Penlee lifeboat loss 31 years ago today
Discussion
MB140 said:
Willingly donated sorry it’s only £20. Wish it was more but Xmas is an expensive time and the RNLI isn’t the only charity I support so I have to divide out my donations amongst them.
Do you have a link to the webcam. I would like to watch while I drink a tipple to say thank you if I don’t make it down.
Just checked it’s a 5hr drive from where my wife is. Probably a bit far to go as I was thinking of doing.
That is amazing, thank you so much Do you have a link to the webcam. I would like to watch while I drink a tipple to say thank you if I don’t make it down.
Just checked it’s a 5hr drive from where my wife is. Probably a bit far to go as I was thinking of doing.
The website link is: Moushole webcam
MrAndyW said:
Just donated £20.
The RNLI do a launch a memory fund
You can put the name of somebody on one of their boats for a donation.
I did one for my dad for the Invergorden boat which was the first one they did.
Went to Poole to see it. Very emotional day but a fabulous tribute to him.
When covid is over we will go to Invergorden to see her at her home
Very brave men and women.
Thank you very much.The RNLI do a launch a memory fund
You can put the name of somebody on one of their boats for a donation.
I did one for my dad for the Invergorden boat which was the first one they did.
Went to Poole to see it. Very emotional day but a fabulous tribute to him.
When covid is over we will go to Invergorden to see her at her home
Very brave men and women.
Both my Dad and father in laws names are on the Clifden boat, it was so perfect to find their names next to each other when we looked!
Never forgotten, always in our hearts.
“The greatest act of courage that I have ever seen, am ever likely to see, was the penultimate courage & dedication shown by the Penlee [crew] when it manoeuvred back alongside the casualty in over 60 ft breakers & rescued four people” (Lt Cdr Smith USN, rescue helicopter pilot)
R.I.P. the brave hero's who went to sea in the Penlee lifeboat for the last time 40 years ago.
“The greatest act of courage that I have ever seen, am ever likely to see, was the penultimate courage & dedication shown by the Penlee [crew] when it manoeuvred back alongside the casualty in over 60 ft breakers & rescued four people” (Lt Cdr Smith USN, rescue helicopter pilot)
R.I.P. the brave hero's who went to sea in the Penlee lifeboat for the last time 40 years ago.
and31 said:
I’m sure it’s been said on here before,but would anyone have been able to survive on the Union Star if they had stayed in the wheelhouse?
It looked very intact despite being upside down.
The general opinion was no as although she looks okish she spent hours being smashed against the rocks and anyone on board would have been pummelled. I beleve she was flooded from the smashed windows as well, the Navy blew a hole in her to look if anyone was still there.. It looked very intact despite being upside down.
It is what helped me decide to one day support the RNLI in more ways than donations, that I have got friends at the station and know family members of the crew is the icing on the cake for me to do what I do.
Tonight, as always we will turn of the lights at home for a minute and think of them, watch the candles at the harbour and raise a glass to the memory of true hero's, a word used to often these days yet not a big enough word to describe these volunteers who gave everything trying to help strangers.
Always in our hearts, never forgotten. R.I.P. and fair winds.
Tonight, as always we will turn of the lights at home for a minute and think of them, watch the candles at the harbour and raise a glass to the memory of true hero's, a word used to often these days yet not a big enough word to describe these volunteers who gave everything trying to help strangers.
Always in our hearts, never forgotten. R.I.P. and fair winds.
Southerner said:
I see it was believed stolen between 2015 - 2016, one would assume either an underground 'collector' or somebody who simply wanted to smelt it (assuming it was solid gold?). Has the RNLI not made efforts to replace it?
Replacing the medal is a difficult thing to get right, there is only one medal that was awarded, any replacement struck would not be it. The RNLI have worked with various people affected by this towards a suitable outcome but it is difficult. There is also the chance the medal can be recovered, it is highly unlikely it has been destroyed, it will have taken a large amount of planning and effort to take it and it was targeted from what I can gather.
On a brighter note, Happy New Year to all the contributors to the thread, thanks for taking the time to watch or listen to the links and learn a bit more about the disaster, and to those who have donated or joined up afterwards thank you so much.
coppernorks said:
What a despicable and heartless theft.
Not sure why there would be a difficulty in replacing the medal, there must be a template and/or mould .
We know it wouldn't be the original, but visitors should be entitled to see a medal, a recognition of bravery,
not a blank space.
Oh it can be replaced, it would be indistinguishable from the original but it would not be THE medal, I hope you can understand that?Not sure why there would be a difficulty in replacing the medal, there must be a template and/or mould .
We know it wouldn't be the original, but visitors should be entitled to see a medal, a recognition of bravery,
not a blank space.
I have a medal here that has not been awarded, it has little value without the story that goes with an award.
It is that incredibly sad time of year when I resurrect this topic to remember the crew of the Penlee Lifeboat that was lost with all hands trying so hard to rescue the people on board the Union Star, near Lamorna in Cornwall.
If you don't know the story as it is 41 years ago now you can watch the documentary on Youtube here: Penlee disaster
Have a tissue for when you hear the increasingly desperate calls from Falmouth coastguard trying to reach the lifeboat, it gets me every.single.time.
I am truly proud to fundraise on for the RNLI, this event is in no small part part the reason why I do it and I am incredibly lucky to know some of the family members of that crew which is why I will do my best to keep them in our thoughts.
Fair winds to the crew who are still out. Never forgotten, Always in our hearts
To those who support this greatest of charities, thank you from the bottom of my heart, you are all lifesavers.
If you don't know the story as it is 41 years ago now you can watch the documentary on Youtube here: Penlee disaster
Have a tissue for when you hear the increasingly desperate calls from Falmouth coastguard trying to reach the lifeboat, it gets me every.single.time.
I am truly proud to fundraise on for the RNLI, this event is in no small part part the reason why I do it and I am incredibly lucky to know some of the family members of that crew which is why I will do my best to keep them in our thoughts.
Fair winds to the crew who are still out. Never forgotten, Always in our hearts
To those who support this greatest of charities, thank you from the bottom of my heart, you are all lifesavers.
MB140 said:
Finding this thread a few years back, watching the documentary and hearing the radio calls. Have made me a lifelong supporter of the RNLI. I now pay by direct debit each month.
One of my bucket list things is to go to the ceremony they hold each year. It’s a long way from home but I will make it one year.
Thank you for your support.One of my bucket list things is to go to the ceremony they hold each year. It’s a long way from home but I will make it one year.
This Penlee docu-drama aired on Radio 4 last year is well worth a listen. Powerful stuff.
Keep the crew and the families in your thoughts tonight as they fought the ultimate battle against nature and sadly lost. Forever in our hearts. Service before self. Truly Iron men in wooden boats.
Keep the crew and the families in your thoughts tonight as they fought the ultimate battle against nature and sadly lost. Forever in our hearts. Service before self. Truly Iron men in wooden boats.
and31 said:
Was it true that the RNLI tried to claim the donations to the disaster fund for themselves?
I’m sure their was some scandal about it at the time
This needs to be addressed. NO. I’m sure their was some scandal about it at the time
What happened was that an official appeal trust was set up. This had to operate under charity commision rules.
These state in simplified terms that no one receiving money can be left in a better position than they were before the disaster. The problem here was all the families were modest, fishing folk and over £2 million had been raised by then which was going to cause a huge problem.
In the meantime the Cornish had set up a seperate collection, this money was counted in, divided by eight and distributed quickly and without fuss, meanwhile a local on the appeal committee had the task of going round the families asking for proof of outgoings, a horrible task for a friend of the families to have to do and this is what caught the attention of the public.
The only other possible way to distribute the funds would be as a gift, this then falls under tax law and would mean a huge chunk would go to the Government rather than the families and this caused outrage.
In the end, with the help of the attorney general the fund was allowed to be a private one and not charity, distribution problem solved. Then it was agreed that each and every donation would be seen as a single gift this avoiding the tax issue and the money was freed up to be distributed.
At no point did the RNLI suggest that the money was theirs or try to step in. All they did was offer support and at the request of the locals quietly slipped a relief lifeboat into Newlyn where the locals were already forming a crew to make her ready.
Merry Christmas and to those in Kernow, especially Mousehole, Merry Tom Bawcock's eve
Yep, it's that time again, thanks for bumping the post as this is the first time I could get on tonight.
The bravery shown that night was beyond belief, the seamanship just to get the lifeboat afloat was incredible. If you look at pictures or visit the boathouse they launched from that night (with on of the steepest slips the RNLI have used) you will have an idea of the sea state when you learn the waves were breaking at the doors....
To new readers to this thread that maybe do not know the story, as usual I have added the link to the BBC documentary below.
As said above, Janet does so much behind the scenes, we had an amazing zoom talk with her and Martin Brockman, son of the mechanic on the boat that night a while back and it got very emotional. Martin is also active for the Lifeboats giving talks and occasional tours of the old boathouse. Neil B has a lovely boat, the 'Cormorant' that runs trips from Mousehole during the summer months and is a must do if you are down that way. Neil was almost on the boat that night but the Cox'n stated only one from a family so Neil was stood down, he later went on to be Cox'n of the Penlee lifeboat.
the link to the documentary is via Youtube here: The Cruel Sea
Be prepared for damp eyes when you listen to the radio calls,there is no shame in weeping for the brave. Also, spare a moment for the crew and family on the Union Star, mistakes happen, the skipper was judged at the time but time heals, so much so that the memorial near the disaster area that was funded by donations from family and friends and supporters remembers all sixteen who perished that night.
Also, a lesser known fact is that another vessel was lost in the bay that evening, the 'Mark' I think? last spotted running towards Falmouth by the Lizard lifeboat that was battling her way towards the disaster site to try and help search for the crews, she was never heard from again.
The bravery shown that night was beyond belief, the seamanship just to get the lifeboat afloat was incredible. If you look at pictures or visit the boathouse they launched from that night (with on of the steepest slips the RNLI have used) you will have an idea of the sea state when you learn the waves were breaking at the doors....
To new readers to this thread that maybe do not know the story, as usual I have added the link to the BBC documentary below.
As said above, Janet does so much behind the scenes, we had an amazing zoom talk with her and Martin Brockman, son of the mechanic on the boat that night a while back and it got very emotional. Martin is also active for the Lifeboats giving talks and occasional tours of the old boathouse. Neil B has a lovely boat, the 'Cormorant' that runs trips from Mousehole during the summer months and is a must do if you are down that way. Neil was almost on the boat that night but the Cox'n stated only one from a family so Neil was stood down, he later went on to be Cox'n of the Penlee lifeboat.
the link to the documentary is via Youtube here: The Cruel Sea
Be prepared for damp eyes when you listen to the radio calls,there is no shame in weeping for the brave. Also, spare a moment for the crew and family on the Union Star, mistakes happen, the skipper was judged at the time but time heals, so much so that the memorial near the disaster area that was funded by donations from family and friends and supporters remembers all sixteen who perished that night.
Also, a lesser known fact is that another vessel was lost in the bay that evening, the 'Mark' I think? last spotted running towards Falmouth by the Lizard lifeboat that was battling her way towards the disaster site to try and help search for the crews, she was never heard from again.
Edited by Athlon on Tuesday 19th December 18:34
First time I have seen this on tv for years, I always watch it on Youtube on the date it happened. All these years have passed and I still struggle to listen to the radio calls from Trev and Nigel.
Did anyone see the Saving Lives at Sea special about WW2 & the RNLI tonight? It was a brilliant show and my friend Elaine talks about a Penlee rescue during the war.
Dermot came across as a true supporter as well. It will be on the iplayer tomorrow if you missed it.
Did anyone see the Saving Lives at Sea special about WW2 & the RNLI tonight? It was a brilliant show and my friend Elaine talks about a Penlee rescue during the war.
Dermot came across as a true supporter as well. It will be on the iplayer tomorrow if you missed it.
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