Warship crew rescues five people in Caribbean
Five crew members were saved by a Royal Navy patrol ship after their ocean-going tug in the Caribbean sank in rough waves near Anguilla.
The crew members who had sought cover on a sizable barge of sand their tug was dragging when it started to flood were saved by HMS Medway, the Royal Navy’s permanent vessel in the area.
The tug issued an SOS signal at approximately 5 p.m. UK time on January 6 while it was about 20 miles west of the island of Sint Maarten and close to the British Overseas Territory of Anguilla.
Less than a dozen miles distant, the patrol ship HMS Medway with her 50 sailors immediately picked up the Mayday.
A navy official reported that, despite the temperature being warm (26 degrees), “the weather was squally with gusts of 30 knots, heavy showers, and waves of up to 5ft, which put the rescue at the limits of Medway’s sea boat.”
The boatswain of the patrol ships, Petty Officer (Seaman Specialist) Sarah Griffiths, stated: “We were able to reassure the crew and move them safely clear of the barge, despite our cautious approach to the barge and tug.
The five crew were described as uninjured but shaken and were transferred to a search-and-rescue boat which took them to shore at Anguilla.
