Heroes at sea honoured at Society awards ceremony
Four remarkable stories of skill and gallantry at sea have been recognised and rewarded at a national awards ceremony held in London last week.
The Coxswain of RNLI Padstow lifeboat, the crew of a Spanish air/sea rescue helicopter, an HM Coastguard paramedic, and the crew of a Maritime and Coastguard search and rescue helicopter were among those celebrated by national maritime charity, the Shipwrecked Mariners’ Society, for their bravery at sea at its annual Skill & Gallantry Awards ceremony.
The Lady Swaythling Trophy was awarded to Richard Pitman, Coxswain of the RNLI Padstow lifeboat ‘Spirit of Padstow’, for outstanding seamanship during the recovery of a badly-damaged fishing vessel in violent storm force conditions earlier this year.
Richard was praised for his meticulous planning in preparing the boat and its crew for what lay ahead, and subsequently skippered the boat in the most demanding of conditions whilst consistently displaying first class decision-making skills.
An Individual Commendation was awarded to Mark ‘Spike’ Hughes, an HM Coastguard paramedic, for his ‘meritorious actions in rescuing others’ after helping a fisherman trapped in machinery onboard a Danish fishing vessel last year.
In June 2021 the Rescue 900 HM Coastguard helicopter was sent to provide assistance to the casualty located 75m west of Shetland. Arriving on scene, Mark was lowered to the bow of the vessel and immediately made his way to the fish hold where he found the casualty to be entrapped in heavy machinery. The fisherman had major injuries to his lower right leg, which he was unable to release.
Despite the extremely unpleasant and unhygienic conditions, and without any indication of the availability of further assistance, Hughes provided first-class care and support to the casualty, as well as inspirational leadership for the vessel’s crew.
The Edward and Maisie Lewis Award, for outstanding air sea rescue, was presented to Rescue 924, the crew of Maritime and Coastguard air/sea rescue helicopter based in Newquay.
In July 2021, Storm Evert was thrashing the south-west coast of England and Rescue 924 was contacted to provide assistance to the first of a series of emergencies involving yachts which were at risk of being blown aground.
Over the course of the next four hours the crew received continuous tasking to support five separate incidents at remote locations across the Scilly Isles. Under consistent pressure throughout the period they used outstanding judgement and exceptional crew co-operation to assess and prioritise their tasking, whilst effecting multiple demanding rescues.
Despite the challenging conditions, the crew expertly completed the rescue via a series of two and three man lifts, before transporting the traumatised casualties to St Mary’s airport.
A Crew Commendation was awarded to the crew of Helimer 401, a Spanish Super Puma helicopter, for its meticulous planning and outstanding airmanship after helping two crew members of a Catamaran adrift in severe weather last summer.
In July 2021, the UK Maritime Co-ordination Centre – in consultation with the Maritime Rescue Co-ordination Centre in Coruña – advised that Helimer 401 be tasked with helping two crew members of a 44ft Catamaran, which was on passage to the UK.
The catamaran had no radios capable of long-range communications and was also without a life raft. It also became clear that the yacht had no propulsion or steerage and the two crew members were concerned that the vessel was likely to break apart in the prevailing conditions.
Arriving on scene, over the course of the next 20 minutes, the crew of Helimer 401 recovered the crew in two consecutive, skilfully executed winching serials.
A Lord Lewin Award for outstanding service to the charity was also presented to two of the Society’s volunteers. Suesan Brown, the Honorary Agent for Grimsby, was honoured for her dedicated service and exceptional commitment to her local maritime community. While Sylvia Aplin, Honorary Agent for Beer and Seaton, Devon, was recognised for her long standing dedication to fundraising for the Society.
The honours were presented at the Society’s 171st annual Skill & Gallantry Awards held at Fishmonger’s Hall, London, on Wednesday 5 October.
Chief Executive of the Shipwrecked Mariners’ Society, Captain Justin Osmond RN, commented: “Our Skill and Gallantry Awards are a fantastic opportunity for the maritime community to celebrate the brave, unsung heroes of the industry.
“The maritime sector is not only vital to the UK, but those working at sea also who can find themselves at the mercy of Mother Nature, so it is hugely important that we recognise the remarkable and selfless acts that are carried out every single year off our shores and those around the world.
“We are also honoured to celebrate individuals within the charity that give so much of their time to supporting the maritime community, enabling us to help those in need.”