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photography and imaging effects by daniel aston
Into Hell and High water -
part three [previous]
The sunken Sea King had probably reached the sea floor by now and
the only hope of survival for anyone still in there would be the air
pockets, if there were any. As for the yacht, nobody knew where that
could be, or what to look for. Walsh was scanning the waters when he
saw three people together in a buoyancy aid. Cooper drove the Brede
towards the casualties whilst Shaw and Walsh prepared to pull them
aboard. The Lifeboat was right along side them and the two crewmen
lifted them onto the boat. They were rushed to the Survivors’ Cabin
where Marr looked after them; it was the wife and two children from
the yacht.
As the helicopter looked for the father, the second Lifeboat arrived
from the Lizard. The Tyne class was larger than the Brede measuring
at 14m long. It carried six crewmen instead of four, but was
surprisingly slower by one knot.
The rescue was now at its full height with four men still to find,
but now with ten lifeguards and a further four RAF crewmen to join
the hunt. At 19:42PM a man was spotted by a member of the Tyne
Lifeboat; it was the father of the two children. He had somehow
leaped of the yacht as the helicopter fell and survived from there,
all they had to do now was get him to safety.
It was pitch black now and the storm at its height with the waves at
their strongest. Both Lifeboats went for the man as the Sea King
helped shine the way. Enormous waves bombarded the Lifeboats off
course many times, but with sheer will and determination, they
soldiered on towards the man.
As they reached the casualty, both Lifeboats lined up either side of
the man, protecting him from the waves; but then, out of the blue, a
lightning bolt struck the Sea King helicopter and the flash light
went off, everything went black. Then, a 10ft wave hurled into the
Tyne Lifeboat, lifting it up and towering it on top of the Brede.
An enormous crash sounded out as the side windows on the Tyne class
smashed due to the impact; both boats were submerged until the wave
had passed. Seconds later, as both vessels self-righted, the Tyne
was half-flooded. As for the Sea King, it was struggling to stay in
the air and had to retreat; the Brede had no more room onboard for
any more passengers, except for one.
Attention was turned to the father who was still in amongst the
merciless white water. The Tyne, although in a bad state, continued
the search whilst two of its crew drained the boat of the water.
Once again the man was spotted, barely conscious, but somehow still
alive. The Tyne drove steadily towards him and prepared to bring him
onboard. Two crewmen lifted him onto the vessel and rushed him
straight to the Survivors’ Cabin.
The Survivors’ Cabin, as it was separated from the rest of the boat,
wasn’t flooded, so he was in the warm for the time being.
Only three more men were missing, but as they were no where to be
seen, and as the Lifeboats were already carrying casualties, they
were forced to leave without them; they would have to search the
waters another time. The Lizard Lifeboat began the long journey back
home, with one saved man, and the Brede went home with four,
including two children and one female. As for the Sea King, it
landed in a near by field to asses the damage, all of her crew
escaped unharmed.
The next morning, divers searched the waters and came to the sunken
helicopter; inside, thanks to an air pocket, were the three crewmen,
all alive and well. They were treated for hyperthermia and other
medical checkups, and within weeks they made a full recovery. The
family (who were re-united shortly after) and winchman also received
checkups, the father in the worse state, but they all made a full
recovery. As for the crew of the Fowey lifeboat, Coxswain Mark Shaw
received a gold RNLI medal, and the rest of the crew, Josh Marr,
Andrew Walsh and Harry Cooper, all received gold RNLI medals for
their bravery and determination.
The crewmen of the Lizard Tyne class Lifeboat all received medals,
their Coxswain received gold, and the rest of the crew got silver.
Daniel Aston aged 13
Click here to go back to part one
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