Ten hour service to burning coaster Yarmouth South East Division The coxswain and crew of Yarmouth's Arun class lifeboat John and Joy Wade have received a letter of thanks from the Director of the RNLI for their part in a 10-hour service to a West Indian-registered coaster which caught fire some six miles to the SSW of the Needles Fairway buoy on the night of 12/13 August 1989.

At 2319 the Coastguard reported that red flares had been spotted and the lifeboat launched immediately to investigate, leaving her moorings at 2330.

Although the flares were initially thought to be some 20 miles away information soon came through from a number of yachts which were in the vicinity and it was established that the flares had been launched by the coasterLlanishen which was 6.5 miles SSW of the Needles Fairway buoy. No fire-fighting activity was visible and the crew were assembled on the fo'c'sle.

The coastguard requested all vessels to keep clear pending the arrival of the lifeboat and a helicopter which had also been scrambled.Before the lifeboat reached the scene a little over half-an-hour after launching a large explosion shook the casualty and fire enveloped the whole of the aft end of the ship - including the bridge.

The helicopter reached the vessel 14 min-utes ahead of the Arun and lifted the fiveman crew to safety - leaving the vessf! unmanned, drifting and ablaze. Plans were made to bring a fire-fighting team to the casualty and to arrarlge for a tug, but in the meantime the lifeboat was asked to stand by.

Having established that the vessels cargo was inert (raw materials for the manufacture of fire bricks) the coxswain decided to put a line aboard the casualty and tow her to the north, both to keep her head-to-wind and also to shorten the distance to the tug.

Despite hopes that the tug would be despatched with the minimum of delay it was nearly four hours before it reached the 464-ton casualty, by which time the 52ft Arun had managed to tow her to within three miles of the Fairway Buoy.

The fire crew were put aboard and soon requested a pump to remove the water which was being used on the fire. No pump had been brought by the tug, so the coxswain agreed to transfer the lifeboat's pump with a crew member in charge.

The tug took over the tow but as the casualties rudder was first jammed hard to port and then hard to starboard progress was difficult and slow.

Joy and John Wade continued to render help as the tow continued, and only when off Yarmouth when the fire was considered to be out did she recover her crew man and pump and return to station.

She arrived at 0927 and was re-fuelled and ready for service again an hour later..