Crew tells of 'difficult rescue'

Rough seas and high winds hampered the operation

One of the men involved in an operation to save 20 crew from a cargo ship off the Devon coast says it was the most difficult rescue he has carried out.

Mark Criddle, coxswain of the Torbay lifeboat, described how rough seas and gale-force winds made the operation one of their toughest missions.

The Greek-registered Ice Prince got into difficulties 35 miles off the coast of Devon on Sunday night.

It is now drifting in the English Channel.

Boats don't come with handbrakes Mark Criddle, coxswain Crew airlifted from ship

The Coastguard helicopter had filled its quota by winching 12 people to safety, meaning the remaining eight had to jump to safety off the badly-rolling cargo ship and on to the rescue boat.

Mr Criddle said it was the sort of rescue "that comes along once in your career".

"The challenge for us was we had a large ship with a huge amount of cargo and we had a 17m lifeboat and the two coming together was a huge problem, we were only going to come off second best.

"Boats don't come with handbrakes and one minute we would be right alongside calling for the crew to jump, the next minute we are five metres below them.

"Some of them really didn't want to leave the mothership for this tiny lifeboat pitching and rolling in the sea.

"The training we do, it all pays off, although you can never train for something like tonight. It's far too dangerous."

'Jump overboard'

The Torbay-based volunteer crew in the rescue included a photographer, a mechanic and a paramedic, as well as a doctor and an outdoor instructor.

Second coxswain Roger Good, 46, a maintenance engineer from Brixham, was one of the five crew members trying to persuade the cargo ship's remaining crew to jump overboard before pulling them to safety.

The volunteer said he was sat at home watching the darts when his pager went off calling him into action.

He said: "I lost count of how many times we took the lifeboat in to position to get them off. It's a very unnatural thing for them to have to do, to jump overboard in those conditions.

"It's a case of getting the lifeboat in as close as possible and getting them on the side of their boat and then you grab hold of them and keep pulling and pull them on the deck.

"We have just one ambition and that's to get people off the boat. It doesn't matter if there were eight or 20, you get them all off the boat.

"You think about it after the time. Any aching or cold hands don't matter, your adrenaline is running and you just grab hold of them, drag them back to the boat and get that next one.

"It's only now you sit back and think, 'that was hard, yes'. I'll get home and missus will ask me where I've been!"

One of the crew is being treated in Dorset County Hospital with a suspected broken leg.

An assessment will be made at first light about whether the ship can be brought under tow.