Angle's Mark Mason called to stricken dredger off St Anne's Head (From Western Telegraph)

Angle's Mark Mason called to stricken dredger off St Anne's Head

10:51am Monday 8th March 2010 in

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Angle's all weather lifeboat, the Mark Mason, was called out for the first time this year on Friday, when she was involved in a five hour rescue off the South Pembrokeshire coast.

The lifeboat, which has just returned to Angle after maintenance work at RNLI headquarters, was launched to the aid of a Dutch dredger which was taking in water.

The 65-metre, 949 tonne hopper dredger, Heron, had run into difficulties six miles off St Anne's Head.

The Mark Mason was tasked to the incident at 5.30pm. When she reached the Rotterdam-registered dredger it was listing to the left with water flooding into the hold. There were five crew on board.

Two of the RNLI volunteer lifeboat crew took a salvage pump on board the Heron, in a bid to stabilise the stricken vessel.

The dredger was eventually stabilised enough for her to be given permission to safely enter the MIlford Haven waterway and a Milford Haven Port Authority pilot was put on board.

The vessel was escorted to the entrance to Milford Docks, where a tug assisted her to berth.

The lifeboat remained outside the docks until the crew members were able to leave the dredger and return with the RNLI pump.

The lifeboat returned to station at 10.30pm.