew members were secured by their lifelines with lifejackets partiallyinflated and all were wearing protective headgear.

During the first approach the lifeboat was thrown heavily against the dredger striking a large sampson post set well inboard of the deck edge; the Waveney's shell plating was slightly damaged on the starboard shoulder.

Nevertheless, with well-timed instructions from Second Coxswain Devenny, one man was successfully taken off.

Coxswain Johnson made four more approaches taking off one man each time. Because of the violent motion of the lifeboat alongside the dredger it was essential that the survivors should jump when instructed to do so by the second coxswain. On the final approach the last man 'froze' when told to jump and had to be pulled aboard.

The lifeboat was thrown against the dredger three times during the various approaches and the foredeck crew were constantly exposed to the full force of the wind and sea. If the casualty's stern mooring had parted while the lifeboat was going alongside the lifeboat's crew would have been in a very vulnerable position; the lifeboat could also have been trapped between the dredger and her bow mooring as she was blown ashore through the surf.

At 1445, as the last man was being taken off, a Sea King helicopter from HMS Gannet arrived on scene, and the coxswain told her that all the dredger's crew were now safe. Afterwards, the pilot of the Sea King said that had an airlift been necessary it would have been both difficult and hazardous in the prevailing conditions.

Because such rough seas had been experienced on the way to the casualty, for the return passage Coxswain Johnson set a course of 195°M to clear the shallower water near Lappock Rock.

When a position two miles west by north of Troon Harbour was reached, course was altered to 115°M and the lifeboat ran before the weather. The survivors were all in the forecabin with Crew Member Roy Trewern looking after them. One man had been slightly injured before the lifeboat's arrival when a large sea had swept him against a bulkhead on the dredger's main deck.

Full power was required to drive through the heavy confused seas off the harbour entrance and the lifeboat passed between the piers at 1520. The five survivors were landed at the lifeboat station and a waiting ambulance took the injured man to hospital for a check-up. The lifeboat was then refuelled and was back on her moorings ready for service by 1545.

For this service the silver medal was awarded to Coxswain/ Mechanic Ian J.

Johnson. Medal service certificates were awarded to Second Coxswain/ Assistant Mechanic Thomas L.

Devenny, Emergency Mechanics Peter McC. McClure and David Seaward, and Crew Members Robert Hannah and Roy W. A. Trewern..