Search for divers THE SUPPORT BOAT of a party of divers contacted the coastguard at 1355 on the afternoon of Sunday September 15, 1985, to say that two of their divers had not surfaced from their diving on the wreck of ss Teddington, about two miles north of Overstrand. Their airsupply had expired over an hour earlier.

The coastguard informed Cromer lifeboat station and at 1400 the 46ft 9in Watson class relief lifeboat, Guy and Clare Hunter, on temporary duty at Cromer, launched from the slipway and at the same time the station's 16ft D class inflatable lifeboat put to sea to help with the search. An RAF helicopter had also been called out together with the inflatable rescue boat at Mundesley.

A strong south-westerly breeze was blowing in the area of the search with a moderate sea running and Second Coxswain William Davies, at the helm of Cromer lifeboat and acting as on-scene commander, decided to ask Sheringham lifeboat to launch. The coastguard were also arranging for divers to search the wreck in case the missing people were trapped under water.

At 1447 Sheringham's 37ft Oakley class lifeboat, Manchester Unity of Oddfellows, left the beach with Coxswain John West at the helm. There was a very strong ebb tide running and the lifeboat began an offshore search along the line that the tide was likely to have swept the missing divers.

At 1505, when Sheringham lifeboat was two miles north of West Runton, Crew Member Donald Little caught sight of two heads in the water, about 300 yards away from the lifeboat. Coxswain West steered up wind of them and then lines were thrown to the two divers who were finally helped with some difficulty up the scrambling net and into the lifeboat.

The weather made it unsuitable to transfer the survivors to the helicopter at sea so the lifeboat was beached at Sheringham and the helicopter, having landed on the sands, took the divers, a man and a woman, to hospital at Gorleston. The lifeboat was rehoused, ready again for service at 1615 and Cromer's lifeboats, having been told that the divers were safe, returned to station at 1555.

Following these services, letters of thanks, signed by the chief of operations, Cdr Bruce Cairns, were sent to Second Coxswain William Davies of Cromer and Coxswain John West of Sheringham..