Photo of boat at Great Yarmouth leads to story of drama on the high seas

A couple of weeks ago I was in Great Yarmouth for work purposes. Passing the docks I couldn't resist a couple of snapshots of the scene. They paint their bollards a very bright yellow here!


The Putford Provider is a rig support vessel. Nothing too remarkable there, but when I was looking it up I discovered its rôle in an emergency on the North Sea, five years ago. It had picked up a mayday call from a 12 metre yacht and assisted in the rescue of four crew, three of whom had been thrown into the sea, and the yacht itself. Sadly, one of the crew members died before reaching hospital.

The RNLI report paints a dramatic picture of a difficult and dangerous operation, hampered in part by one of the lifeboat's own engines failing.

Here's the story in brief:

The arduous 11-hour service to the stricken yacht Mollie Louise took place 28 miles east of Spurn Point in winds of up to force nine and a five to six metre swell. The lifeboat crew rescued an elderly man and recovered the yacht, towing it back to port through heavy seas. Three other yachtsmen had been swept overboard and were recovered by an RAF helicopter but one of them died before reaching hospital.

And here's the full version:

RNLI rescue scenario - Humber RNLI all weather lifeboat. 12 August 2006.
The 12-metre yacht Mollie Louise sailed from Den Helder, Holland, on 11 August bound for her homeport of Grimsby with four crew aboard. At 3.45pm on 12 August a VHF call from the Mollie Louise to Humber Coastguard was intercepted by the rig support vessel Putford Provider. 

There was no urgency in the call except to say the yacht was experiencing very heavy weather and the crew suffering from fatigue, and the caller sounded distressed. However, while the Putford Provider was relaying this information to Humber Coastguard, they picked up a ‘Mayday’ call, thought to be from the Mollie Louise.

Humber Coastguard contacted Humber Lifeboat Station and at 4.17pm Humber Relief Severn Class Lifeboat Fraser Flyer proceeded on service at full speed with six crew on board. Superintendent Coxswain David Steenvoorden was in command. The casualty was thought to be 28 miles east of Spurn Point and the possibility the yacht was now in distress added urgency.

At around 4.30pm the lifeboat’s port engine developed problems and a short time later was stopped. Coxswain Steenvoorden informed Humber Coastguard but elected to carry on towards the casualty at best speed on the starboard engine.

The RAF Helicopter Rescue 128 arrived on scene at 5pm. The yacht appeared to be relatively unscathed with no signs of distress and a single crew member was visible in the cockpit. The VHF aerial was broken, which accounted for the poor communications. Due to the five to six metre swell now running there was a reluctance to try and place a winchman aboard the vessel. 

After discussions with Humber Coastguard, Coxswain Steenvoorden agreed that Skegness Lifeboat Lincolnshire Poacher should be tasked as back up. The lifeboat was launched with Coxswain John Irving in command and six crew aboard. The northerly wind had now increased to force eight gusting nine with rough to very rough seas.

At 5.25pm the Putford Provider confirmed from the sole person left on the Mollie Louise that the three other crew had been washed overboard when the yacht was knocked down by a large sea. As three lives were now known to be in grave and imminent danger, Coxswain Steenvoorden consulted with Mechanic Lane and decided to restart the port engine.  Mechanic Lane suggested running the engine at 1000 rpm to reduce drag and this seemed to work, giving a speed of 14 knots.

At 5.37pm, the RAF helicopter crew reported locating all three casualties in the water and commenced winching operations. Humber Lifeboat arrived on scene at 6pm. One man was visible standing in the cockpit of the Mollie Louise; he seemed dazed and unresponsive and did not acknowledge the presence of the lifeboat. After a short discussion on the lifeboat, Coxswain Steenvoorden decided to place two crew aboard the Mollie Louise to evacuate the casualty. 

Crew Members Bryan White and Dan Atkinson volunteered for the task. Coxswain Steenvoorden urged them to exercise caution explaining that manoeuvring alongside the yacht would be difficult given the conditions. The Putford Provider was asked to try and provide a lee, which she did with some success.

Preparations were made for the transfer. Conditions were now estimated at northerly force eight to nine winds and average swell height of five metres. The first two approaches were aborted by Coxswain Steenvoorden but on the third approach, Crew Member White chose his moment well and jumped between the two craft without hesitation. He confirmed the requirement to evacuate the man, who was in deep shock and very cold.

Coxswain Steenvoorden made another approach to pass a lifejacket for the casualty and then made a further four or five approaches in order to transfer Crew Member Atkinson. He had a more difficult transfer, having to haul himself aboard the yacht using the guardrails as the two hulls parted at the critical moment. 

The casualty was briefed on the plan to transfer him. The fact that his three colleagues had been rescued appeared to help his mental state and he became more cooperative. The man, who was in his seventies, had artificial hips and knees, which limited his mobility.

The lifeboat was laid alongside the yacht ready for the transfer and held in position with difficulty.  As the transfer was about to take place, the lifeboat was set against the yacht by a larger than average breaking wave and Coxswain Steenvoorden feared the casualty had been crushed between the vessels. However, he had been safely manhandled aboard the lifeboat by Crew Members Hagan and Price. Mechanic Lane then took him into the wheelhouse to warm him up and reassure him.

A tow was connected to the Mollie Louise but the steep seas had knocked it around through 180 degrees and due to concerns over damaging or capsizing the yacht, Coxswain Steenvoorden ordered the tow to be slipped. The lifeboat approached the yacht again and the tow was passed to Crewmembers White and Atkinson who worked hard to get it connected. Once the tow was reconnected the lifeboat prepared to return to the Humber.

Aboard the casualty, Crew Member White went below to assess the vessel for damage and found it to be in a sound condition, although it had taken a lot of water in the cabin. Crew Member Atkinson was having a tough time working the helm hard to help with the tow. Breaking seas were constantly buffeting the yacht. 

At 7.25pm, Skegness Lifeboat arrived on scene after a rough passage. Coxswain Irving agreed that it would be safer for Humber Lifeboat to continue with the tow rather than try and hand it over, given the prevailing conditions. Skegness Lifeboat would escort the tow to the safety of the Humber estuary, trying to provide a lee for the Mollie Louise. Shortly after this the RAF helicopter returned and lifted the remaining casualty from Humber Lifeboat.

At 9.45pm Skegness Lifeboat was released to return to station. The wind began to ease a little, reducing to a steady force seven and towing speed was increased to five knots. Conditions on the yacht had been poor for Crew Member Atkinson and the yacht had been knocked down to more than 90 degrees on at least three occasions. 

At 1.15am Humber Lifeboat arrived at Grimsby dock entrance. The tow was slipped and the two crewmembers took the yacht through the locks to the marina under the yacht’s own power. They were met on arrival at the marina by the local Coastguard team and police representatives. Humber Lifeboat berthed outside the dock entrance at 2.55am.