They have to be ready to go when the beepers sound – and the crowd at the annual fundraiser for one of West Cork’s busiest lifeboat stations got a front row seat to a sudden call in the sunshine yesterday.
The crew from the Courtmacsherry RNLI Lifeboat Val Adnams were mingling with friends, family and supporters at their yearly coffee morning yesterday, enjoying a glorious summer’s morning in one of the most beautiful spots on the Wild Atlantic Way. The venue was the harbour side beer garden of the appropraitely named Lifeboat Inn.
However, there was a sudden call from the Coast Guard Coast Guard Marine Rescue Co -Ordination Centre in Valentia – officers there activated the bleepers to call the RNLI crew to an incident 12 miles south of the Seven Heads, at the wreck of the Lusitania ocean liner.
A diver had got into difficulties while participating in a dive, in the deep waters on the wreck of the doomed liner that was torpedoed off Cork on May 7th, 1915.
The Courtmac RNLI said: “The Lifeboat under Coxswain Ken Cashman and a crew of 5 assembled immediately and after being briefed on the incident, made their way to the casualty. Also tasked was the Irish Coast Guard Rescue 115 Helicopter from Shannon. As the diver required immediate care, it was decided to airlift him from the water by the Helicopter and transfer him as quickly as possible to the specialised treatment centre in Galway.”
“Once the airlift was successful, the Lifeboat was stood down and returned to its base in Courtmacsherry Harbour at 12.15am.”
The crew on this successful mission were Coxswain Ken Cashman and crew members Dave Philips, Mark John Gannon, Simon Locke, Taylor Murphy and Ian McCarthy.
Courtmac Crew
Most of crew and operations officers were at the annual fundraising coffee morning in the garden of the Lifeboat Inn when when the bleepers were activated.
The RNLI said: “The large crowd in attendance at the coffee morning, in glorious sunshine, got a superb view of the Lifeboat as it made its way out the harbour on its way to help others in distress at sea.
Courtmacsherry Lifeboat Station Launch Authority Vincent O Donovan praised the quick response of all crew members this morning and further commented that “ It was an eventful morning on sea and land and great thanks is due to the Stations Courtmacsherry Lifeboat Fundraising committee, to David and Martin of The Lifeboat Inn Courtmacsherry , and to the large crowd that attended, who helped make this morning’s fundraiser such a great success”