RNAS Culdrose - MV Napoli rescue
I don't know if anyone posted anything about this before but (moderator) please merge it if necessary.
Once again the guys from RNAS Culdrose in Cornwall, England did another superb job in rescuing the crew of the freighter 'Napoli' adrift and sinking off the Cornish coast durng the recent storms.
The PO Diver is to be applauded and commended for his bravery and daring in winching down to the liferaft in horrendous conditions and then spending 90 minutes individually attaching sick and exhausted crewmen to the winch so they could be hauled to safety aboard the Sea King helicopter. A Camborne man too - well done!!
And then the commander who kept the aircraft accuarately positioned above the life raft that was rising and falling beneath him. The reports I read say that two lines were broken because the raft fell away into a trough below the helicopter.
My family and I lived for many years in Cornwall and I was privileged to know some of the people from Culdrose and to share the occasional pint with them. They were not always Brits. I remember a particulary difficult rescue from inside Hells Mouth and below the cliff top with only a couple of feet clearance for the rotor tips. The Commander on that mission was an American on secondment. What a bunch of excellent guys.
Last edited by Xeque; 23rd Jan 2007 at 14:46.