Boscastle Rescues
Thread Starter
Join Date: Jun 2001
Location: UK
Posts: 591
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Boscastle Rescues
Congratulations to the SAR crews who showed such skill and bravery at Boscastle today.
One can only hope those so far unaccounted for are alive and well. Very sad to see a place I know and love devastated like that.
One can only hope those so far unaccounted for are alive and well. Very sad to see a place I know and love devastated like that.
PPatRoN
Join Date: Jun 2004
Location: England
Posts: 305
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Amen. Hats off, too, to those controlling the operation. It looks like prompt invocation of the county emergency plan and MACC may have kept this disaster from turning into a tragedy.
adr
adr
OLD RED DAMASK
Join Date: Apr 2004
Location: Lancashire born. In Cebu now
Age: 70
Posts: 368
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Agree with all comments.
Well done guys a really good job.
The worry is that with all the defence cuts will this sort of rescue be possible in say 2 years time?Or will the poor souls awaiting rescue have to rely on some 9-5 civilian contract service??
Well done guys a really good job.
The worry is that with all the defence cuts will this sort of rescue be possible in say 2 years time?Or will the poor souls awaiting rescue have to rely on some 9-5 civilian contract service??
Join Date: Dec 2000
Location: Canada
Posts: 54
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
RAF video
Link below is RAF video from SAR on BBC website
http://news.bbc.co.uk/media/video/39...footage_vi.ram
http://news.bbc.co.uk/media/video/39...footage_vi.ram
Join Date: Jul 2003
Location: Lincs
Posts: 695
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Yes, Echo everything said before.
Outstanding work yet again by our SAR crews, and nice to see the three Helo rescure services working together, well done.
We salute you all
Kind regards
The Swinging Monkey
'Caruthers, raise a glass to all the SAR crews, whoever, and wherever they may be'
Outstanding work yet again by our SAR crews, and nice to see the three Helo rescure services working together, well done.
We salute you all
Kind regards
The Swinging Monkey
'Caruthers, raise a glass to all the SAR crews, whoever, and wherever they may be'
Gentleman Aviator
Yes indeed, an excellent performance from superbly professional crews (and me an old SH mate too.....)
One technical question which perhaps a sarbo(u)y can answer. On the very good BBC coverage this morning, there appeared to be a number of single lifts of survivors, and one (I think) double lift with what appeared to be two survivors (certainly two apparent civvies - on reflection I spose one could be MRT).
I thought single lifts (in UK) were only for "trained" people .... any comment from an Angel of Mercy?
[and of course wonderful timing as the SAR Force may well be targetted in "cuts"!
]
One technical question which perhaps a sarbo(u)y can answer. On the very good BBC coverage this morning, there appeared to be a number of single lifts of survivors, and one (I think) double lift with what appeared to be two survivors (certainly two apparent civvies - on reflection I spose one could be MRT).
I thought single lifts (in UK) were only for "trained" people .... any comment from an Angel of Mercy?
[and of course wonderful timing as the SAR Force may well be targetted in "cuts"!
]
Guest
Posts: n/a
Well done chaps!
Must say it was very impressive watching the footage of RAF, RN and Coastguard helicopters in doing what they do best! Was a bit hairy when a Coastguard chopper hovered a bit to close to an aerial as seen on Sky News!
Well done again its good to see the SAR world get much deserved praise and good press.
ppf
Must say it was very impressive watching the footage of RAF, RN and Coastguard helicopters in doing what they do best! Was a bit hairy when a Coastguard chopper hovered a bit to close to an aerial as seen on Sky News!
Well done again its good to see the SAR world get much deserved praise and good press.
ppf
Join Date: Oct 2003
Location: Manchester, UK
Posts: 14
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
One of the news reporters said that 3 months worth of rescues had been done in a day. Must be pretty exhausting that. If I did 3 months work in a day my boss would be quite happy.
Difficult to imagine what it must be like for those affected: one moment an ordinary day, the next moment clinging to the roof of your house with a raging torrent beneath you and an awfully nice chap with a safety harness swinging down from a helicopter.
Difficult to imagine what it must be like for those affected: one moment an ordinary day, the next moment clinging to the roof of your house with a raging torrent beneath you and an awfully nice chap with a safety harness swinging down from a helicopter.
Join Date: Oct 2002
Location: Gods Country
Posts: 64
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Truly an outstanding achievement in the field of excellence....and great corporate communications-type work too.
It would appear the SAR boys have secure jobs for the next few years then.
It would appear the SAR boys have secure jobs for the next few years then.
Join Date: Oct 2001
Location: UK, sometimes!
Age: 74
Posts: 436
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Why was the spokesman from Kinloss when all the action was in Devon?
Mad Mark!!!
{Doh, I see PPF got in there whilst I was typing
}
Join Date: Dec 2003
Location: North East England
Posts: 172
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
I should like to add my admiration.
I am a Journalist - I do a lot of work with the military and fly in a lot of helos.
I interviewed one of the 771 Sq guys today for a radio package on yesterday's events.
Sheets of rain, low visibility, water coming into the cab coms shorting out, multiple rescues, overhead wires, back to base late and then some daft hack like myself comes on the 'phone wanting an interview.
Today I spoke to a man with more experience in his little finger than I and many others will get in a lifetime.
Big respect mate, thanks for getting up to give us the interview. i guess you never heard it down in Cornwall but I hope it was a fair and accurate account of what happened.
Not all of us hacks are bad boys...But none of us - whatever we do for a living - hold a candle to the men and women in SAR.
I am a Journalist - I do a lot of work with the military and fly in a lot of helos.
I interviewed one of the 771 Sq guys today for a radio package on yesterday's events.
Sheets of rain, low visibility, water coming into the cab coms shorting out, multiple rescues, overhead wires, back to base late and then some daft hack like myself comes on the 'phone wanting an interview.
Today I spoke to a man with more experience in his little finger than I and many others will get in a lifetime.
Big respect mate, thanks for getting up to give us the interview. i guess you never heard it down in Cornwall but I hope it was a fair and accurate account of what happened.
Not all of us hacks are bad boys...But none of us - whatever we do for a living - hold a candle to the men and women in SAR.
Cool Mod
Join Date: Apr 1998
Location: 18nm N of LGW
Posts: 6,185
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
HUGE respect guys. Fantastic flying - some of the very best I have seen. You must have filled the hundreds of eyes of those who could only stand and stare, and admire. Brilliant!
Join Date: Jul 2004
Location: Land of the Northern Lights
Posts: 22
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
well done to all the sar crews on a job done good.
Just a point on lasernigel's comment on about nine to five civilians. One of the helicopters was a coastguard chopper rescue 'WB' from portland. They are also on standby 24hr's a day.
It would be a sad day if we lost our military sar crews but don't forget the sterling work done by the Coastguard choppers.
R@B
Just a point on lasernigel's comment on about nine to five civilians. One of the helicopters was a coastguard chopper rescue 'WB' from portland. They are also on standby 24hr's a day.
It would be a sad day if we lost our military sar crews but don't forget the sterling work done by the Coastguard choppers.
R@B
Teetering head - the requirement was to get the casualties out of the buildings (some of which were collapsing) quickly so the RAF crews used double strop lifts (2 survivors) with the winchman on the roof placing them in the strops. The RN crews seemed to have a different SOP and established hi-line contact with the winchman placing one casualty at a time in a single strop which took much longer.
Comms were a bit of a nightmare with the ARRCK trying to control the ac on HF (v noisy), Falmouth CG using channel 0 and being stepped on by Swansea, and all the ac on 123.1. Add to that the howling from wet intercom leads (we got there first in the middle of a thunderstorm), the lightning strikes around the high ground and the hail and it was a sporting old afternoon.
My worry on arrival was that there were people trapped in the cars that were being swept down the river to the sea - that would have been an interesting winching scenario!
Comms were a bit of a nightmare with the ARRCK trying to control the ac on HF (v noisy), Falmouth CG using channel 0 and being stepped on by Swansea, and all the ac on 123.1. Add to that the howling from wet intercom leads (we got there first in the middle of a thunderstorm), the lightning strikes around the high ground and the hail and it was a sporting old afternoon.
My worry on arrival was that there were people trapped in the cars that were being swept down the river to the sea - that would have been an interesting winching scenario!
Red On, Green On
Join Date: May 2004
Location: Between the woods and the water
Age: 24
Posts: 6,487
Likes: 0
Received 2 Likes
on
2 Posts
Has anyone else noticed that Boscastle is almost equidistant from Culdrose and Chivenor?
When picking your holiday destination, check that SAR helos are based close by.
When picking your holiday destination, check that SAR helos are based close by.
Points to ponder for those planning to close St Mawgan - a scratch OCU crew were on scene at Boscastle very quickly and at least 3 ac refuelled at St Mawgan during the op.
When the SABR SAR guys show thier slides of likely SAR locations using future, more capable (faster) ac, they cannot cater for this sort of mass requirement for helilift. 6 SAR ac (5 Sea King and 1 S61) were available on scene within an hour - something that just wouldn't be possible with wider dispersed SAR flights.
When the SABR SAR guys show thier slides of likely SAR locations using future, more capable (faster) ac, they cannot cater for this sort of mass requirement for helilift. 6 SAR ac (5 Sea King and 1 S61) were available on scene within an hour - something that just wouldn't be possible with wider dispersed SAR flights.