Salcombe lifeboat THE HONORARY SECRETARY of SalCOmbe lifeboat station was informed by Brixham Coastguard at 1313 on Sunday April 10, 1983, that an inflatable dinghy had capsized on the Skerries Bank at the southern end of Start Bay: two divers were hanging on to the upturned boat and possibly two more divers were missing. Maroons were fired and Salcombe lifeboat, the 47ft Watson The Baltic Exchange, slipped her moorings at 1327 and set out under the command of Coxswain John Griffiths. Torbay lifeboat was also alerted.

A strong gale, force 9, was blowing from the south directly up Salcombe Harbour and very rough seas were breaking on the harbour bar. The sky was cloudy but visibility was good. It was 3'/2 hours ebb and the flooding tide was streaming westward at about one knot.

Heading down harbour at full speed, Coxswain Griffiths kept in the deeper water on the western side of the bar, but even there the seas were so rough that solid water was breaking over the lifeboat.

The bar was cleared at 1340 and a south-easterly course set to pass half a mile south of Prawle Point. Once in open water the lifeboat started to roll heavily in the very rough seas and she was shipping water continuously. The force 9 southerly wind was gusting up to violent storm, force 11, at times.

Prawle Point was abeam at 1357 and course was altered to east north east, towards the Black Stone and Start Point. Two minutes later Prawle Point Coastguard mobile reported that a diver had been sighted half a mile south of the Black Stone. At 1404, when the lifeboat was one mile abeam of Lannacombe Bay, the CG mobile told her that the last known position of the capsized inflatable dinghy was half a mile southwest of Black Stone and that there was another inflatable dinghy further to the east; it was later learned that this second diving boat had put to sea in an attempt to rescue the divers from the capsized dinghy. At 1408 the position of the secondy dinghy was given by the Coastguard mobile, up on the cliffs, as half a mile south of the Black Stone, and within minutes this information had been confirmed by Prawle Auxiliary Coastguard, who added that the dinghy was heading east.

At 1414, when the lifeboat was one mile south of Peartree Rock, information came from Prawle Point mobile that the second inflatable dinghy, with four people on board, was l'/2 miles south east of Start Point. A few minutes later the mobile sighted the lifeboat and told her to 'keep going eastwards. You are on course. Casualty V/2 to two miles ahead'. At this time, visibility was estimated to be about three miles.

Hearing from Prawle Point mobile, 1428, that the casualty was inshore of the lifeboat's track. Coxswain Griffiths brought The Baltic Exchange round to north-westerly heading. He spotted black dinghy about l'/2 miles ahead, apparently under way and heading west towards Hallsands, and at 1430 he told the Coastguard mobile that the casualty was within sight.

At this time the lifeboat was approaching the southern end of the Skerries Bank at full speed. Acting Second Coxswain Brian Cater was making his way aft towards the starboard wheelhouse door when suddenly he saw a huge wall of water, about 50 feet high and breaking at the top, about three to four boat lengths away, coming in on the port quarter. He shouted, 'Look out—big one coming!' and entered the wheelhouse just before the lifeboat was caught by two exceptionally large seas, one after the other. The first rogue wave rolled the lifeboat heavily to starboard, lifting Crew Member Michael Hicks, who was on the starboard sidedeck, holding on but notattached by a lifeline, over the guardrail and into the water; the lifeboat came upright again from this knockdown but then the second enormous wave capsized her.

Acting Second Coxswain Cater saw Crew Member Hicks in the water and shouted, 'Man overboard.'' just before the capsize. For the four men in the wheelhouse. Coxswain Griffiths, Motor Mechanic Frank Smith, Acting Second Coxswain Cater and Crew Member Stan Turns, everything went black.

Water filled the wheelhouse and they clung on to whatever they could as they were washed around by its turbulence; the motor mechanic remembers suddenly seeing the coxswain's face underwater.

Then a glow of daylight appeared, growing bigger and bigger as the boat righted herself and the water drained quickly away.

As designed, the emergency air bag, which is fitted to starboard on this 47ft Watson's after cabin top, had inflated as the lifeboat heeled over beyond the point of no return and had initiated her righting: all according to the book.* Crew Member Roger Evans andCrew Member David Lamble had been standing to port and starboard in the bows, on lookout, each with his lifeline clipped on to the guardrail. Both were wearing lifejackets the buoyancy of which pressed them up on to the inverted deck of the lifeboat as she came upside down. Both managed to unclip their lines to try to get clear, but by that time the boat was already coming up again. As she righted, Crew Member Evans found himself clinging to the starboard guardrail. Crew Member Lamble had been trying to pull himself down under the inverted rail to clear the boat when he was struck in the chest by an object on to which he held; as the boat righted he found himself clinging to the top of the mast, near the radar reflector, and slid down safely on to the deck. David Lamble heard Roger Evans say, 'All is OK in the wheelhouse', and then he saw, and pointed to, Michael Hicks to give a bearing of the man in the water to the coxswain.

Michael Hicks had clung to the guardrail for a very brief time before he was forced to let go and went under the water. He swam to the surface and saw the lifeboat upside down in the sea . . .

7 could see the starboard screw turning high in the air. The vessel was bow under and turning to starboard. I could not believe what I was seeing. The lifeboat came upright, flopped around low in the • water, lifted and assumed a normal attitude and proceeded away from me . . .' No more than a minute had elapsed from the time of the lifeboat's last message to the Coastguard mobile. It was still only 1431 when Coxswain Griffiths found that his lifeboat was heading about north north west at full speed having rolled through 360 degrees; the engine controls had been at full ahead throughout the capsize and righting. Satisfying himself that those on board were all right, he turned the lifeboat to starboard and headed back to the south towards Crew Member Hicks. On the first approach the man in the water was slightly too far off, the attempt failing probably due to the staysail effect of the inflated air bag, so Coxswain Griffiths circled round again to starboard, making a successful recovery on the starboard side.

Immediately Michael Hicks was back on the lifeboat a report was passed to Prawle Point Coastguard mobile to say that all the crew were safely on board.

The time was 1437.

Although Brixham Coastguard told Salcombe lifeboat to abandon the search and that Torbay lifeboat was being launched. Coxswain Griffiths directed his course towards the last known position of the casualty. Ten minutes later, however, at 1447, he told Prawle Point mobile that he was heading for Hallsands, under the lee of Start Point, so that water which could be seen in the engine room up to the level of the propeller shafts could be pumped out; he considered it would have been too dangerous in the circumstances to haveopened the engine room door to get to the pump controls out in the rough seas clear of the land. He knew that an RNAS helicopter had already been scrambled, but the lifeboat continued to search for the capsized dinghy on her way to Hallsands.

Torbay's 54ft Arun lifeboat Edward Bridges (Civil Service No 37) had slipped her moorings at 1444 and was already on her way under the command of Coxswain Arthur Curnow.

By about 1450 Salcombe lifeboat was within about half a mile of Hallsands, in relative shelter, where she remained for about 15 minutes while the engine room was pumped out. While this operation was in progress, the motor fishing vessel Harm Johannes came alongside but was reassured that all was well.

At about this time it was learned that the second inflatable dinghy had got safely ashore with the two missing divers. The helicopter found the remaining two divers clinging to their capsized dinghy i'/2 miles north north east of Start Point at 1458, lifted them from the sea and landed them at Start Point. At 1510 it was confirmed that all the divers were accounted for and safely ashore.

Once the water had been pumped out of the engine room, Coxswain Griffiths decided to make for Brixham. He set out at full speed for Berry Head, keeping about l'/2 miles off the coast.

The wind was still southerly, force 9, and the seas very rough.

At 1528 Brixham Coastguard received a message from MFV Harm Johannes saying that she was following Salcombe lifeboat two miles astern. A minute later Torbay lifeboat approached Salcombe lifeboat; they were about l'/2 miles south of Stoke Fleming Tower. After a brief exchange to ascertain that all was well, Torbay lifeboat turned to escort Salcombe lifeboat.

However, at 1540, just off the Mew Stone, Torbay lifeboat was asked by Brixham Coastguard to search for a dory about 400 yards east of Slapton Sands; Harm Johannes told the Coastguard she would escort Salcombe lifeboat into Brixham.

The Baltic Exchange rounded Berry Head and entered Torbay at 1613 and 17 minutes later, at 1630, she picked up a mooring in Brixham Harbour. Her crew were taken ashore in a pilot vessel and landed at the lifeboat station into the care of local lifeboat officers; each member of the crew was examined by Torbay honorary medical adviser and found to be in good health. A party of Salcombe branch officials, led by the station honorary secretary, arrived with changes of clothing and the seven men eventually arrived back at Salcombe at about 1840.

Torbay lifeboat and the helicopter continued the search for a dory off Slapton Sands until 1715 when, nothing having been found, the search was called off. Torbay lifeboat was back on her mooring in Brixham Harbour andonce again ready for service at 1805.

Following the capsize, the coxswain and crew of Salcombe lifeboat had displayed a remarkable degree of fortitude and determination, in the highest traditions of the Institution. As soon as The Baltic Exchange had righted and drained, they had pressed on with the next most important task of recovering the man in the water. Having made the recovery, Coxswain Griffiths had headed north west once more in the general direction of where the capsized inflatable dinghy had last been sighted.

The righting bag equipment on The Baltic Exchange had operated as it was designed to do. The lifeboat herself, a very well maintained boat on which all equipment was properly stowed and secured, had suffered only minimal damage, mainly to electric or electronic equipment; her engines, steering gear, compass and both clocks were all working and communication by radio was still possible. She was, nevertheless, taken off service for a complete survey and overhaul, for which, in fact, she was almost due in the natural order of events. The relief 52ft Barnett lifeboat St Cybi (Civil Service No 9) was placed on temporary duty at Salcombe.

For this service a framed letter of thanks signed by the Duke of Atholl, chairman of the Institution, was presented to Coxswain John G. Griffiths and his crew: Assistant Mechanic Brian Cater, acting second coxswain, Motor Mechanic Frank Y. Smith and Crew Members Stanley Turns, Roger Evans, Michael Hicks and David Lamble..