Vital illumination JUST AFTER 1900 on the evening of Wednesday February 12, 1986, Douglas, Isle of Man, lifeboat station's deputy launching authority was telephoned by Ramsey coastguard. An accident had happened close to Douglas breakwater and it was thought that two people were lying injured at the low water area on the seaward side of the breakwater. A coastguard cliff rescue team had already been despatched to the scene and at 1916 Douglas' 46ft 9in Watson class lifeboat, R. A. Colby Cubbin No 7, under the command of Coxswain Robert Corran, left the slipway and headed for the eastern side of the breakwater.

An onshore east-south-easterly near gale force 7 was blowing, it was low water on a spring tide, the sea was rough and confused with heavy confused swell, it was pitch black and temperatures were close to freezing. As the lifeboat steamed towards the scene of the accident, more details of what had happened came over the radio. A Searider inflatable boarding craft from HMS Lindisfarne had suffered engine failure close to the breakwater on her way back to the ship. She had then overturned and, while one of the occupants, although injured, was already safely ashore, the other was still lying, possibly injured, near the low water mark.

On arrival. Coxswain Corran manoeuvred the lifeboat to within 80 feet of the breakwater and held her in positionusing the engines while a searchlight was beamed towards the casualty.

(With little room to manoeuvre and in the heavy confused sea and swell, to anchor would have been both timeconsuming and hazardous.) Although the searchlight could not be totally effective in illuminating the efforts of the cliff rescue team in the conditions, searchlight operator Robert Kerruish stuck to his task throughout, despite the biting cold and the heavy seas which were sweeping over the lifeboat. To provide more light the lifeboat crew fired white flares at frequent intervals and this enabled the rescue team to reach the man (whose ankle was broken) and bring him safely up on to the breakwater.

The lifeboat returned to station at 1945, was rehoused and when, at 2100, the crew had thawed out they reported that they were in all respects ready again for service.

A letter of appreciation signed by Cdr Bruce Cairns, chief of operations, was later sent to Coxswain Robert Corran for the part he and his crew played in the rescue of the two Royal Navy men..