Lifeboat on passage saves eight Lytham St Annes and Hoy lake West Division The Tyne class lifeboat Voluntary Worker, on evaluation trials at Lytham St Annes, was three-and-a-half hours into a passage from her home station to Holyhead for repairs when, at 0630, Liverpool Coastguard asked her to divert to a small coaster on fire some 15 miles from her position.

The casualty, Nanna, was located by radar at anchor and the lifeboat closed with her.

Although the wind was only Force 5 from the WSW a heavy residual swell from the previous night's gales was running and the vessel was pitching and rolling heavily.A request was made to take off the crew of eight, who were standing on the deck cargo to escape the fire, and the lifeboat came alongside three times to pick up the seamen.

In the heavy swell some damage was sustained to the lifeboat's stanchions and as one survivor made to step aboard a particularlylarge wave began to push Voluntary Worker's bow away and the coxswain had to use full power to regain position, resuling in heavy contact and slight damage.

Hoylake's Rother class lifeboat Mary Gabriel had also been launched at 0740 to relieve the Lytham lifeboat. However, when it became obvious that the Tyne would not have time to continue her passage to Holyhead Voluntary Worker met an approaching fire tug and transferred the Captain and Mate to her for discussions before going on to land the eight survivors at Liverpool. She then returned to her station at 1300.

Mary Gabriel meanwhile stood by Nanna while a team of firemen and tugs extinquished the fire aboard the coaster.

She was finally stood-down at 1450 and did not reach her home station until 1700, after more than nine hours at sea..