Today Lough Neagh Rescue said goodbye to Bungy 2, lately The Gary Breen or more commonly known “Support 1”, a few members turned out to prepare the Boat for it’s journey to pastures new and to make sure she was looking her best for the new owners.
Bungy 2 arrived 11 years ago on the 5th May 1997 and after a brief induction was straight into the fray on Call-out 156 , looking at the statistics generated by this venerable Lifeboat you can see the value in the service she gave.
- Rescued 115
- Assisted 401
- Recovered 6
- Call-outs 256
- Man hours 976344
Bungy 2 was probably one of the most reliable craft we ever had and for that very reason was taken for granted most of the time, it is testament to her standing that at the last Call-out, the crew elected to take her above the brand new Bungy 3.
It is hard sometimes not to feel emotional about a boat that has served so well and for so long, if you think about the times she was launched, it was never in ideal conditions, and for her part Bungy never faltered, never wavered and never gave her crew cause for concern , she just gave everything she had everytime she was asked.
Her new owners M.U.S.T. (Mourne Underwater Search Team) will use her as their First Response vehicle, and so it is not for Bungy 2 an insipid descent into retirement but the opening of another chapter in her S.A.R life which we in LNR will watch with avid interest.
