On 17 September, the trawler Dorothy May ran out of fuel, having been using it at a faster rate than usual.

A further fault meant that her battery hadn’t charged and she lost electrical power, rendering her radio useless. The fisherman used his mobile phone to call another local boat, whose skipper was able to radio the Coastguard. Tynemouth’s Severn class lifeboat Spirit of Northumberland was soon on scene, and towed the trawler home to North Shields fish quay. The skipper later brought a large bag of fresh prawns to the lifeboat station, to say thank you.