Tynemouth RNLI’s all weather lifeboat was called out at 06:40 after the skipper of the 13.5m fishing boat Dorothy May called for help when his vessel’s engine stopped, having unexpectedly run out of fuel.
The RNLI all weather lifeboat Spirit of Northumberland with six volunteer crew sped 22 miles to intercept the Dorothy May, quickly locating her fifteen miles east of Amble.
A tow rope was swiftly attached to the stricken trawler and the RNLI lifeboat took her back to North Shields fish quay at a towing speed of 6 knots, in a journey lasting over four hours.
Adrian Don, spokesman for Tynemouth RNLI station said: “It seems as if the Dorothy May had used fuel at a far faster rate than her skipper had anticipated.
“Unfortunately, an electrical fault meant her batteries weren’t charging so when she lost her engine she also lost electrical power, making her radio useless.
“Thankfully the skipper managed to make a mobile phone call to alert rescuers to his position, and had he not done so it could have taken a very long time before anyone realised he was in trouble, and a long time to locate the vessel.
“We took the Dorothy May back to North Shields fish quay without any further incident, where she was refuelled and repairs started on the electrical system.
“Her skipper later brought a huge bag of fresh prawns round to the lifeboat station as a thank-you gesture to the volunteer crew who had helped him, which was greatly appreciated”.
