A FISHERMAN'S life was saved by lifeboat crews after his boat overturned and sank.

Shoreham Lifeboat crews were launched shortly before 10.30am yesterday morning to reports that a vessel had been spotted sinking 3/4 miles south of the harbour.

They spotted a man in the water with no lifejacket trying to stay afloat amid debris. He was recovered from the water and confirmed he was the only person on the 33ft fishing vessel before it sank.

The casualty was transferred to the inshore lifeboat and quickly taken back to the lifeboat station to be further assessed and warmed up. The all weather lifeboat remained in the area to investigate and recover all the debris from the water.

The man said: “I can’t thank the lifeboat crew enough. They saved my life.”

The Argus:

It was the first service for Shoreham’s newly qualified lifeboat coxswain-mechanic Simon Williams and was a life saved.

He said: “The fisherman didn’t even have to time to make a Mayday call because his boat sank so quickly. He was extremely lucky it was seen by the National Coastwatch Institution who alerted the coastguard and we found him in the water.

"He had already been there about 20 minutes and didn’t have a life jacket.

“We are just glad we were able to respond and it was a positive outcome.”

Have you got a story for us? Email news@theargus.co.uk or contact us here.

Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram to keep up with all the latest news.

Sign up to our newsletter to get updates sent straight to your inbox.

You can also call us on 01273 021 400.