28 Feb 2008
Ref: HQ015 2008
Courageous RNLI lifeboat crews
recognised after eight lives saved
The Coxswain of the Torbay RNLI lifeboat, Mark
Criddle, is to be honoured by the Royal National
Lifeboat Institution as the charity awards him the
Silver Medal for Gallantry, recognising him for his
leadership and outstanding seamanship during the
rescue of eight seamen from the stricken merchant
vessel Ice Prince on the night of 13 January 2008.
Coxswain Criddle’s volunteer crew on that night – Deputy
Second Coxswain Roger Good, Second Coxswain John
Ashford, Mechanic Mathew Tyler, Second Mechanic Nigel
Coulton and Crew Members Darryll Farley and Alex Rowe –
have also be recognised for their bravery and will each
receive the Thanks of the Institution inscribed on Vellum.
The 6,395 gross tonne vessel Ice Prince with 20 crew on board was on
passage 34 miles south east of Berry Head, Devon when severe gale
force 9 winds and rough seas shifted its cargo of timber causing the
vessel to list 25 degrees to port.
Brixham Coastguard coordinated the rescue, requesting RNLI lifeboats
from Torbay and Salcombe to launch along with the Coastguard rescue
helicopter. The Royal Navy frigate HMS Cumberland was at anchor in
Torbay and offered to travel to the scene to take up position near the
cargo vessel to provide shelter from the weather for the rescuers.
By 8.17pm the Ice Prince reported an increase list – now 45 degrees –
and had lost all power. The lifeboat and helicopter crews had every
reason to think that the vessel could founder, and so RNLI’s Torbay
lifeboat increased its speed to 20 knots even though at times this
resulted in the lifeboat clearing the water.
The helicopter arrived on scene at 9pm and began to winch off nonessential crew from the Ice Prince. Torbay lifeboat was unable to
communicate with the helicopter or the stricken vessel, however
Coxswain Criddle positioned the lifeboat so that he could assist the
rescue efforts by illuminating the scene by searchlight. The pilot used
tremendous skill to position and hold the helicopter steady for winching
operations due to the list of the cargo vessel. While airlifting the 12 men
three hi-lines winch cables broke, each time being replaced, and on two
 The RNLI is a registered
charity that saves lives at
sea.
 It provides, on call, the 24hour service necessary to
cover search and rescue
requirements to 100
nautical miles out from the
coasts of the United
Kingdom and the Republic
of Ireland.
 There are over 230 lifeboat
stations.
 RNLI Lifeguards operate on
many of the busiest
beaches in the UK.
 The RNLI further saves
lives through sea and
beach education.
 The RNLI depends on
voluntary contributions and
legacies for its income.
Vision
To be recognised universally
as the most effective,
innovative and dependable
lifeboat and lifeguard service.
Royal National Lifeboat
Institution headquarters:
West Quay Road, Poole,
Dorset, BH15 1HZ
Tel 0845 122 6999
Fax 0845 126 1999
A charity registered in
England, Scotland and the
Republic of Ireland
occasions the RNLI lifeboat crew were certain that the helicopter would
actually hit the ship.
As a tribute to their courage and determination during the rescue,
the RNLI will present to Captain Kevin Balls and the crew of the
Coastguard rescue helicopter India Juliet the Thanks of the
Institution inscribed on Vellum.
The RNLI’s Salcombe lifeboat arrived on scene at 9.30pm and also
helped to illuminate the vessel as winching continued. The helicopter left
the scene at 10pm with 12 rescued crewmen on board. Both Coxswains
could see that there were still crewmen on board.
At 10.10pm Coxswain Criddle contacted the Master of the Ice Prince,
who said he and the remaining crew were preparing to abandon ship. It
was at this point that Coxswain Criddle realised his role had changed
from a supporting one for the helicopter, to one where he and his crew
now needed to evacuate the last eight crewmen on board.
Coxswain Criddle quickly briefed his crew, who took up their positions,
and then they carried out several trial runs alongside the Ice Prince, as
there was serious danger of collision due to its precarious position and
the extremely rough sea conditions. The Coxswain of Salcombe RNLI
lifeboat was asked to stand by in case any of the eight crew, who would
have to be coaxed to cross the steeply sloping deck to leap onto the
lifeboat, slipped into the sea.
With the noise of the sea and wind limiting communications to hand
signals, and with the rolling motion and sideways drift of the vessel
combined with the broken water around her stern, there was only a
limited area for the lifeboat to get alongside the Ice Prince. So the crew
of the Torbay lifeboat set about the first of over 50 approaches to rescue
the eight crewmen.
Several attempts were needed to rescue each crewman, each time the
lifeboat and crew were at risk from the submerged superstructure of the
vessel, the severe rolling motion of the vessel and the unstable cargo.
Also, if Coxswain Criddle overshot the approach there was a real danger
of the vessel’s starboard quarter smashing down on to the lifeboat’s bow
where the crew were positioned. This did not deter the RNLI volunteer
crew, who were totally focused on rescuing the eight men still on board.
With the first three rescued, the fourth was in position when the Torbay
lifeboat rolled unpredictably and the two vessels collided. The man
ended up under water, at which point the Salcombe RNLI lifeboat began
to manoeuvre into a position to rescue him. However, he managed to
clamber along the submerged section of the ship and get back to his
colleagues; he was then able to get onto the Torbay lifeboat on the next
approach.
The Torbay crew had been thrown onto the deck of the lifeboat, but
quickly got back into position to continue rescuing the remaining Ice
Prince crew, all of whom now needed much persuading to attempt the
transfer. During one of the attempts, one crewman’s jump was short and
he came close to being caught between the two vessels. However the
Torbay’s foredeck crew grabbed him and hauled him on board. The
remaining crewmen were rescued, but each time the lifeboat crew had to
lean forward to catch them, risking being struck by the starboard quarter
of the Ice Prince.
Rescuing the eight men had taken one and three quarter hours of
constant manoeuvring in close proximity to a listing, rolling, powerless,
cargo ship at night in atrocious conditions.
Salcombe RNLI lifeboat Coxswain Marco Brimacombe along with
his crew on board that night – Second Mechanic Richard Whitfield
and Crew Members Andrew Arthur, Simon Cater, James Fern and
Josh Dornom – will receive collectively the RNLI Chief Executive’s
Letter of Thanks for their part in this long and arduous lifesaving
service.
RNLI Divisional Inspector, Simon Pryce says:
‘Coxswain Criddle showed great leadership and direction during the
rescue operation when he and his crew saved the lives of eight men in
perilous conditions – conditions that were severe enough to cripple a
6,395 gross tonne ship. The crew were well aware of the dangers they
faced, but recognised that the eight crew of the Ice Prince were in a lifethreatening situation. The actions taken by the Coxswain and lifeboat
crew were done under the absolute belief that the Ice Prince could
capsize and sink at any moment.
‘The crew of the lifeboat showed tremendous bravery, tenacity and
strength, acting as a well-trained, efficient team.
‘Coxswain Criddle’s boat handling skills were put to the test during the
rescue – even though he pushed the lifeboat to its limits and made over
50 runs alongside the stricken vessel in severe sea conditions, the
lifeboat under his command sustained only minimal damage.’
‘Others involved with the rescue on the night – the Coastguard and
helicopter crew, HMS Cumberland and the RNLI’s Salcombe lifeboat all
acted in the best traditions of lifesaving at sea – they can all be proud of
a job well done.’
Ends
Notes to editors
1. Video grabs from actual and reconstruction footage showing the
lifeboat and the stricken vessel in position during the rescue are
attached to the email.
2. A photo image of Mark Criddle, Coxswain of the Torbay RNLI
lifeboat being thanked by the Master of the MV Ice Prince,
Arvanitis Charalampos, is also attached to the email.
3. Charts detailing vessel positions are available on request using
the contacts below.
4. Mark Criddle will receive his award at the RNLI’s annual
presentation of awards at the Barbican on 22 May 2008. Other
awards will be presented locally, dates to be confirmed.
5. The RNLI is a registered charity that continues to rely on
voluntary contributions, corporate donations and legacies for
income and receives no UK Government funding.
6. The RNLI’s annual running costs are over £122M –
approximately £335,000 per day.
7. There are over 230 RNLI lifeboat stations across the UK and
Ireland, which are operated by 4,800 RNLI lifeboat crew
members, of which 95 per cent are volunteers.
8. RNLI Awards:
The RNLI has always granted recognition to crew members who
have displayed gallantry and/or merit.
The four senior awards are, in descending order:
The Gold Medal for Gallantry
The Silver Medal for Gallantry
The Bronze Medal for Gallantry
The Thanks of the Institution inscribed on Vellum
These awards can only be made by the Trustees of the RNLI
Further to this, meritorious service deserving of formal
recognition can be recognised by the following, in descending
order:
A Framed Letter of Thanks signed by the Chairman of the RNLI
A Letter of Appreciation signed by the Chief Executive of the
RNLI
A Letter of Appreciation signed by the Operations Director of the
RNLI
RNLI media contacts
For more information please telephone RNLI Public Relations on
01202 336000 or email pressofffice@rnli.org.uk
The RNLI online
For more information on the RNLI please visit www.rnli.org.uk or
www.rnli.ie. News releases and other media resources are available at
www.rnli.org.uk/press.
Full rescue scenario
Torbay RNLI lifeboat, 13 January 2008
Service to MV Ice Prince – eight lives saved
At 7.32pm on Sunday 13 January 2008, Brixham Coastguard, requested the
launch of the RNLI’s Torbay all-weather lifeboat to go to the aid of the MV
Ice Prince, a 6,395 gross tonne cargo vessel with a crew of 20. The vessel
was mid channel on passage to Alexandria however, the adverse weather
had caused her cargo of timber to shift, resulting in a 25 degree list to port.
At 7.44pm the lifeboat launched with Coxswain Mark Criddle, Deputy
Second Coxswain Roger Good, Second Coxswain John Ashford, Mechanic
Mathew Tyler, Second Mechanic Nigel Coulton and crew members Darryll
Farley and Alex Rowe on board.
High water at Plymouth was 9.04pm. Weather conditions were poor with the
wind southerly force 8 to 9 and rough seas.
Communications were established with Brixham Coastguard, who reported
the vessel’s position as 34Nm to the SE of Berry Head. The vessel was
reported as listing heavily to port due to her cargo of timber shifting and that
her main engines were disabled. With no main propulsion available, the Ice
Prince was being set to the SSE at a rate of 4kts. At the same time, the
Royal Navy vessel HMS Cumberland, a Type 22 frigate of 5300 gross
tonnes and 148 metres in length, informed Brixham Coastguard that they
were at anchor in Torbay and would make ready for sea in case they could
be of assistance.
Coxswain Criddle gave an ETA at the Ice Prince of two hours based on the
prevailing sea state. For the previous six hours the tide had been opposing
the gale force winds and the waves had built to an estimated four metres
with occasional breaking crests. As the lifeboat cleared Start Point, she met
the full force of the weather and Coxswain Criddle instructed his crew to
wear their full seat harnesses.
Salcombe Lifeboat had also been launched on service and was making a
best speed of 15kts towards the vessel. In command was Coxswain
Brimacombe, also on board were Second Mechanic Richard Whitfield and
Crew Members Andrew Arthur, Simon Cater, James Fern and Josh
Dornom.
At 8pm HMS Cumberland informed Brixham Coastguard that they were
making preparations to go to the assistance of the Ice Prince and were in
the course of weighing anchor.
At 8.17pm Brixham Coastguard asked the Torbay Lifeboat for a revised
ETA and reported that the Ice Prince was now listing some 45 degrees to
port. She had lost all power from her engines and generators and was
operating on emergency batteries. The Coastguard had tasked the Rescue
Helicopter India Juliet to assist with the service, as it seemed likely that it
would be necessary to evacuate the crew from the stricken vessel. The
Torbay lifeboat had been trying, unsuccessfully, to contact the Ice Prince on
VHF radio and all communications with the vessel had to be relayed
through Brixham Coastguard.
Concerned that the ship was in imminent danger of capsizing, Coxswain
Criddle ordered the lifeboat’s speed to increase to 20kts giving an ETA of
45 minutes. Even with the lifeboat fully trimmed to keep the bow down the
lifeboat left the water on a number of occasions due the very rough sea
conditions. As it was dark and the lifeboat was making a lot of spray, so a
close radar watch was maintained. The crew could see little out of the
wheelhouse windows and it was not safe for crew to be on the deck.
At 8.21pm, HMS Cumberland updated her ETA to 10pm and reported she
would try to form a lee to assist the rescue effort. At this time the position of
the Ice Prince was 37Nm SSE of Berry Head.
At 9pm Rescue Helicopter India Juliet was on scene and preparations were
being made to winch non-essential crew from the vessel. On board the
Torbay lifeboat, Mechanic Tyler tried to establish communications with the
helicopter to ascertain how the lifeboat could best assist, but no reply was
received.
At 9.13pm the rescue helicopter began winching having lowered her winch
man to the lower port bridge wing via hi-line. Arriving on scene four minutes
later, Coxswain Criddle found the Ice Prince listing heavily to port with the
wind on her starboard beam. Weather conditions on scene were poor, with
gale force winds from the south west and rough seas and swell in excess of
four metres, which was causing the casualty to roll heavily. The vessel’s
crew were grouped on the higher, starboard bridge wing, however due to
the angle of list, the helicopter pilot, Captain Kevin Balls, had to stay on the
ship’s port side. Had he positioned his aircraft above the higher, starboard
bridge wing he would not have been able to reference against the ship to
allow for her roll. For this reason Winchman Gary Mitchell was lowered to
the port bridge wing and had to call the crew down to the port side to be
lifted.
The four-metre swell was causing the ship to roll heavily and the pilot
needed tremendous skill to adjust for it in order to maintain the helicopter’s
position. When the vessel rolled the ship’s aerials were coming perilously
close to the helicopter’s rotor blades and on two occasions the lifeboat crew
thought that the helicopter must surely hit the ship. There was a lot of
turbulence coming off the ship’s starboard side and the pilot had to apply full
power in order to pull away from the ship. The helicopter broke three of her
five hi-lines and on each occasion had to repeat the operation and lower a
new hi-line to the winchman.
During winching operations, Coxswain Criddle positioned his lifeboat head
to weather off the vessel’s port quarter and on the helicopter’s starboard
side. Crew Member Darryll Farley was on the flying bridge of the lifeboat
with Coxswain Criddle and was directing the searchlight to illuminate the
ship. Mechanic Tyler was still unable to raise the helicopter on the VHF.
Salcombe RNLI lifeboat arrived on scene at 9.30pm and Coxswain
Brimacombe positioned his lifeboat off Torbay lifeboat’s port quarter where
she could best help to illuminate the scene with her searchlights. HMS
Cumberland arrived on scene at 9.55pm and took up a position on the
vessel’s windward side to provide a lee for the rescue effort.
At 10pm the rescue helicopter had lifted off twelve crewmen from the Ice
Prince and informed Brixham Coastguard that they were returning to
Portland; still no contact had been made by either lifeboat with the
helicopter. The crew of both lifeboats were unsure of the situation on board
the casualty vessel and it was only because they were still illuminating the
bridge of the Ice Prince that the lifeboat crew realised that there were still
crew on board. Up until this moment, Coxswain Criddle had thought that the
helicopter would evacuate all the crew and that the lifeboat’s role would be
one of support. With the helicopter leaving for Portland, he realised that the
situation had altered dramatically and that he and his crew might be called
upon to evacuate the remaining crew.
At 10.10pm, Coxswain Criddle spoke to the Master of MV Ice Prince on the
VHF radio to ask his intentions and he stated that he was preparing to order
his crew to abandon ship and asked if the lifeboat was prepared to take the
crew off. Coxswain Criddle agreed, but requested that all of the Ice Prince’s
crew should wear immersion suits and lifejackets with lights on. The
transfers would be done one person at a time off the vessel’s stern; the
Master agreed.
Coxswain Criddle briefed his crew of the new situation, instructing them to
use their safety harnesses and helmets at all times and to make their way to
the foredeck. Crew Member Farley was to stay on the bridge with Coxswain
Criddle to operate the searchlight. All the lifeboat’s fenders were rigged on
the port shoulder, along with the port ‘A’ frame fitted with two rescue strops.
Additionally, a third rescue strop attached to a long floating line was
prepared, which was to be used should one of the vessel’s crewmen fall into
the water.
The wind was still gale to severe gale force 8 to 9 and the four to five metre
swell with occasional breaking waves was presenting a significant challenge
to the Coxswain and crew of the lifeboat. The noise of the seas and the
wind made communications among the foredeck crew very difficult, but
having been briefed as to the task in hand they settled to it immediately.
When all of his crew were ready and secure on the foredeck, Coxswain
Criddle made three or four practice runs at the casualty’s stern to see how
the vessels would interact. There were a number of aspects of the approach
to the ship, which were causing him concern: the Ice Prince was beam on to
the wind and drifting at 3 knots; her list meant that her port side was under
water and the port gunwale was an invisible but obvious danger; she had a
large Admiralty Pattern anchor housed on her stern reducing the available
area to come alongside; her heavy rolling presented a very real danger of
the vessel’s starboard quarter coming down onto the lifeboats bow, were
the lifeboat to overshoot her approach; and there was a concern about the
ships cargo – but very little flotsam was seen and it appeared that all the
ship’s warps were securely stowed.
The ship had her emergency lights on which were illuminating the after
deck, but the only real illumination came from the lifeboat’s searchlight.
Crew Member Farley was doing an excellent job, as it was difficult to stand
on the upper steering position let alone coordinate the searchlight with the
stricken vessel’s movement. At one point he fell forward cutting his forehead
on the lights housing.
Second Coxswain Good positioned himself outboard the inner pulpit and
used his harness to secure himself so he had both hands free if necessary
to assist the crewmen on board. He signalled to Coxswain Criddle that the
foredeck crew were ready and indicated to the vessel’s crew to prepare for
transfer. Crew Member Ashford, secured by his safety harness, was just
forward of the pulpit with Mechanic Tyler, and Crew Member Rowe were
just aft of it. Second Mechanic Coulton was positioned at the forward end of
the port guardrail. His job was to take the rescued crewmen back to the
wheelhouse and for this reason he was not using his safety harness.
The eight remaining crew on the Ice Prince were all positioned at the rear of
the accommodation block on the starboard side. To make the transfer to the
lifeboat they would have to cross the steeply sloping deck to the vessel’s
port side anchor winch, which was best achieved by crossing to the
starboard anchor winch, then to the ensign staff and finally to the port
anchor winch. This placed them in a good position to make the transfer to
the lifeboat.
With the ship rolling heavily traversing to the anchor winch was difficult and
dangerous for the remaining crewmen and the position of the stern anchor
afforded limited space for the lifeboat to come alongside. The rolling of the
vessel was making the starboard quarter act like a guillotine and Coxswain
Criddle was concerned that if he overshot the crew on the lifeboat’s
foredeck could be crushed. The casualty vessel was being blown to leeward
at 3.5kts adding to the difficulty of an accurate approach. The eight
crewmen had not brought a handheld radio with them so all
communications from this point had to be done by hand signals.
With the first of the remaining crewmen ready at the stern anchor winch,
Coxswain Criddle made his approach to put the port shoulder against the
stern of the Ice Prince. The manoeuvre went to plan and the first crewman
was able to step across into the arms of the waiting lifeboat crew. Once on
board he was lead aft by Second Mechanic Coulton and taken to the
wheelhouse and then down below while Coxswain Criddle backed away
and set up for another run in. Second Mechanic Coulton made his way back
to the foredeck as quickly as possible. The motion of the lifeboat was
making normally simple tasks difficult and required an enormous amount of
additional effort and skill to undertake them.
When the second crewman was in position, the manoeuvre was repeated
and he came on board without difficulty and was escorted to the
wheelhouse. This routine was repeated with the third man. Each transfer
required a number of approaches to achieve the transfers because the
sideways motion of the ship, coupled with her rolling and the broken water
around her stern meant that there was no safe way of holding the lifeboat in
position. These manoeuvres demanded tremendous skill and concentration
from Coxswain Criddle in order to guide the lifeboat close enough to the
stricken vessel without hitting her, while at the same time being close
enough to allow a transfer.
Coxswain Criddle had realised that the area around his own port side,
adjacent to the Ice Prince’s port quarter presented an areas of significant
risk were one of the crewmen to slip down the deck into the sea. In order to
minimise the risk, Coxswain Criddle asked the Salcombe lifeboat to standby
off the ship’s port quarter should one of the men be unlucky enough to find
themselves in such a situation. The submerged port rail, which was not
visible, but obviously rising and falling below the water also presented an
additional danger to anybody falling into the water.
While coming alongside to pick up the fourth crewman, the Torbay lifeboat
rolled unpredictably and the two vessels collided heavily. It is thought that
the crewmen either jumped backwards or let go of the rail, causing him to
slip down the deck of the Ice Prince. Coxswain Criddle feared that he had
fallen between the two vessels and quickly came astern. At the same time
he could hear the Salcombe lifeboat manoeuvring and realised that they
had seen the crewman in the water. He had slid down the deck just as
Coxswain Criddle had foreseen. Luckily, due to the surging motion of the
water in this area, the crewman was able to haul himself back up the deck
and back to the anchor winch. On the next approach he stepped aboard
calmly and was taken back to the wheelhouse where he was found to be
unhurt.
The foredeck crew had been thrown to the deck when the two vessels
collided, which had caused the fendering on the lifeboat’s port bow to be
torn off. Shaken but without thought to his own safety, each man again
took up his position.
Coxswain Criddle again set the lifeboat up and made another approach but
on this occasion the four remaining crew could not be persuaded to come
down the deck and make the transfer. The lifeboat made numerous
approaches but despite his crew using all their persuasive powers, the
remaining crewmen were not willing to jump across onto the lifeboat.
Coxswain Criddle tried power to push the bow of the lifeboat against the
ship’s stern to make the transfer easier but the motion of the sea was too
great and it soon became obvious that this was not a viable option. This
resulted in more damage to the fendering on the port bow and the bow
roller.
Repeated manoeuvres were executed to bring the lifeboat alongside and
eventually the crewmen, after much coaxing, were confident enough to
come down to the anchor winch. During one of these manoeuvres one of
the men half jumped/half fell towards the lifeboat, coming perilously close to
being caught between the two vessels. It took the combined efforts of all the
foredeck crew to grab hold of him and haul him on board.
The lifeboat was placed alongside several more times before the next man
could be coaxed across. On each occasion the foredeck crew had to step
forward to help and in so doing, faced the danger of being struck by the
starboard quarter of the ship. When the sixth crewman did attempt the
transfer, he too had to be manhandled on board by the foredeck crew to
prevent him from falling into the sea. The final two followed a similar pattern,
needing numerous approaches to build their confidence in order that the
foredeck crew could physically haul them on board the lifeboat. This had
taken one and three quarter hours in atrocious conditions and with over fifty
alongside manoeuvres. Throughout, the Salcombe lifeboat stood by using
her searchlights to help illuminate the scene.
With all eight crewmen safely on board in the wheelhouse, the doctor, Crew
Member Alex Rowe assessed them. Two men were cause for concern, but
the remaining six, apart from being shocked at what had just happened,
appeared well and free from injury. The six unhurt men were taken below
and strapped into the seats, the other two were seated on the wheelhouse
bench seat and monitored by the doctor.
A full internal and external check of the bow area of the was carried out as
best as possible by the lifeboat crew to check for any damage that may
have occurred when the two vessels collided. With no significant hull
damage apart from a broken bow roller and the damaged fendering
detected, the decks were secured ready for the return passage to Brixham.
Brixham Coastguard was informed that the remaining eight crewmen were
on board the RNLI’s Torbay lifeboat and that both lifeboats were returning to
station. Torbay lifeboat gave an ETA of 1.20am and an ambulance was
requested to attend the two injured crewmen. Although the conditions had
not abated, the lifeboat managed to make passage to Brixham at 20kts.
At 1.15am the Torbay lifeboat entered Brixham harbour and was moored up
on her berth. Two of those saved were taken to the waiting ambulance and
the other six were taken to the RNLI boathouse.
At 2.15am Torbay lifeboat was re-fuelled and ready for service. Salcombe
lifeboat reached Salcombe an hour before low water and was able to cross
the bar at 2.30am. She was refuelled and declared ready for service at
3.35am.