Two lifeboats on service as high speed passenger ferry runs on to rocksBoth of Jersey's lifeboats, St Heller's Tyne class Alexander Coutanche and St Catherine's Atlantic rigid inflatable Jessie Eliza, were involved in a service on Easter Monday, 17 April 1995, as a result of an incident which made headlines throughout the country.The high speed catamaran ferry Saint Malo was leaving Jersey's St Helier harbour on a day trip to the neighbouring Channel Islands of Guernsey and Sark and using a narrow channel between of flying rocks and shore when she struck.

The impact severely damaged the port hull of the two-year-old aluminium-built catamaran and she rapidly began to list heavily as it flooded. Her master broadcast a Mayday shortly after 1000, saying that he intended evacuating the 300 passengers on board.

St Helier's Tyne was called within a few minutes, followed almost immediately by St Catherine's Atlantic. The Tyne arrived at the scene, some six miles from her station, at 1035 and the Atlantic - with a longer distance to travel - at 1115.

They joined many other vessels at the scene which were assisting the stricken ferry. The passengers were by now boarding or already in liferafts which had been launched by Saint Malo, although some of the rafts had failed to inflate, and several of the passengers had been injured as they transferred from the ferry.

Although conditions were not severe a westerly Force 5 wind was producing a moderately rough sea at the scene.

The lifeboats began picking up passengers from the rafts and assisting in the airlifting of the injured. One of St Helier lifeboat's first aiders was put aboard a liferaft after a woman crushed her foot between a raft and the casualty and he was able to treat her until she could be evacuated by helicopter.

At 1148 Alexander Coutanche reportedthat she had 55 passenger survivors aboard, one of them injured, while Jessie Eliza had one injured passenger aboard.

After standing by while Saint Malo's crew were evacuated both lifeboats returned to St Helier to disembark their survivors - Alexander Coutanche at 1242 and Jessie Eliza at 1315.

All of the 300 passengers and seven crew of the ferry were rescued by the many surface vessels and helicopter at the scene and the casualty was later towed ashore and beached..