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Helicopter Piloted by Prince William Rescues Two Crewmen from Irish Sea

Published Nov 28, 2011 9:01 AM by The Maritime Executive

The second in line to the British throne was the co-pilot onboard a British helicopter that rescued two crew members on Sunday from the Irish Sea after their cargo ship sank.

A spokesperson for the British coast guard says five sailors from the eight person Russian crew remain missing; and the body of an eighth sailor has been recovered.

The search for the missing was called off Sunday evening as darkness began to fall, but resumed with first light Monday morning.  The conditions of the winds and sea have increased the search area to 100 square miles.

The helicopter manned by Britain’s heir to the throne, air lifted the two sailors from a life raft.

Crew onboard the Cook Islands- flagged cargo ship, SWANLAND, sent out a mayday call around 2 a.m. local time, saying the ship was caught in strong winds and rough seas had cracked the hull. Nearby ships responded to the distress call but the vessel had already capsized by the time they arrived. The SWANLAND sank about ten miles west of the Llyn peninsula.

The British coast guard sent two helicopters – one from North Wales police and one from RAF Valley Base where Prince William is a search and rescue pilot. Officials say the two rescued sailors are in good condition considering the conditions at sea.

SWANLAND is a 1977 built, 3,150 dwt. cargo ship owned by UK based Swanland Shipping and operated by Torbulk Ltd., also based in the UK.

The UK’s Marine Accident Investigation Branch is investigating the cause of the sinking.