Angle All-Weather Lifeboat has been launched into waves of between six and eight metres and gale force winds to rescue a guard boat with five crew onboard and no power.

The 24-metre vessel was around 4.5 miles south west of Skokholm Island and had lost all power due to a suspected fuel issue. It was drifting towards Skokholm in the high seas and heavy winds.

The boat was being used as a guard boat to guard the Greenlink cable between Wales and Ireland. 

Angle lifeboat launched at 9.52 yesterday morning to the aid of the stricken vessel.

The crew made the difficult journey in far from favourable conditions and arrived on scene around an hour later.

There was no commercial tug available to assist and all other avenues exhausted by the coastguard. The guard boat was in a perilous position as it was drifting towards Skokholm Island.

Western Telegraph: The rescue operation took around seven hours.

Rescue teams decided the safest course of action was to undertake a tow to the nearest safe haven of Milford Haven.

The crew rigged a tow and managed to secure a line to the vessel and began towing however due to the conditions the tow parted shortly after.

With the line recovered and reset, the crew made a second attempt and managed to secure a line once again.

Due to the sea conditions and swell direction, the safest way forward was to tow the vessel in a south easterly direction and almost ‘tack’ to avoid the following swell, before altering course and heading for the west channel into Milford Haven.

At this point, the crew were informed that a tug would rendezvous with the lifeboat in Dale Roads to take over the tow up to the Port of Pembroke.

Western Telegraph: The waves were between six and eight metres and the wind was blowing at gale force

Once arriving in Dale Roads, six hours after launching, the crew shortened the tow and held position for around half an hour until the tug arrived on scene.

Once the tug arrived, and their skipper had assessed the situation it was determined safer for the lifeboat to head for Chapel Bay where there was more shelter for the tug to take over the tow.

The tug manoeuvred alongside and made fast and the lifeboat was able to drop the tow and safely hand over to the tug and her crew.

With no further assistance required, the lifeboat and her crew were stood down with thanks and returned to station where she was readied for further service by 17.30pm, more than seven hours after first launching.