The National Sea Rescue Institute (NSRI) is a voluntary

non-profit organization A nonprofit organization (NPO) or non-profit organisation, also known as a non-business entity, not-for-profit organization, or nonprofit institution, is a legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public or social benefit, in co ...

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the Atlantic Ocean, South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the ...

tasked with saving lives through drowning prevention. It operates 41 bases (as of 2020) comprising coastal stations and inland stations on dams. There are crews on standby at all hours. There are over 1000 volunteers equipped with sponsored rescue craft, rescue vehicles, quad bikes and tractors, supported by an operations department at the head office. The NSRI works closely with other Search and Rescue organisations in

History

Following an incident at Stilbaai near

Mossel Bay Mossel Bay ( af, Mosselbaai) is a harbour town of about 99,000 people on the Southern Cape (or Garden Route) of South Africa. It is an important tourism and farming region of the Western Cape Province. Mossel Bay lies 400 kilometres east of the ...

on the south coast of South Africa in 1966, in which 17 fishermen drowned after three fishing boats sank in a storm, Miss Pattie Price of Simon’s Town whose own life had been saved by a RNLI lifeboat in the English Channel, wrote a series of letters to the newspapers to advocate for the formation of a sea rescue organisation in South Africa. Captain Bob Deacon and Ray Lant were the first volunteers to respond to this call and in 1967 the South African Inshore Rescue Service (SAISRS) was started, with a 4.7m inflatable boat donated by the Society of Master Mariners. The SAISRS was later renamed to National Sea Rescue Institute (NSRI) and continues the tradition of operation by volunteers.

List of NSRI stations

Kleinmond slipway with NSRI station 42 tractor and boat trailer IMG 20200531 142317

Kleinmond slipway and jetty seaward side IMG 20200531 142141

National Sea Rescue Institute (15606878942)

* Agulhas - Station 30, -34.798567, 20.059433 * Bakoven - Station 2, -33.960583, 18.373033 (Cape Town) * Ballito - Station 41, -29.437578, 31.222571 * Durban - Station 5, -29.873933, 31.050767 * East London - Station 7, -33.02305, 27.8913 * Gauteng - Station 27, -26.270759, 28.112268 (inland) * Gordon's Bay - Station 9, -34.16435, 18.859733 (Cape Town) * Hartebeespoort Dam - Station 25, -25.730167, 27.86045 (inland) * Hermanus - Station 17, -34.433417, 19.22515 * Hout Bay - Station 8, -34.05025, 18.345333 (Cape Town) * Jeffrey's Bay - Station 37, -34.048333, 24.923333 * Kleinmond - Station 42, -34.335399, 19.012628 * Knysna - Station 12, -34.076083, 23.060383 * Kommetjie - Station 26, -34.140833, 18.328833 (Cape Town) * Lambert's Bay - Starion 34, -32.090726, 18.300401 * Melkbosstrand - Station 18, -33.729, 18.4385 (Cape Town) * Mossel Bay - Station 15, -34.180583, 22.1488 * Mykonos - Station 4, -33.047367, 18.0398 * Oyster Bay - Station 36, -34.169673, 24.653434 * Plettenberg Bay - Station 40, -34.058333, 23.378 * Port Alfred - Station 11, -33.594933, 26.89095 * Port Edward - Station 32, -31.048217, 30.231167 * Port Elizabeth - Station 6, -33.967617, 25.633567 * Port Nolloth - Station 43, -29.238409, 16.928872 * Port St Johns - Station 28, -31.530022, 29.4643592 * Richards Bay - Station 19, -28.791633, 32.08365 * Rocky Bay - Station 39, -30.334283, 30.733833 * Shelly Beach - Station 20, -30.808517, 30.412217 * Simon's Town - Station 10, -34.192283, 18.434367 (Cape Town) * St Francis Bay - Station 21, -34.184333, 24.8523 * St Lucia - Station 40, -28.372602, 32.414163 * Still Bay - Station 21, -34.385733, 21.423917 * Strandfontein - Station 16, -34.077876, 18.573032 (Cape Town) * Table Bay - Station 3, -33.909167, 18.423617 (Cape Town) * Theewaterskloof - Station 38, -34.176, 19.262533 (inland) * Vaal Dam - Station 22, -26.895867, 28.113433 (inland) * Wilderness - Station 23, -33.9952, 22.580567 * Witbank Dam - Station 35, -25.9093, 29.308733 (inland) * Witsand - Station 33, -34.391333, 20.837833 * Yzerfontein - Station 34, -33.346, 18.149833

Rescue craft

The NSRI has used a wide range of rescue vessels and types of rescue vessel over the years. *RL 36, 9m deep V, Cold moulded wood: **''Pearl van Riet'', Station 9 *Brede class: (RNLI design) **''Spirit of Safmarine''. Station 10,

Offshore Rescue Craft class

The first vessel of the offshore rescue craft (ORC) class vessel was procured from a French boatyard in 2019 and stationed at Durban. The vessel has a 14.8m long composite hull with a 4.8 m beam, and is suitable for search and rescue operations up to 50 nautical miles offshore. The second vessel of the class was finished from an imported set of mouldings and delivered to Station 10 (Simon's Town) from Two Oceans Marine in Cape Town in April 2021. It will be kept ready to launch at a few minutes notice on a cradle in the boathouse. The rest of the series will be manufactured in Cape Town under license using moulds taken off the second boat's mouldings. The vessel is longitudinally subdivided into forepeak, forward accommodation for survivors, tank space with heads, engine room and steering flat. The superstructure is on the main deck and comprises a watertight wheelhouse, which provides a high centre of buoyancy for self-righting, and has a raised exterior steering position on the port side. The transom has a ladder for boarding from the water and two small platforms just above the waterline. There is a substantial towing bollard on the quarterdeck and a gap in the stern rail at the top of the ladder which also serves as a fairlead for towing lines. The crew seating includes safety belts and shock absorber mountings to mitigate vertical acceleration shock loads. A track with sliding cars runs around the wheelhouse just below the handrail, providing secure but mobile harness clip-off points for crew working on or traversing the side decks. The handrails on the foredeck and side decks are inset to avoid damage when alongside large vessels in a seaway. There is a small but sturdy davit on the port side suitable for hoisting survivors on board, in clear view of the exterior control point. Structure is fibre reinforced plastic composite, partly foam cored and partly solid skin with foam cored frames. Structural glass fibres are used for most of the layup, with carbon fibre stiffening where most effective. High density core material is used in heavily loaded components such as engine beds.

Specifications

Specifications: *Designation ORC 140.RS *Survivor capacity: 23/24 persons.(sources vary) *Crew 6 *Expected lifespan: 40 years. *Self righting by inherent stability when intact *Original vessel manufacture: France *Series manufacturer: Two Oceans Marine (Cape Town) *Cost per vessel: R20 million *Series cost: R180 million *Maximum speed of about 28 knots with crew, equipment and full tanks *Range of 250 nautical miles at 20 knots cruising speed with 25% reserve. *Length overall 14.8 m *Moulded length 13.85 m *Waterline length 13.56 m *Beam overall 4.8 m *Beam moulded 4.6 m *Depth 2.08 m *Draught (loaded) 1.4 m *Displacement (light) 15 900kg according to the stability book *Displacement (loaded) *Fuel capacity 2 tanks of 1000 litres each *Engines: 2 x Cummins QSC 8.3M marine diesels producing 441 kW at ????rpm *Gearboxes: ZF 370 V, a 10° V-drive, remote mount marine transmission. *Propellers, rudders and shafts CJR *Towing bollard rated for 4.5 tonne *Vessel sound level 76 dB Names and stations: *14-01, Station 5, Durban *14-02, "''Donna Nicholas''", Station 10, Simon's Town, April 2021 *14-03,

Gallery

File:NSRI 14m Offshore Rescue Class 14-02 P4170319.jpg, Profile from port File:NSRI 14m Offshore Rescue Class 14-02 P4170316.jpg, Bow File:NSRI 14m Offshore Rescue Class 14-02 P4170309.jpg, Stern File:NSRI 14m Offshore Rescue Class 14-02 P4170317.jpg, Port bow File:NSRI 14m Offshore Rescue Class 14-02 P4170323.jpg, View from port quarter File:NSRI 14m Offshore Rescue Class 14-02 P4170322.jpg, Quarterdeck railings File:NSRI 14m Offshore Rescue Class 14-02 P4170385.jpg, Towing gear File:NSRI 14m Offshore Rescue Class 14-02 P4170386.jpg, Flying bridge File:NSRI 14m Offshore Rescue Class 14-02 P4170387.jpg, Superstructure from aft File:NSRI 14m Offshore Rescue Class 14-02 P4170391.jpg, View forward from flying bridge File:NSRI 14m Offshore Rescue Class 14-02 P4170396.jpg, Davit File:NSRI 14m Offshore Rescue Class 14-02 P4170325.jpg, Engine room soft patch File:NSRI 14m Offshore Rescue Class 14-02 P4170405.jpg, Handrail and jackstay track with car File:NSRI 14m Offshore Rescue Class 14-02 P4170406.jpg, Anchor gear and pulpit rail File:NSRI 14m Offshore Rescue Class 14-02 P4170407.jpg, Liferaft and forward escape hatch File:NSRI 14m Offshore Rescue Class 14-02 P4170415.jpg, Engine freshwater flush connection File:NSRI 14m Offshore Rescue Class 14-02 P4170329.jpg, Helmsman's seat File:NSRI 14m Offshore Rescue Class 14-02 P4170326.jpg, Navigation table File:NSRI 14m Offshore Rescue Class 14-02 P4170364.jpg, Wheelhouse exterior watertight door File:NSRI 14m Offshore Rescue Class 14-02 P4170365.jpg, Port side seating File:NSRI 14m Offshore Rescue Class 14-02 P4170376.jpg, Crew seat detail File:NSRI 14m Offshore Rescue Class 14-02 P4170379.jpg, Navigators instrument panel File:NSRI 14m Offshore Rescue Class 14-02 P4170330.jpg, Forepeak and anchor locker access File:NSRI 14m Offshore Rescue Class 14-02 P4170331.jpg, Survivor seating port side File:NSRI 14m Offshore Rescue Class 14-02 P4170332.jpg, Galley area and companionway ladder starboard forward File:NSRI 14m Offshore Rescue Class 14-02 P4170333.jpg, Seating and watertight door starboard aft File:NSRI 14m Offshore Rescue Class 14-02 P4170361.jpg, Companionway ladder and doorway starboard File:NSRI 14m Offshore Rescue Class 14-02 P4170363.jpg, Deckhead escape hatch with drop-down ladder looking aft File:NSRI 14m Offshore Rescue Class 14-02 P4170334.jpg, Starboard tank space File:NSRI 14m Offshore Rescue Class 14-02 P4170353.jpg, Heads in port tank space File:NSRI 14m Offshore Rescue Class 14-02 P4170354.jpg, Port tank space File:NSRI 14m Offshore Rescue Class 14-02 P4170339.jpg, View from forward watertight door File:NSRI 14m Offshore Rescue Class 14-02 P4170336.jpg, Starboard engine and gearbox File:NSRI 14m Offshore Rescue Class 14-02 P4170337.jpg, Port engine and gearbox File:NSRI 14m Offshore Rescue Class 14-02 P4170348.jpg, Port engine aft File:NSRI 14m Offshore Rescue Class 14-02 P4170350.jpg, Starboard exhaust File:NSRI 14m Offshore Rescue Class 14-02 P4170340.jpg, Port steering ram, tiller, rudder stock and link bar File:NSRI 14m Offshore Rescue Class 14-02 P4170342.jpg, Electro-hydraulic steering motor File:NSRI 14m Offshore Rescue Class 14-02 P4170346.jpg, Emergency tiller stowed against transom, emergency exit above

References

External links

* :Commons:NSRI 14m offshore class rescue craft
NSRI homepage

The ASR
one of the 3 helicopter units of the NSRI
NSRI Station 2
at Bakoven
NSRI Station 8
at

Hout Bay Hout Bay ( af, Houtbaai, meaning "Wood Bay") is a harbour town in the Western Cape province of South Africa. It is situated in a valley on the Atlantic seaboard of the Cape Peninsula, twenty kilometres south of Cape Town. The name "Hout Bay" can ...

NSRI Station 10

Simon's Town Simon's Town ( af, Simonstad), sometimes spelled Simonstown, is a town in the Western Cape, South Africa and is home to Naval Base Simon's Town, the South African Navy's largest base. It is located on the shores of False Bay, on the eastern ...

NSRI Station 12
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Knysna Knysna () is a town with 76,150 inhabitants (2019 mid-year estimates) in the Western Cape province of South Africa. and is one of the destinations on the loosely defined Garden Route tourist route. It lies at 34° 2' 6.3168'' S and 23° 2' 47 ...

NSRI Station 14
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Plettenberg Bay Plettenberg Bay, nicknamed Plet or Plett, is the primary town of the Bitou Local Municipality in the Western Cape Province of South Africa. As of the census of 2001, there were 29,149 population. It was originally named Bahia Formosa ("beautifu ...

NSRI Station 15
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NSRI Station 19
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Richards Bay Richards Bay ( af, Richardsbaai) is a town in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. It is situated on a 30 square kilometre lagoon of the Mhlatuze River, which makes it one of the country's largest harbours. Richards Bay also has the deepest natural h ...

NSRI Station 18
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Melkbosstrand Melkbosstrand (Afrikaans for "Milkbush beach") is a coastal town located on the South West Coast of South Africa, 30 km north of Cape Town. It forms part of the City of Cape Town Metropolitan Municipality, the municipality governing Cape T ...

South African Search and Rescue Organisation
{{Cape Town, services Sea rescue organizations Emergency medical services in South Africa Maritime history of South Africa