Cliff face helicopter lift LONOHOPE honorary secretary was informed by the Coastguard at 2352 on December 20, 1974, that the Belgian trawler Lans was ashore on the north side of Tor Ness and required immediate assistance. Longhope lifeboat, 48' 6" David and Elizabeth King and E.B., launched at 0015 (December 21), setting course westwards towards the casualty area.

It was two hours before high water; the wind was south-westerly force 2 with a very heavy south-westerly swell.

As the wreck position was not definite and there were nine men on board the trawler, Stromness honorary secretary was also informed at 0045 and decided to launch. At 0100 Stromness lifeboat, 52' Barnett class Archibald and Alexander M. Paterson, slipped her moorings and sailed for the casualty area.

Longhope lifeboat found Lans at 0105; she was under Berry Head, Hoy, broadside on to the sea, hard against the 600' cliff face and inside the reefs.

Her radio was not working but a torch was seen to be flashing on board.

The lifeboat dropped her anchor and tried to veer down on Lans in the very heavy swell, but even veering right up to the heavy breakers over the reef she was still well outside breeches buoy distance.

Coxswain John Leslie decided that the men on board were in no immediate peril and shortened up his anchor to wait for daylight. He asked that the Stromness lifeboat should still come as it was thought that some of the survivors might have taken to a liferaft and would have been swept north. The continuous spray made counting of the survivors on board impossible.

At 0230 Stromness lifeboat reached the area and at 0645, with the northerly stream easing, made a further attempt to veer down on Lans from a different angle, but she was unable to get closeenough. On attempting to lift the anchor it was found that the hydraulics were unable to lift in the heavy swell and the windlass was put into hand operation.

As the lifeboat lifted on a large breaking swell the sudden weight on the anchor wire bent the windlass stopping-catch shaft, and the windlass spun back, the handle catching Crew Member James Flett and breaking his arm. At 0745 the anchor had been rehoused and Stromness lifeboat returned to base with the injured man, as there was then no need for two lifeboats to be on the scene.

At 0815 a Whirlwind helicopter crew from RAF Lossiemouth, after dropping two Coastguards on the cliff top, surveyed the scene and decided that they could rescue the survivors. They lifted off the survivors from the bows of Lans in four sorties, lowering them on to Longhope lifeboat on each occasion.

The lift was completed by 0910.

The cliffs at this point overhang and the helicopter was working with her rotors only feet from the cliff face. The nearness of the lifeboat meant that the whole operation was possible without refuelling; this might not have been so if the survivors had had to be lifted to the cliff top. Longhope lifeboat then weighed anchor and sailed for Stromness with the survivors.

For this service, Flight Lieut. David Cosby, the helicopter pilot, and Master Ah- Loadmaster Peter Barwell, who was lowered to the deck of the trawler nine times, were both awarded the Air Force Cross. Flight Lieut. Charles Taylor, who operated the winch, received the Queen's Commendation for Valuable Service in the Air. A personal letter of appreciation signed by the Director of the Institution, Captain Nigel Dixon, was sent to Squadron Leader I. H. R. Robins, Officer Commanding 202 Squadron, RAF..