Emergencies and World Disasters
The Night Mousehole Went Dark: Penlee's Lifeboat Lost at Sea
22 min•24 juli 2026
Om avsnittet
The Night Mousehole Went Dark: Penlee's Lifeboat Lost at Sea
Mousehole's Christmas lights shone on December 17, 1981 - and forty-eight hours later the harbour went dark after two vessels and sixteen people were lost with eight bodies never recovered. What forced a crew to return into seas with sixty-foot waves and a radio cut off mid-sentence?
In this episode, we tell the sequence of events from a village switch-on to a storm that became the worst RNLI loss in nearly fifty years, following the Solomon Browne crew, the stricken MV Union Star, and the decisions that shaped that night. How did engine failure, a refused tug offer, and a coxswain's rule collide to end in total silence?
Person: Charlie Greenhaugh
Date: 17 December 1981
Event: Penlee lifeboat disaster
Vessel: RNLB Solomon Browne (47 feet, Watson-class, built 1960)
Location: Mount's Bay, Cornwall
- Winds reached 90 knots during the storm on 19 December 1981.
- Waves in Mount's Bay were measured trough-to-crest at 60 feet.
- Two vessels involved resulted in sixteen people lost that night.
- Eight bodies were never recovered after the disaster.
- The RNLB Solomon Browne could make nine knots in open water.
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© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: [email protected].
Mousehole's Christmas lights shone on December 17, 1981 - and forty-eight hours later the harbour went dark after two vessels and sixteen people were lost with eight bodies never recovered. What forced a crew to return into seas with sixty-foot waves and a radio cut off mid-sentence?
In this episode, we tell the sequence of events from a village switch-on to a storm that became the worst RNLI loss in nearly fifty years, following the Solomon Browne crew, the stricken MV Union Star, and the decisions that shaped that night. How did engine failure, a refused tug offer, and a coxswain's rule collide to end in total silence?
Person: Charlie Greenhaugh
Date: 17 December 1981
Event: Penlee lifeboat disaster
Vessel: RNLB Solomon Browne (47 feet, Watson-class, built 1960)
Location: Mount's Bay, Cornwall
- Winds reached 90 knots during the storm on 19 December 1981.
- Waves in Mount's Bay were measured trough-to-crest at 60 feet.
- Two vessels involved resulted in sixteen people lost that night.
- Eight bodies were never recovered after the disaster.
- The RNLB Solomon Browne could make nine knots in open water.
To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.
© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: [email protected].
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