Crew snatched to safety seconds before MFV sinks under tow Coxswain/Mechanic Hewitt Clark of Lerwick, Shetland, has been awarded a bar to his Bronze medal following the service to the fishing vessel Boy Andrew pictured in the Spring issue of THE LIFEBOAT.

For their part in the service Crew Members Robert Wiseman and Ian Tulloch will receive the Thanks of the Institution inscribed on vellum. Medal service certificates have been awarded to the remainder of the crew: Deputy Second Coxswain/Assistant Mechanic Peter Thompson, Emergency Mechanic Ian Fraser and Emergency Mechanic Brian Laurenson.

The service began at 0501 on Friday, 13 January 1989, when Shetland Coastguard reported the fishing vessel Boy Andrew aground near Bressay Lighthouse, and thatthe crew had scrambled onto nearby rocks.

Eight minutes later the Lerwick lifeboat, the 52ft Arun Soldian, slipped her moorings in fine weather, with a light wind from the WSW creating only a slight sea over the low swell.

The casualty was found bows into a gully at Trebister Ness, in an area known as The Nizz, listing slightly to starboard and hard against the uncovered rocks - on which five survivors could be seen.

The lifeboat's inflatable 'Y' boat was launched to ferry the survivors out to the lifeboat. Two men had remained on Boy Andrew, and two of those now aboard the lifeboat were put back on the rocks so that they could scramble aboard and help secure a tow.

The lifeboat took up the strain on the line but the casualty did not move. A 200ft fishing vessel, Altair, arrived on the scene and offered her services, but it soon became clear that Boy Andrew was stuck fast on a fallingtide, so Altair put in to Lerwick to rig a towing bridle in readiness for the next flood.

Soldian's 'Y' boat took off the crew of Boy Andrew again, leaving only the skipper aboard, and stood by while a helicopter put pumps aboard the casualty.

At 0715 the lifeboat returned to Lerwick to land the survivors, sailing again some 50 minutes later to stand-by the casualty as the forecast indicated a rapid deterioration in the weather. By 1020 the wind was freshening from the SSE and the swell increasing.

At 1030 the 'Y' boat passed a messenger line to Boy Andrew, a crowd of spectators on the rocks making the use of a rocket line too dangerous. When Altair arrived on the scene the 'Y' boat passed her the messenger before being recovered by the lifeboat.

Altair took the strain on a 9in tow rope, but it parted immediately.

The wind was now SSE Force 6-7 and the sea rough with an 8- 10ft swell. This precluding the use of the 'Y' boat, so the lifeboat made a close approach to the casualty and passed a heaving line to reconnect the tow.

The skipper was alone on the casualty so the helicopter transferred the mate of Boy Andrew and a crewman from Altair, the winchman also staying aboard the casualty.

After one abortive attempt, when the rope snagged in Boy Andrew's propeller, the tow line was secured and the coxswain took up station some 200ft to the west of the casualty, in case it parted again.

Boy Andrew was pulled clear at 1308, but she was down by the head, low in the water, and struggling to lift over the seas as she was towed astem.

The coxswain moved the lifeboat closer to the casualty's lee side and saw that she was losing buoyancy forward and developing a starboard list. He moved in at full speed, crossing ahead of the sinking bow, towards Boy Andrew's weather side where he put the lifeboat's bow against the casualty's port quarter.

The three fishermen were pulled aboard, .but the helicopter winchman slipped and fell between the two boats. Using full power the coxswain moved the lifeboat away before the winchman could be crushed between the boats - and the wash from the lifeboat's propellers carried him clear so that he could be retrieved by the helicopter.

By 1312 the casualty had sunk.

The lifeboat had suffered only superficial damage to her belting on the port bow and after the survivors had been landed at Lerwick she was refuelled and ready for service again at 1430..