Last week, the crew of a superb samaritan service provider ship rescued a sailor from a badly-damaged yacht in extreme circumstances off Cornwall. It was one of many first casualties brought on by Storm Ciaran, which introduced excessive winds to the North Atlantic, Bay of Biscay and English Channel over the weekend.

On Thursday, a sailor aboard a Norwegian-flagged crusing yacht put out a misery sign at a place about 700 miles off the coast of Cornwall. The Royal Air Force was tasked with the response, as its fixed-wing search plane have better vary than coastal rescue helicopters. 

A French Navy FA50 Falcon maritime patrol airplane discovered the stricken crusing vessel first and confirmed that its skipper was nonetheless alive. In the early hours of November 3, a RAF Atlas A400 search airplane took off to take over the response mission, adopted by a bigger P-8 Poseidon maritime patrol plane. 

A crude tanker, the Green Azure, responded to the yacht’s request for help and diverted to the scene. While it was below means, the Poseidon held station close to the stricken yacht to observe the scenario and information the ship in.

Images courtesy RAF

The Poseidon can carry an air search and rescue survival package deal, the Uni-Pac III, which was designed to slot in the P-8’s ample weapons bay. If the yacht’s skipper had been compelled to desert ship, the Poseidon would have deployed a rescue package deal, however this didn’t show crucial, and the crew of the Green Azure efficiently rescued the survivor. 

“Poseidon aircraft and crews are on constant standby to respond to incidents such as this. The duty crew reacted quickly and professionally to help support the successful rescue of the sailor. The success of the mission is a testament to their professionalism and excellent training,” mentioned Wing Commander Adam Smolak of the RAF 201 Squadron.