St John’s marine ambulance, The Flying Christine III is now back in service.

Jon Beausire, Chief Officer, St John Ambulance and Rescue Service said: “We are pleased to confirm that the Flying Christine has been repaired and is now able to resume the valuable service it provides to the Bailiwick of Guernsey.  My thanks go to the crews and vessels that provided contingent support over the last 4 months.”

The vessel has been out of commission for four months due to a mechanical fault.  A new gear box, supplied by an American manufacturer, was installed in July when the existing unit was damaged beyond repair due to an oil pump failure.  Significant problems were identified with the new unit and the gear box was sent back to the UK and replaced under warranty.  The rebuilt unit was installed and sea-trialled mid-September but was immediately reported to be operating unsatisfactorily.

Detailed inspections were undertaken by local engineers and an engineer from the UK agent who concluded that there was an inherent fault in the gearbox.  Further tests and discussions took place with the manufacturer resulting in the gearbox being returned to America in October.  Earlier this week the replacement unit arrived in the Island.  Following installation and successful sea trials the vessel is now fully operational and back in service.