Testing tow at Port St MaryWhen the Trent class Cough Ritchie II Launched, all that the crew knew was that a fishing boat was in trouble about 20 miles south east of Port St Mary in the Isle of Man. When they discovered that it was the large vessel Paramount, they knew from experience that they were in for a long and difficult serviceSoon after launching at 4.52pm on 24 November 2003, the crew of Cough Ritchie II were told that a 30m fishing vessel, Paramount, had her rudder jammed. They would have to tow her to safety. The crew had experience of towing the large, heavy Paramount on a previous shout and it had been tough.

In command was Second Coxswain Michael Kneale, with the crew of Morgan Guy, Michael Keggan, David Kneen, Mark Pendlebury and MarkWhitely. Michael recalls the passage: 'Conditions were typical of the Irish Sea in a south west force 7, combined with spring tides, producing tumbly and confused seas of up to 3m.' The lifeboat made good speed to the casualty, arriving on scene at 5.58pm. It was pitch dark but the crew spotted the lights of the Paramount quickly. Once the heaving line was passed successfully, Michael told the fishermen to connect the tow rope on the vessel's port bow to counteract the effect of the rudder being jammed hard over to port.

As there was a danger of the tow rope parting, Michael instructed the casualty to place a large tyre in the tow, to act like a giant shock absorber. To help reduce the chance of the tow parting, the lifeboat crew let out 150m of their own tow rope. They also attached a large piece of matting to the rope, where it passed through the towing lead, to prevent chafing. They would ease it every 30 minutes.

The long tow commenced at a speed of 1-3 knots. Michael remembers the uncomfortable passage: 'Half of us were seasick ... the cranky motion of towing a large vessel in tumbly seas caught us out.' At 1am on 25 November, over 8 hours after launching, the lifeboat and casualty arrived off Port St Mary Harbour. The harbour master had cleared a suitable space alongside the other vessels. The lifeboat crew then faced their biggest challenge. The Paramount would have to be towed right into the harbour, with little room for manoeuvre. To add to the difficulties, there was a swell of 3-4m outside the breakwater.

The crew shortened the tow as they approached. Michael then attempted to turn the fishing vessel to bring her alongside the other vessels in the harbour but the Paramount began to drift slowly towards the rocks north of the harbour. The lifeboat crew reacted quickly, transferring the tow onto the lifeboat's bow, a technically difficult tactic that gave Michael more control. The lifeboat then brought the Paramount successfully into the harbour. Michael advised the casualty to go astern on her engine and the fishing vessel stopped perfectly alongside another. The lifeboat returned safely to station.

Later, Michael was pleased to receive a letter of thanks from the RNLI Chairman Peter Nicholson in recognition of his leadership, initiative and seamanship skills and reflected that 'quiet, efficient seamanship' does not always receive the praise it ought to. He played down his role and complimented the crew: 'A very fast and efficient response to shifting the tow forward saved the day and reduced what might have been a drama to a show of slick seamanship.