A coastguard helicopter, a lifeboat and a cruise ship were all diverted after a mystery object was spotted floating in the sea – and what was found was a ‘definite first’ for teams
Coastal view near Cemaes Bay, Anglesey(Image: Google)
A Coastguard helicopter was diverted when a cruise ship spotted what appeared to be an overturned boat in deep waters north of Anglesey. Upon closer examination, the ‘Unidentified Floating Object’ was identified as the carcass of a massive whale.
Upon receiving the initial report, Moelfre’s RNLI lifeboat was put on standby, ready for immediate launch. The cruise ship was requested by HM Coastguard Holyhead to make a U-turn and investigate the sighting some 30 miles off the north Anglesey coast.
A Coastguard helicopter from Caernarfon, which was on a training exercise, was also dispatched to the location. Read the biggest stories in Wales first by signing up to our daily newsletter here
Between them they discovered not a boat, but the remains of a 15 metre-long (50ft) whale.
In the end, the Moelfre all-weather lifeboat wasn’t required, but its coxswain Vince Jones stated: “It’s a main shipping lane and we regularly get call-outs there to reports of unidentified floating objects.
“Usually they turn out to be floating jetsam – fishing gear and debris from derelict vessels”, reports North Wales Live.
“A decomposing whale carcass was definitely a first for us!
“As the carcass was so far off shore, it wouldn’t have posed an immediate danger to smaller vessels. So its position was noted and nature was left to take its course.”
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