Anchors aweigh for historic boat

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Anchor 1 SUS-180220-100203001
Two salvaged anchors donated by local residents are now gracing the display site of the Cyril and Lilian Bishop lifeboat.

One of the anchors was donated by local resident and actress Amanda Burton, who starred in TV dramas Brookside, Peak Practice and Silent Witness.

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The largest of the anchors, weighing around one ton, was caught in the nets of local fishing boat Bethan Louise RX389, skippered by Shane Ball and crewed by Mark Chapman.

It was caught in a trawl net four miles south-east of Rye Harbour.

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Anchor 2 SUS-180220-100311001

The smaller anchor, donated by Amanda Burton, was also originally found in Rye Bay and weights approximately six hundredweight. For many years it adorned the front of a house in Hastings Old Town.

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Dee Day White, who played a key role in bringing the former Hastings lifeboat back to the Old Town, said: “These anchors were generously donated to form part of our maritime display around the memorial garden by the Cyril and Lilian Bishop lifeboat.

“I would like to thank these residents for their support in adding to an important historical landmark.”

The lifeboat played a key role during the Second World War, rescuing stranded troops from the beaches of Dunkirk.

The boat earned the name ‘The Ghost of Dunkirk’.

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The lifeboat was recently awarded official status as a ‘Dunkirk Little Ship’ by the Association of Dunkirk Little Ships.

She was brought back to Hastings by Dee Day White and Tush Hamilton after they discovered her in a boatyard in France.

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