Royal Navy Sailors Rescue Fishermen Stranded At Sea

Cover: Royal Navy

Royal Navy sailors on HMS Duncan have rescued two fishermen who were stranded at sea for four days.

A lookout from the Portsmouth-based Type 45 destroyer spotted the boat in the western Mediterranean.

The warship, which was making her way to Portugal when she came across the stranded fishermen, immediately offered food, fuel and life-saving assistance.

Officer of the Watch Lieutenant Rob Coatsworth was the one to see the little boat.

"The fishermen were incredibly lucky to be spotted," he said.

"The sun was low on the horizon, the swell was heavy and they had no signalling equipment.

"The odds were very much against them as they were 70 miles north of Algeria and outside any shipping lanes.

"It was only a sharp lookout that raised the alarm, there was absolutely nothing on radar."

Duncan immediately launched her sea boat with Royal Marines, a medic and an engineer aboard to offer help.

Medical assistant Rhiann Dilmore attended the two men:

"They had been eating raw fish and were drinking sea water.

"We patched them up and gave them hot drinks and halal food and made sure they were warm and reassured.

"Their engine had run out of fuel so we got it going."

Duncan then accompanied the small boat to the Algerian Coast Guard, which took over the rescue effort.

"Being adrift in an open boat at night must have been petrifying.

"We quickly made contact with the Algerian Coast Guard and arranged for a suitable rendezvous for the early hours of the morning," said operations officer Lieutenant Commander Ben Dorrington.

The warship has spent 2018 leading a NATO task group in the Black Sea and eastern Mediterranean.