TASSY P2P FORUMS

On Thursday, Jan. 18, 2007, the British container ship MSC Napoli was damaged and taking in water in a severe storm situation off Lizard Point – the southern-most tip of Great Britain and a notorious shipping hazard. Command was given to abandon ship and load the lifeboats, as she was sinking and her seamen's lives were at risk.

Just after 10 a.m., the Coast Guard alerted 771 Search and Rescue Squadron at the Royal Naval Air Station Culdrose in Cornwall. Two Sea King search and rescue helicopters from the 771 Naval Air Squadron were immediately commissioned to the sight.

Lt. Guy "Chuck" Norris, 42, has been enlisted in the Royal Navy for 18 years and has flown more than 200 search and rescue missions. This father of two described the tempestuous oceanic surroundings that day as the worst ever. "It was one of the most challenging missions I have been involved with. The weather on the Napoli job was very, very extreme. The sea state was high and, at times, you would look out the cockpit window and see waves coming towards you at helicopter height. There were also a lot of people to be rescued."

The helicopter crews found the seamen being tossed about in their lifeboats by swells that were 40 to 50 feet high. Petty Officer Aircrewman Jay O'Donnell was lowered and "trawled" through the waves on a rope to the lifeboats. This 33-year-old father of two later described the scene: "It was the worst conditions I have encountered. The seas were mountainous. When you are there, you are very focused about what has to be done. But looking back at some of the footage which was taken, you think, 'Oh my God, I didn't realize it was that bad.'"

After many daring and gallant measures by all these naval crewmen, the 26 seamen were snatched from the jaws of the perilous waves and airlifted to dry land – each Sea King winching up 13 survivors and flying them to safety.