A ^ • Aflame from stem to stern' .

In the early hours of the morning Coxswain Malcolm Gray's pager beeped loudly. As he sat up in ^ bed he heard the clock strike four. Momentarily he wondered what on earth was going on, then he leapt to his feet and rushed to the stationA Mayday call from a fishing vessel on fire prompted the Milford Haven Coastguard to request the assistance of the St Davids all weather lifeboat and the rescue helicopter via ARCC Kinloss. The fire had started early in the morning of 21 December 2004 and the flames spread quickly before the crew of three could control it. The casualty, a 19m wooden fishing vessel, was disabled with a defective engine, 4 miles west south west of Ramsey Island, near St Davids. Malcolm and his crew raced in their cars through the narrow lanes to the lifeboat station and then sprinted down the steps.

Meanwhile, the Coastguard broadcast a Mayday on channel 16.

The Rosslare to Pembroke ferry Isle of/nishmore responded soon after 4am. The ferry was willing to divert from its usual route to help the casualty, 3 miles away. She estimated that she would reach the fishing vessel in around 15 minutes.

At 4.14am the Tyne class Sarah Emily Harrop launched, with Malcolm in command. He steered the boat down Ramsey Sound, avoiding the rocks by using his local knowledge and a faint loom in the water until the radar and GPS warmed up. The wheelhouse doors were shut, in preparation for the rough seas ahead.

As the lifeboat left the lee of Ramsey Island she felt the full effect of the northerly force 7 winds blowing against a northerly tide.

Crew Member David John had to adjust course and ease back on the throttles several times to prevent the lifeboat becoming airborne.'The conditions made it very uncomfortable, with short sharp seas. We got a bit of a thumping.' Coxswain Malcolm Gray The Coastguard and the lifeboat's Mechanic Michael Phillips tried to contact the fishing vessel by radio, but there was no response. Nobody could tell whether the fishermen were still on the burning vessel or even still alive. The lifeboat crew had no time to speculate; they were focused on doing their individual jobs and were too busy simply holding on. Their main aim was to reach the vessel, quickly.

While the lifeboat was on her way, the ferry, under the command of the overnight master Captain Michael Poole, arrived at the last known position of the fishing vessel Yves Marie Amil. There was no sign of the burning boat, so Captain Poole quickly organised a search in a widening circular sweep. Off-duty catering staff were summoned to the bridge to act as extra lookouts and searchlights were shone ahead and starboard.

The ferry searchlight picked out the casualty about one mile off her starboard beam. From the bridge, 27m above water, the ferry crew could see black smoke pouring out of the vessel. Disabled, with little power, she was being thrown around in very rough conditions. As the 183m ferry manoeuvred closer, flames broke out of the fishing vessel's hatches. The ferry crew could see the three fishermen on board andthey also spotted propane gas bottles stored on deck, close to the flames. The ferry crew and some of the passengers watched as the flames grew higher, closer to the propane gas bottles. Captain Poole's crew briefed St Davids lifeboat before they arrived on scene at 4.49am.

Malcolm Gray took the helm at the exposed upper steering position. He asked the ferry to provide a lee and to illuminate the casualty as well as possible. Captain Poole managed to hold the ferry about 50m upwind from the casualty, providing a partial lee for the lifeboat. This was the best he could do without risking a collision.The ferry crew rigged both searchlights and escorted any passengers inside, because of the real danger of the fishing boat's gas bottles exploding.

The lifeboat closed in on Yves Marie Amil. Four crew members on the bow, secured by their lifelines, were ready to help the fishermen transfer to the lifeboat. The defective engine was still running at low revolutions, so the casualty was still moving forward as well as rolling around. Mechanic Michael Phillips remembers: 'The fire was roaring with thick black smoke. Flames were 2m high.' The fishermen were shouting that they wanted to abandon the vessel. The lifeboat crew knew the risks but were intent on saving the fishermen's lives.

There was no sign of the helicopter, so Malcolm made his mind up to act quickly and briefed the crew. There was no time to set up thefenders that might protect the lifeboat should the boats collide. The lifeboat approached the lee (port) side of the casualty but were warned off by the skipper - a heavy canvas shelter was permanently rigged on this side, which would get in the way of a transfer. So Malcolm did a practice run on the windward side, between the ferry and the casualty.

'Putting a lifeboat alongside a burning casualty requires plenty of courage in flat calm sea conditions. To successfully do this in gale force winds, 3-4m breaking seas and total darkness also requires exceptional skill and experience.' Robert Atkinson, Deputy Divisional Inspector, West Once Malcolm had a feel for the wave patterns and the amount of movement between the two vessels, he manoeuvred the lifeboat alongside. The lifeboat crew on the bow helped one of the fishermen scramble aboard the lifeboat. Malcolm managed to hold the lifeboat alongside for about 15 seconds. The skipper was now reluctant to abandon his vessel and the other man, his son, would not leave his father. When the motion became too severe to maintain the position, Malcolm reluctantly left the pair and took the lifeboat clear.

After studying the wave patterns, Malcolm waited for a relatively quiet period and then manoeuvred alongside the casualty for the Hsecond time. This time the owner's son jumped down onto the lifeboat. He fell heavily, injuring his knee.

Just as the lifeboat came alongside for the third and final time, the whole bow of the fishing vessel was engulfed in flames and thick black smoke. The height of the flames topped 3m and crew members on the bow could feel the fierce heat. They pleaded with the skipper to abandon the vessel.

Suddenly, a large breaking wave hit both boats, causing them to roll heavily. The two boats collided with a huge crunch. Everyone managed to hold on tight, but Malcolm could not risk another collision. He shouted to skipper that this was his last chance. Finally the man jumped across to the lifeboat's foredeck and Malcolm manoeuvred the lifeboat clear. The crew checked that there wasn't any serious damage to the lifeboat from the collision. There was only minor damage to the guard rail.

Near Sam, just one hour after the callout, the lifeboat had all three survivors on board. The crew offered first aid to the fishing vessel's crew. The skipper's son refused any treatment on his knee and the skipper, who was coughing heavily due to the effects of smoke inhalation, declined the offer of oxygen therapy.

The helicopter was willing to airlift the survivors to hospital, but after talking to the fishermen and assessing their condition, the lifeboat decided to return to St Davids with them on board. As they left the scene, at 5.05am, the crew thanked the ferry crew by radio.

The lifeboat landed the survivors at 6.07am and they were met by the Shipwrecked Mariners' Society at St Davids. As agent for the charity, Malcolm's wife, Anona Gray, offered the three survivors some comfort after their ordeal. Anona arranged for them to rest at a local bed and breakfast and then welcomed them into her own house to await news of their boat.

Malcolm and his crew couldn't rest yet. The Coastguard asked the lifeboat crew to return to the scene, to monitor the burning vessel. The lifeboat was rehoused, refuelled and checked for damage before launching again at 6.40am. Due to work commitments, David John and Roland Bateman were replaced by William Chant and Padrig Rees.

Malcolm remembers seeing the vessel again: 'She was aflame from stem to stern'. The lifeboat stood guard until 10.30am, when the Coastguard decided that the burning vessel was easily visible to othertraffic. She finally sank later that day at 4.45pm. Some of the lifeboat crew went straight to work and others finally got some well-deserved rest.

In recognition of his courage, determination and display of seamanship under adverse weather conditions, Malcolm Gray MBE is accorded the Thanks of the Institution Inscribed on Vellum. Malcolm believes that the awards are good for the station but states that: The job itself is 10 times more important to me than awards.'The RNLI thanked Captain Michael Poole in a letter from the Chief Executive, Andrew Freemantle, highlighting the Captain's seamanship demonstrated in locating and illuminating the casualty and manoeuvring his vessel to provide a lee.THE LIFEBOAT Relief Tyne class ON-1155 (47-037) Sarah Emily Harrop Funding: Legacy of Sarah Emily Harrop THE CREW Coxswain Malcolm Cray MBE Crew members Michael Phillips David John Robin Copley Roland Bateman Jestyn Martin Nicholas Phillips LIFEBOAT STATION Established: 1869 Previous RNLI Medals: Five Silver and nine Bronze THE CASUALTY Crew of three on a 19m wooden fishing vessel Yves Marie Amil Position: 4 miles WSW of Ramsey Island, St Davids THE CONDITIONS Weather: Dry Visibility: Good, but dark Wind: Northerly, near gale force 7 Sea state: Very rough.