In severe storm conditions, the British registered container ship MSC Napoli was holed and taking in water 40 miles south of the Lizard Point during the morning of Thursday 18 January 2007. Fearing that the ship would sink, the master of the vessel took the decision to tell his crew to abandon ship and take to the lifeboat. Shortly after 10.00am, 771 Search and Rescue Squadron at Royal Naval Air Station Culdrose in Cornwall was alerted by the Coast Guard, and two Mk V Sea Kings from 771 Naval Air Squadron were scrambled to the scene.
On arrival, the helicopter crews found that the ship’s seamen were indeed in their lifeboat and initially it was thought that the survivors would remain with the lifeboat as they were safe, though uncomfortable there. The seas in the area were forty to fifty feet in height with the lifeboat being thrown about, and Petty Officer Aircrewman Jay O’Donnell was lowered to the lifeboat to assess the situation. After considerable difficulty he got on board the lifeboat and found that conditions there were extremely unpleasant and could become threatening for the survivors. It was then decided to airlift all the survivors into the helicopters for return to dry land.
In extreme conditions the first thirteen crewmembers were winched up into Rescue 194, one of the rescue helicopters, then that helicopter set off for Royal Naval Air Station Culdrose and safety. Rescue 193, the other naval SAR helicopter, then lifted the remaining thirteen survivors, including the master of the stricken ship, and it too returned to Culdrose.
On arrival at Culdrose, all twenty-six seamen were found to be unhurt, though shaken and cold. After warm drinks and some food, dry clothing and some phone calls to their families, the survivors were taken to the Seamans’ Mission in Falmouth and later to a local hotel.
Each Sea King helicopter has a crew of two pilots, an Observer and an Aircrewman, and 771 Naval Air Squadron is on call twenty-four hours a day responding to emergencies from seafarers or anyone else in danger. Commenting on the day’s events, Commanding Officer of 771 Squadron, Lieutenant Commander Chris Godwin, said: “I am very proud of my crews for conducting a text book rescue in such demanding conditions.”
Congrats and well done, 193 and 194!