The Society’s Aneroid Marine Barometer presented to William Palmer, Master of the smack Laurel, for the rescue of the crew of seven men of the Norwegian brig Telgraf, of Krageroe, waterlogged, in the North Sea, in very heavy seas, on November 21 1883.
In the case of the smack Laurel, for rescue of the Captain (E Ericksen) and crew of seven men of the Norwegian brig Telgraf, of Krageroe, waterlogged, in the North Sea, during a gale, with very heavy sea running, on November 21 1883.
To the Master of the Laurel, William Palmer – a Marine Aneroid Presentation Barometer; and to the Master and other members of the smack’s crew (Edward Gifford, Mate, Thomas Hurst, Samuel Ferrett and Walter Palmer), the pecuniary reward of five pounds. The barometer awarded to the Master was enclosed in an oak case, and bore the following inscription; “To William Palmer, Master of the Smack Laurel, of Ramsgate, for Saving Life at Sea on 21st Nov.,1883.”
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The EMILE ROBIN award was presented to Captain W Hall and Chief officer G Atkinson of the SS Teessider of Stockton for the rescue of the crew of the schooner Gauntlet of Lancaster on 20th November 1927.
The Gauntlet was caught in very bad weather off Flamborough Head on November 19th. There was a very rough sea running with a strong southeasterly wind blowing at gale force. Two of her masts were carried away, and as the schooner was leaking badly, distress signals were made in the early morning of November 20th, and these were answered by the Teessider, which stood by from 3 am until daylight. owing to the state of the sea and the strong wind blowing, it was found impossible to man a lifeboat from the Teessider. This vessel, however, was twice manoeuvred close to the Gauntlet, when lines with lifebuoys attached were got on board, but the crew, owing to their long exposure, were unable to secure these lines. After about two hours’ manoeuvring, the Teessider was brought into a favourable position to the weather side of the schooner, when a jolly boat attached to a line was drifted down to the Gauntlet. The Master and the three members of the crew were then able to get into this boat, which was hauled back to the Teessider, and the rescued men got safely on board.
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The EMILE ROBIN award to Captain D Munro and Chief Officer H Hanson of the ss ‘Stag’ of North Shields for the rescue of the crew of the German ship ‘Shakespeare’ of Bremen on 20th December 1889.
The statement of Captain David Munro, reads:
On 20th December 1889, off the banks of Newfoundland, during voyage from Bremen to New York, the wind was blowing at hurricane force and we were forcing our way through big seas, when, about 3 am., the look-out discovered away in the distance, through a veil of rain and hail, the lights of some vessel about 3 miles or so off. The first light was quickly followed by another, and then a huge rocket shot skyward. I knew that it was a ship in distress trying to attract our attention. I kept the light in sight and headed for them. When daylight dawned I was close enough to discern a dismasted ship, her crew waving and shouting in the frenzy of despair. About 7.15 am, I was close enough to signal the vessel, which proved to be the American clipper built German ship Shakespeare, bound from Hamburg to New York. I told them to keep their courage and that I would pick them up at the first opportunity. At that time it was blowing a frightful hurricane and a boat could not have lived a moment in the seas. Shortly after a heavy snow squall shut out the fast sinking ship, and all through the following day and night the vessel was obscured, but every once in a while we could see the flash of lights and rockets telling us where they were. All that night we sailed about the ship, hoping that the storm would abate sufficiently to allow us to go to the crew’s succour. For hours we could not see their distress signals, and it gave me intense anxiety for fear I would lose them. When morning dawned I again made a search for the ship. After hours of fruitless endeavour the snow squall suddenly ceased, the mist cleared away, and disclosed the ship to our view. She was almost level with the water. The sea was still frightfully high, but I knew that the crew’s safety depended upon my promptness. I ordered away the port quarter boat, and called for volunteers to man it. Everyone of my crew to a man instantly responded to the call of duty and humanity. Second Officer Noel and 4 of my ablest seamen manned the boat and rowed to the rescue. On account of the heavy sea the boat could not get within 50 feet of the sinking ship. Then those on the ship threw my men a line and jumped into the sea, and, with the aid of the rope, were pulled through the sea into the boat. Owing to the state of the sea, my boat, which was the jolly-boat, could only rescue 5 men the first time, and it made 4 successive trips, each of the men having first to jump into the sea, and then, with the aid of the line which was attached to their ship, swim off towards the boat. On the last 2 trips a fresh crew of volunteers, in charge of First Officer Harold Hanson, went to the wreck. Chief Officer Ferdinand Mette, the last person to leave the sinking vessel, could not hold on to the rope, his hands being so sore and blistered from exposure and cold, and had to swim the whole distance, my men dragging him out of the water, benumbed and exhausted. The rescue, although attended with the gravest difficulty, was successfully accomplished, and the conduct of my men and the presence of mind displayed by the Shakespeare’s crew are deserving of the highest praise. We abandoned the ship, and the late Captain’s pet dog, to the mercy of the elements, and continued on our trip. The rescued men were weak and exhausted from fatigue and exposure, and were one mass of bruises and sores. They had been tossing about the Atlantic for nearly 2 months, having left Hamburg on 24th October. Their ship was dismasted in a gale on 17th December, in which she also sprang a leak. For 4 days and nights, amid frightful hurricanes, the big seas constantly sweeping over them, the brave crew manfully worked at the pumps, in a hopeless endeavour to keep their ship afloat. Captain Carl Muller, of the Shakespeare, died from heart disease on 17th December, and, just as a big sea swept his ship, hurling the mizzen mast with part of the mainmast to the deck, his body was buried in the sea.
Communication to Captain Munro from Chief Officer Ferdinand Mette, of the Shakespeare:- We, the officers and crew of the German ship Shakespeare, being about to depart for Europe, desire to express to you, our heartfelt thanks for the kindness and relief given to us in our recent disaster. Our ship, in mid ocean, was dismasted and nearly filled with water, the rudder damaged, and pumps disabled; our Captain dead, and ourselves exhausted by protracted exposure. The ship would undoubtedly have foundered in a short time, and all on board have perished, had it not been for your timely appearance and prompt assistance. You stood by us for nearly 36 hours, and at great risk of your lives, lowered and sent a boat to us, and by your heroism and daring succeeded in saving our entire ship’s company.
After you had taken us on board your vessel, you extended to us every kindness; our wounds were dressed, and we were fed and clothed. A loving mother could not have treated her children more tenderly. In conclusion, we feel and know that to your bravery we owe our lives, and we shall always cherish your memory in our hearts.
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Emile Robin award made to Coxswain Mark Sawyer of the Eastbourne lifeboat, Fishermen’s Friend, for the rescue of two crew from the yacht Paperchase at night in a gale force 8 on 20th October 2002.
At 1826 on Saturday 20 October 2002, RNLI Mersey class lifeboat Fishermen’s Friend slipped her berth in the lock at Eastbourne and proceeded at full speed with seven crew on board, Coxswain Sawyer in command. Her challenge being to escort the 11-metre yacht Paperchase that was intending to enter harbour in severe weather and at low tide – the Bermudan sloop being on her maiden passage under new ownership from Ramsgate.
Having cleared the lock and rounded the inner harbour wall, the lifeboat experienced the full force of the weather and took 5 minutes to reach the harbour entrance and declare ‘on scene’. The wind was gale force 8, the waves were reaching 3m and it was pitch dark. With much effort and considerable skill Coxswain Sawyer came within view of the Paperchase which in the meantime had grounded twice near the northern breakwater and was in danger of foundering if left to her own devices.
Her crew of two, one male and one female were seen clinging to the mast and could have been washed overboard. After a number of unsuccessful attempts at throwing a line to the stricken yacht, Coxswain Sawyer manoeuvred the lifeboat away from the casualty and ordered the spend line to be fired – the male crew member was instructed to haul it in and secure the towrope to the yacht’s bow; an act of considerable difficulty in the conditions, which was eventually achieved and the yacht was successfully towed clear and refloated. A wave train then hit and she was knocked down in an area of surf and both on board were thrown into the water. The yacht quickly began to sink and her two crew were seen desperately hanging on to the pushpit rails.
Coxswain Sawyer’s priority now became the recovery of the two casualties. On the third attempt a heavy line was successfully thrown to the woman. She managed to hang on and wrap the towline round her male companion who was by now semi-conscious. Both casualties were pulled towards the lifeboat and with immense difficulty the female was recovered aboard. While trying to recover the man, Mechanic Guy was swept off the lifeboat’s spray deck, remaining attached only by his lifeline. It took four men to physically lift the male casualty clear of the water and two to assist Mechanic Guy. With everyone at last on board, Coxswain Sawyer made best speed to the lock entrance. The lifeboat was alongside just over 45 minutes after launch.
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EDWARD AND MAISIE LEWIS award presented to ‘Rescue 193’ and ‘194’ from 771 Naval Air Squadron, Culdrose, for the recovery of 26 crewmen from the liferaft of the msc Napoli on 18 Jan 2007.
‘Rescue 193’ and ‘194’ from 771 Naval Air Squadron, Culdrose, for the recovery of 26 crewmen from the liferaft of the msc Napoli. At 1105 on 18 January 2007 ‘Rescue 193’ from 771 Naval Air Squadron at Culdrose was scrambled to assist with the rescue of the crew of the container ship Napoli.
The crew consisted of Lt Cdr Martin Rhodes RN (Aircraft Commander), Lt Michael Scott RN (First Pilot), Lt Olivia Milles RN (Second Pilot) and POACMN David Rigg (Winchman). The Napoli was drifting 40 nautical miles south south-east of the Lizard, her engines having failed after taking in water. It was believed that the crew had already abandoned ship. Realising that the circumstances would require a second helicopter the Aircraft Commander requested that ‘Rescue 194’ be launched with a SAR diver and this was done at 1135. The crew comprised Lt Guy Norris RN (Aircraft Commander), Lt Kevin Drodge RN (First Pilot), Capt Damien May RM (Second Pilot), POACMN James O’Donnell QGM (Diver) and LACMN Justin Radford (Winch Operator).
Arriving on scene in reduced visibility and low cloud with mountainous seas and winds in excess of 50 kts, ‘Rescue 193’ located the stricken vessel and the small lifeboat. In order to co-ordinate the rescue from the lifeboat it was decided that ‘Rescue 194’ should lower POACMN O’Donnell, the Diver, onto it. In squally winds and with an erratic 40 foot variation in wave height, the First Pilot and the Winch Operator placed the diver 10 feet astern of the craft, from where he swam to it, disconnected himself from the winch and then with considerable strength and determination hauled himself onboard with the lifeboat plunging into successive troughs as he did so. A hi-line was lowered to the diver and over the next fifty minutes 13 men were recovered by ‘Rescue 194’. Running low on fuel she departed the scene and ‘Rescue 193’ closed to recover the remaining 13 men. This was going steadily until a wave caused the liferaft to spin wildly tangling the hi-line and the winch wire in obstructions on the vessel’s roof. The Winch Operator, immediately recognising the danger, conned the Pilot through a tight square thereby clearing the snagging hazard – the lifeboat with fewer people in it was becoming more unstable and unpredictable. The remaining crewmen were then safely recovered and brought back to Culdrose.
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Emile Robin award made to Captain WH Smith and Chief Officer GA Kirk of the ss Toronto of Hull for rescuing the crew of the British schooner General Knox of St John’s, Newfoundland, sinking in the North Atlantic on 17 October 1919 in dangerous seas. Silver Medals were also awarded to 17 of the crew.
Emile Robin award made to Captain William Smith Chief Officer Jacques Billowes of the Dover Harbour tug The Deft for courageous determination for the rescue of one man from the Sumnia wrecked on the outer breakwater in winds of over 100 kts on 16th October 1987.
During the strong gales which lashed Southern England on 16th October 1987, the Bahamian registered Sumnia, with a crew of 6, got into difficulties when attempting to enter Dover harbour. The Deft, a small Dover harbour tug, went to her aid, but because of hurricane force winds of over 100 kts it proved impossible to get a line to the Sumnia, nor was Deft able to maintain her position. However, she succeeded in re-entering the harbour by the eastern entrance and then returned to the western entrance, which the Sumnia was endeavouring to negotiate once more. Deft again tried to get a line to the Sumnia, but the exceptionally heavy seas breaking over the deck prevented the crew from securing the line. The Sumnia was driven on to the outer breakwater and wrecked, with 3 crew members being rescued by the Dover lifeboat and a fourth being picked up by the Deft. Sadly, the Sumnia’s Master and Mate were both drowned. In taking the Deft, a tug chiefly intended for harbour work, outside the harbour on a night of such atrocious weather conditions,
Captain Smith, his Chief Officer Jacques Billowes and the crew displayed ship-handling of the highestorder and their courageous determination and perseverance resulted in a life being saved.
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Emile Robin award made to Skipper AG Gook and Mate EA Gook of the mt Trinidad for the rescue of 25 of the crew of the Danish ss Th Adler Svanholm 70 miles east of the Humber in heavy seas on 16th October 1958.
The Th Adler Svanholm was on passage from Oulu to Immingham when she sprang leaks in Nos 1 & 2 holds and sent a distress call at 1750 on 16th October 1958 from a position about 70 miles East from North of the Humber. The Trinidad proceeded to her assistance, arriving at 1900, and was requested to stand by until a salvage tug arrived. By 2300 conditions on board the Danish vessel had deteriorated so much that it was decided to take off the crew. In heavy seas and a WNW gale, Skipper Gook handled his ship superbly during this night rescue which took over two hours. A line having been passed, the Danish vessel launched her boat and 11 men were hauled across to the Trinidad. The boat was floated back and a further 14 men taken off. Every credit must be given to Skipper Gook for his seamanship, which ensured the success of the operation. The Master of the Danish vessel was lost with his ship the next day.
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The EDWARD AND MAISIE LEWIS award presented to Captain David Kinnell and crew of a Bond shuttle helicopter for the rescue of 6 survivors from the Fishing Vessel Whyalla in storm force with 60ft waves, 10m in the North Sea on 16 November 1984.
On Friday 16 November, in storm force 10 conditions, the lnverness registered fishing vessel Whyalla was taking water and in danger of sinking 10 miles north east of the Bp Forties field. The Bp Forties in-field shuttle helicopter, operated by Bond Helicopters, crewed by Captain David Kinnell, Captain Allan Dent, Winch Operator Alex Knight and Winchman John Kelly, the latter a Bp Heliclerk volunteer on his first live mission; was alerted in readiness for SAR. Five minutes after the initial call, Whyalla foundered in tempestuous seas, leaving the 6-man crew adrift in a liferaft. All radio contact was then lost. The duty helicopter co-ordinator, David Keys, immediately contacted RAF Nimrod Watchdog 2, on routine patrol. Rescue vessels and all ships in the area were alerted and the shuttle helicopter was scrambled for an SAR mission.
Co-ordination was hampered because the sinking vessel had given a confusing Decca/geographical position, but a tripartite educated guess by Forties Alpha, the shuttle helicopter and Smit Lloyd L20, who had intercepted the mayday call, established a rescue datum on which all groups converged. Fifteen minutes later, the Nimrod aircraft and Smit Lloyd 120 sighted a red flare and the Nimrod assumed the role of ‘On Scene Commander’. Shortly after this, the shuttle helicopter spotted a life raft – the Winchman was lowered, but the raft was empty. Some 4 minutes later, a second life raft was sighted and the Winchman made 5 descents to rescue survivors.
As the fifth man was being pulled clear, the life raft overturned, trapping the sixth man underneath. The Winchman was thrown clear and as he was drifting away he had to inflate his life jacket to stay afloat. The Winchman was recovered while the sixth man righted the liferaft. As the hi-line weak link had broken, a second hi-line was rigged to recover the sixth survivor. The weather conditions were appalling, with seas averaging 10 metres. The helicopter reported maximum wave heights of 18 metres (60ft) every third or so wave. The Pilot of this commercial aircraft actually had to lift over the wave crests and descend again into the troughs, as he had only a limited length of winch wire paid out.
The professionalism and remarkable flying of the Pilot and his crew ensured a very well coordinated and successful rescue in hazardous conditions. Moreover, the exceptional courage and determination displayed by Winchman John Kelly under these dangerous conditions are especially worthy of recognition, particularly so, as this was his first operational mission.
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The EDWARD & MAISIE LEWIS award presented to the four crew of the ‘Rescue Bond 1’ of Bond Offshore Helicopters for the rescue of eleven crew members of the safety vessel Vos Sailor on 15th December 2012.
At 0455 on Saturday 15th December 2012 ‘Rescue Bond 1’ – RB 1 – a Super Puma, operated by Bond Offshore Helicopters was tasked to go to the assistance of the 43 metre long 516 ton standby rig safety vessel Vos Sailor with a crew of 12 onboard. The ship had been struck and damaged by a particularly large wave in heavy seas approximately 122 nautical miles east-north-east of Aberdeen and 2 nautical miles north of the Balmoral oil platform. The ship had lost all power and one fatality was reported with the bridge superstructure having been badly deformed. All communications had been lost apart from a handheld radio. Coastguard Rescue 102, a helicopter based at Sumburgh, had also been tasked to attend the incident.
The four crew were; Captain Graham Stein, Aircraft Commander; First Officer Nick Smalley, Co-Pilot; Senior Aircrewman Paul Walters, Winch Operator and Aircrewman Andy Cowx, Winchman.
RB 1 arrived on scene at 0640, two hours before sunrise with sufficient fuel for 2 hours 20 minutes flying. Vos Sailor was lying across the sea, dead in the water and without electrical power. The Balmoral platform reported the wind as easterly at 58 kts, gusting 73 kts, with 8-10 metre seas which were causing the vessel to move erratically, with its heading varying between NE and SE.
After some difficulty, the winch operator established contact with the 11 survivors (one of whom was reported as having a head injury) and all of whom had gathered for shelter in a stairwell on the port side close to the winching area on the after deck.
With the movement of the vessel in the heavy seas and the darkness, a hi-line was lowered to the winching area but the survivors appeared unfamiliar with the technique so the winchman was deployed directly to the heavily and erratically moving stern by standard transfer.
It was still dark with no visible horizon, yet despite considerable heave the winchman was successfully lowered to the vessel but landed heavily on the deck as it pitched and sustained significant damage to his foot. Undeterred by his injury, Andy Cowx took charge of the shocked and frightened survivors and co-ordinated their rescue. The only available position from which to evacuate the survivors was a very exposed location high up and near the stern, and thus particularly susceptible to the movement caused by the high sea state. The ship’s motion was such that the only way Andy could keep himself in place while assisting the survivors was to secure himself between some oil drums by wedging one leg through the strapping which attached them to the ship. Andy Cowx was a relatively inexperienced winchman and throughout the ensuring casualty transfers he was assisted by Paul Walters using the radio connection available to the crew. Maintaining their team effort in this way, the pair brought 8 survivors to the aircraft while Graham endeavoured to provide a stable winching platform in challenging conditions. As the sky slowly brightened, Graham kept the remainder of the crew aware of the remaining time available on scene while Nick Smalley, co-pilot, was able to provide advance warning of particularly heavy waves to the rest of the crew as they concentrated on the situation below them. The Coast Guard Helicopter, Rescue 102, helped by orbiting the scene and using its search and flood lights to illuminate the vessel.
While preparing for recovery of the ninth survivor, and during the passage of a particularly large wave, the winch cable became fouled and as the vessel dropped away, the wire parted. Having established that his winchman was safe and well enough on the deck, Graham Stein took the decision that although RB 1 had another hoist fitted, this device was not as effective as the primary hoist on the other aircraft: in particular it was not as fast and less able to deal with the depths of the wave troughs that were still moving the winching area around in three dimensions: Rescue 102 was now best placed to complete the rescue. While the co-pilot explained the situation to the crew of Rescue 102 and coordinated their moving in to complete the rescue, Andy Cowx was briefed and asked if he was able to continue the operation with Coast Guard helicopter. Unperturbed, as the rest of his crew departed for Aberdeen with 8 survivors, he continued in his duty as the sole winchman on deck, working now with an unfamiliar crew and aircraft type to complete the rescue of the remaining 3 survivors. Good leadership, outstanding professionalism and teamwork, courage and determination ensured that eleven men were successfully evacuated from the Vos Sailor.”
A COMMENDATION was also awarded to Aircrewman A Cowx the Winchman, played a pivotal role in this rescue and the awards committee considered that his actions merited an individual commendation. It was dark with no visible horizon yet despite the severe pitching of the vessel Andy was successfully lowered to the deck but landed heavily sustaining significant damage to his foot. Undeterred he took charge of the shocked and frightened survivors who were in a very exposed location high up and near the stern, and thus particularly susceptible to the vessel’s erratic movement. To keep himself in place while assisting the survivors he had to wedge himself between some oil drums. While preparing for the recovery of the ninth survivor, the winch wire parted and Coast Guard Rescue 102 was tasked to complete the rescue. Andy remained on deck as the sole Winchman, working now with an unfamiliar crew and aircraft type to complete the rescue of the remaining 3 survivors. In spite of the appalling conditions, the pain of his injured foot and the prolonged exposure of over an hour on deck, Andy Cowx displayed outstanding courage, composure and selflessness in effecting the rescue of all 11 survivors from the stricken vessel without further injury to any of them – an impressive feat.
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