CORK lifeboats have issued a stark warning after two men were rescued from a sinking ship amid stormy conditions overnight.
A lifeboat was launched from Castletownbere in Force 7 winds to rescue the men from the water.
The 20-metre fishing boat in distress was located south of Blackball Head off the Beara peninsula.
It was taking in water and had lost power with two people on board.
The south Cork volunteer crew were alerted to the situation in the early hours of yesterday morning by the Valentia Coastguard Marine Coordination Centre.
They receive word of the sinking ship at 4.20am and had their lifeboat launched by 4.30am under the command of Coxswain Marney O’Donoghue, mechanic David O’Donovan and crew Dean Hegarty, Joe Cronin and Andrew O’Neill.
And conditions were poor in the early hours of the morning with crews braving strong winds to aid the two men.
Describing the conditions of the rescue on their social media Castletownbere RNLI Lifeboat said: “Conditions were described as Force 7 south- easterly winds and a 4 to 5 metre swell.”
Another local fishing boat was standing by at the scene when crews arrived and amid the challenging conditions the lifeboat managed to attach a tow line.
The ship was then towed back to Castletownbere harbour and a local tug assisted in berthing the boat at the pier.
In a quick turnaround the lifeboat was refueled and ready for dispatch if needed by 8.20am.
Castletownbere RNLI Lifeboat Launching Authority, Brendan O’Neill said the men made the “right decision” calling for help.
He said: “Given the poor weather conditions, the crew aboard the fishing boat made the correct decision to call for help immediately and we are glad that everyone is now ashore safe and well.”
Praise poured in for the team on social media after they managed to get the two men to safety.
One person said: “Well done CTB RNL yet again.”
Another wrote: “Great service.”
And another said: “Where would we be without Castletownbere RNLI Lifeboat.”
One person added: “Thanks for keeping them safe.”
Union Hall RNL also shared their praise for their colleagues on social media.
They wrote: “Well done to our colleagues at Castletownbere RNLI Lifeboat.”
The boat was launched after 4am[/caption]
