Salute for the rescuers who saved 14 crewmen

The dramatic rescue of 14 crewmen from a stricken fishing boat that crashed onto the rocks near Dingle in storm conditions at the weekend was both a marvel and a joy to behold.

This was a first-class example of calm professionalism in action, a successful rescue operation led by the Irish Coast Guard Marine Rescue Coordination Centre in Valentia and involving the Valentia lifeboat team, the Dingle Coast Guard Unit and the Shannon-based Coast Guard helicopter Rescue 115.

Backed up by the Coast Guard’s fixed wing airplane, R 120F, and the navy’s LE George Bernard Shaw, the rescue helicopter commenced lifting all the stricken crew to safety just before 12.25pm on Sunday and the job was completed shortly after 1 o’clock.

In just 45 minutes, all of the 14 crew members had been winced to safety and taken ashore to Dingle.

This was a truly tremendous result and in very difficult conditions which required rescuers to calculate accurately the intervals of the surging waves in order to time correctly their notoriously dangerous wincing operations. 

It worked to perfection.

And that’s down to the various individuals involved working as a coordinated whole, re-enacting all that training that has to be invested in such a rescue service. Preparation is everything in such circumstances.

Now attention will turn to the boat which is still on the rocks, with obvious concerns about pollution risks and the like. 

Once conditions allow, it is imperative that environmental concerns are addressed and everything must be done to avoid any damage to wildlife in the general area around the entrance to Dingle Harbour.

The authorities must also ensure that this particular fishing boat doesn’t become an eyesore, that it isn’t abandoned for years like some others were after crashing into the rocks along our coastline.

Those involved in Sunday’s rescue deserve our congratulations; now, to finish the job properly, the environment must be protected and the boat must be removed from the rocks.