Littlehampton (Port)

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Port entrance blocked by sunken wreck

The harbour board has announced when the wreck of a fishing vessel in Littlehampton Harbour will be recovered. The boat sank at the entrance in the morning of Oct 19, 2018, and six people were rescued. Large commercial vessels could not use the harbour, but none were expected until Oct 22. Mariners were warned of the marked wreck between the Entrance Beacons of Littlehampton Harbour which was resting on the bottom approximately 10 metres to the east of the West Pier Beacon, also known as the Drumhead at the end of the West Works. Wreck position 50o47.89N, 000o32.45W. The 8,5-m fishing vessel was marked by two yellow buoys. The vessel’s antenna was visible at high water. Multicat operations were being mobilised with a 20 m multicat workboat and dive team expected by early afternoon. Small and medium sized vessels could depart or enter the harbour safely by carefully navigating around the marked wreck which is situated on the west side of the channel just before the end of the West Pier. The harbour may be closed during later recovery operations. The timber vessel was departing the harbour when it struck the entrance, causing it to take in water and sink. The six people in the boat were stranded in the water, and two other fishing vessels came to their aid and pulled five of them out of the water. The HM Coastguard search and rescue helicopter based at Lee-on-Solent, Littlehampton Coastguard Rescue team, the South East Coast Ambulance Service and Sussex Police were also involved. The volunteer crew of the Atlantic lifeboat rescued the man from the water and took him and a second man, who had been rescued by one of the fishing boats and was believed to be one of the most severely affected by their time in the water, to the lifeboat station. The lifeboat then returned to the harbour entrance and the four remaining men were transferred from the fishing boats to the lifeboat and taken to the lifeboat station to warm up and receive treatment by the ambulance crews. None of the casualties required transferring to hospital. Reports with photos and video: https://www.littlehamptongazette.co.uk/news/transport/littlehampton-harbour-boat-wreck-set-to-be-recovered-1-8675384 https://www.littlehamptongazette.co.uk/news/six-rescued-after-boat-sinks-in-littlehampton-harbour-1-8674910