A reflective piece on what was the most horrendous and at times desperate storm to hit the Blackpool & Fylde coast..
RMS Riverdance sadly floundered as the huge waves and winds battered the coastline.
The RNLI did an amazing job in getting the crew off the stricken vessel..!
I actually did a report for my Blog that I am closing down, but I feel that that this was and still is such an important and historical event in the history of Blackpool..
Locals wandered in wonder round the ferry Riverdance, stranded on a beach in Lancashire, while others walked their dogs as usual or played football as if it didn’t exist.
Trucks on the deck can be seen listing at a perilous angle, much of their cargo already spilled, and the onlookers underneath looked as if they might be in danger if anything else were suddenly to shift.
The serenity surrounding the ship belies the chaotic journey it has gone through in the past few days.
It was hit by a freak wave in the Irish Sea on its journey from Northern Ireland to Heysham in Lancashire and tossed about as rescuers plucked passengers and crew members to safety in daring helicopter rescues.
Nine of the 19 crew members were still on board as the full force of the ocean pushed it on to the north shore of Blackpool beach.
One terrified trucker rang his wife from the deck of the stricken ferry and told her: “I am going to die.”
The wife of Nigel Bucknall, 54, had to wait for more than an hour and a half before he rang back to say he had been plucked to safety. Mr Bucknall, of Doncaster, said:
“I took my phone out half a dozen times to phone my wife Mary. When I thought there was only ten minutes left, I phoned again to say that I loved her.”
Several crewmen even sent “final” text messages to their loved ones because they feared they would not survive.
Salvage workers have been trying to find ways to move the ferry, but admit their operation would be stalled for another 48 hours.
Tony Redding, a spokesman for Seatruck Ferries, said: “The plan is to stabilise the vessel and create a safer working environment.
“It has around a 50-degree list and we will be trying to do something about that. More equipment to help is expected to leave Rotterdam today.”
Consequently the weight of the ship damaged water pipes and these had to be changed..
And finally the rescue heroes received recognition..
FIVE officers who worked through the night to rescue 23 passengers and crew of the stricken Riverdance ferry have been honoured by the chief coastguard.
Tony Topping, Sue Daintith, Paul Harrison, Paul Campbell and Steve Cross were working at Liverpool’s Maritime Rescue Co-ordination Centre on January 31, 2008, when a call came in the ferry had been hit by a large wave during stormy seas.
Sue, 37, was in charge of liaising with the ship’s captain.
She said: “Initially the ship was listing but they were managing the situation and just needed a tow to port. But as it got worse they sent out a mayday to get the passengers and crew off the boat.
“We train for this all the time but we don’t get many maydays of this magnitude.”
Tony was watch manager in charge of co-ordinating the team, and Steve was in charge of communicating with lifeboat crews at Lytham and Fleetwood, the RAF, the Navy and local coastguards.
Sue added: “The crews in the lifeboats, helicopter and the rescue teams worked all night in conjunction with us. This award is as much theirs as it is ours.”
Handing over the award, Chief Coastguard Peter Dymond said: “The determination, professionalism and expertise demonstrated by the Liverpool coastguard operators throughout this incident were exemplary and upheld the finest traditions of Her Majesty’s Coastguard.”
The awards come as the Liverpool Coastguard is threatened with closure, and services transferred to Holyhead in Belfast from next year.
A Maritime and Coastguard Agency spokesman today vowed there would be no change in how emergency situations were dealt with.
She said: “As part of the new structure, the Maritime Operations Centre will maintain an overview of activity right across the country and make sure work on search and rescue coordination, tackling pollution incidents and monitoring shipping is effectively managed.”
Thank you for reading..
Copyright Peter Mowbray Live In Blackpool Ltd
