0:00:02 > 0:00:06'Land's End coastguard Land's End coastguard.
0:00:06 > 0:00:10'Union Star, Union Star calling Land's End coastguard.'
0:00:10 > 0:00:14'Union Star, this is Falmouth coastguard. Over.'
0:00:14 > 0:00:16'We're off...
0:00:16 > 0:00:20'approximately eight miles east of Wolf Rock,
0:00:20 > 0:00:25'engines have stopped and we are unable to get them started.'
0:00:28 > 0:00:3025 years ago,
0:00:30 > 0:00:35a cargo ship called the Union Star suffered engine failure off the coast of Cornwall.
0:00:37 > 0:00:40In hurricane winds and 60 foot waves,
0:00:40 > 0:00:44the Penlee lifeboat set forth to try and rescue the ship's crew.
0:00:47 > 0:00:49Eight men, all volunteers,
0:00:49 > 0:00:55made the ultimate sacrifice in one of the greatest disasters in lifeboat history.
0:00:56 > 0:00:59I look back on it, and I see those men on the rails,
0:00:59 > 0:01:02and the efforts they did on the rocks,
0:01:02 > 0:01:05and you can't imagine the bravery of people like that.
0:01:07 > 0:01:11Despite the fact that it's 25 years, she went out and she's still out.
0:01:11 > 0:01:16There's that gap in people's lives and feelings that...
0:01:16 > 0:01:19will never go away while there are people alive who experienced it.
0:01:20 > 0:01:24You know, I used to long, as a journalist,
0:01:24 > 0:01:28that I would get a world exclusive.
0:01:28 > 0:01:32I got my wish, but it broke my heart.
0:01:51 > 0:01:56In the far south of Cornwall, a few miles from Land's End,
0:01:56 > 0:01:59lies a place called Mousehole.
0:01:59 > 0:02:03The events that happened here 25 years ago
0:02:03 > 0:02:06changed this small village forever,
0:02:06 > 0:02:09scarring the lives of those left behind.
0:02:11 > 0:02:16In 1981, Mousehole was a close-knit fishing community,
0:02:16 > 0:02:20at the heart of which was the Penlee lifeboat.
0:02:26 > 0:02:30Based a mile from Mousehole off Penlee Point,
0:02:30 > 0:02:33she was called the Solomon Browne,
0:02:33 > 0:02:36and she was the pride and joy of the village.
0:02:37 > 0:02:41The Solomon Browne was a wooden Watson classed lifeboat.
0:02:41 > 0:02:45We quite were pleased with her because she'd been recently refitted
0:02:45 > 0:02:48and we thought she was the state of the art boat.
0:02:48 > 0:02:52But it was a class of boat that was stationed all round the country.
0:02:52 > 0:02:56Growing up, the lifeboat was a big part of the village.
0:02:56 > 0:02:59Mousehole was just starting to become a tourist village.
0:02:59 > 0:03:02It's more...there's more locals living here
0:03:02 > 0:03:04and I always wanted to be on a lifeboat.
0:03:04 > 0:03:07I can remember we used to run it when I was a child,
0:03:07 > 0:03:10and help scrub it down, things like that.
0:03:13 > 0:03:16Most of the crew were born and bred in Mousehole.
0:03:16 > 0:03:18Many of them were fishermen.
0:03:18 > 0:03:21And they were all devoted volunteers.
0:03:21 > 0:03:25They were lead by the coxswain, Trevelyan Richards.
0:03:25 > 0:03:31You're still getting the family element in lifeboat crews, fathers, sons and grandsons?
0:03:31 > 0:03:33Yes, we got one or two here on our present crew.
0:03:33 > 0:03:37Where do they come from? What sort of profession are they?
0:03:37 > 0:03:41Mostly fisherman and they come the same village as what I do.
0:03:41 > 0:03:45And if they're not fisherman, they have connections with the sea.
0:03:45 > 0:03:48So I'm pretty lucky that I have a crew like what they are.
0:03:51 > 0:03:54Trevelyan was a good coxswain.
0:03:54 > 0:03:57There was a character in his way and set in his ways.
0:03:57 > 0:04:01Er...a fisherman all his life.
0:04:01 > 0:04:04We ought to establish that although you are the coxswain,
0:04:04 > 0:04:08you've got a full-time job as a trawler skipper, haven't you?
0:04:08 > 0:04:09Yes. This is a part-time job.
0:04:09 > 0:04:12He was in the Home Guard when the war was on,
0:04:12 > 0:04:16but as a coxswain, he was an extremely nice man.
0:04:16 > 0:04:20In every community, you always get a nucleus of people,
0:04:20 > 0:04:23they all stand above the rest in what they do,
0:04:23 > 0:04:27because they can take any flak, and they don't really care.
0:04:27 > 0:04:29They'll always march on what they think is true.
0:04:29 > 0:04:33Trevelyan's up in the top notch with them.
0:04:34 > 0:04:37Nobody would contradict him,
0:04:37 > 0:04:39he was the boss.
0:04:39 > 0:04:41He was a hell of a character.
0:04:41 > 0:04:44He could be quite hard on them or he could be...
0:04:44 > 0:04:46They could be pretty wild at times.
0:04:46 > 0:04:49They had a lot of fun.
0:04:53 > 0:04:57On the night of 19th December, 1981,
0:04:57 > 0:05:00Mousehole was all set for Christmas.
0:05:00 > 0:05:03The village had a unique way of marking the festive season.
0:05:03 > 0:05:06Christmas was a big thing in Mousehole.
0:05:06 > 0:05:11And we have the local Christmas lights on every year and it is a big celebration.
0:05:11 > 0:05:15We have a thing called Tom Bawcock's Eve, the day before Christmas Eve,
0:05:15 > 0:05:1923rd December, when all the local fishermen, seamen, get together,
0:05:19 > 0:05:22and have a a great big party if you like, really.
0:05:22 > 0:05:24It's a big thing in Mousehole.
0:05:28 > 0:05:31Everybody was drinking,
0:05:31 > 0:05:33laughing, joking...
0:05:33 > 0:05:38The darts had just started. I'd done the draw for that.
0:05:38 > 0:05:45Everyone was laughing and saying, "Cor, how'd you pick me against so and so?"
0:05:47 > 0:05:50Whilst people were enjoying themselves,
0:05:50 > 0:05:53outside, the weather was gradually deteriorating.
0:05:53 > 0:05:56THUNDER RUMBLES
0:06:01 > 0:06:02It had gone from...
0:06:02 > 0:06:08a high wind to this extraordinarily screaming wild gale,
0:06:08 > 0:06:10in a very, very short time.
0:06:10 > 0:06:13Um...it had a sort of strange note in the wind.
0:06:13 > 0:06:17I'm not making this up, it really did. It was a screaming noise which I've never heard of.
0:06:20 > 0:06:23WIND BLOWS AND WHISTLES
0:06:23 > 0:06:24As the weather worsened,
0:06:24 > 0:06:29out at sea, the Union Star was struggling with engine failure.
0:06:51 > 0:06:54On duty that night to receive the calls,
0:06:54 > 0:06:56was Colin Sturman.
0:06:56 > 0:07:00The Union Star told us just after six, he had an engine problem,
0:07:00 > 0:07:03which in itself is not unusual.
0:07:03 > 0:07:07We have ships call us with engine problems several times a week.
0:07:07 > 0:07:08Even today.
0:07:08 > 0:07:12Um...but he said that obviously the weather conditions were bad.
0:07:12 > 0:07:18And he was concerned that if he couldn't get his engine started, they would be in difficulty.
0:07:32 > 0:07:36The Union Star was on her maiden voyage,
0:07:36 > 0:07:39carrying fertiliser from Holland to Ireland.
0:07:41 > 0:07:44It was one of the fleet of coasters
0:07:44 > 0:07:49built by Union Transport, who were having a very successful time.
0:07:49 > 0:07:54It was a good model because it was fit for work in coastal waters.
0:07:54 > 0:07:55It was very low-profile
0:07:55 > 0:08:00and so it could go up under the bridges of the big rivers in Europe.
0:08:00 > 0:08:03And they built four of them.
0:08:03 > 0:08:06The Union Star was the latest one.
0:08:06 > 0:08:11The skipper of this brand new boat was Henry Morton.
0:08:11 > 0:08:14Happy-go-lucky type of guy,
0:08:14 > 0:08:18very professional and straight down the line really.
0:08:18 > 0:08:20He didn't take any messing off anybody,
0:08:20 > 0:08:24and he was, um,
0:08:24 > 0:08:26a pleasant enough guy, really.
0:08:26 > 0:08:29I spoke to him in the morning about 10 o'clock.
0:08:29 > 0:08:32And he said everything was going OK,
0:08:32 > 0:08:37and I asked him if he'd be round the corner. We call Land's End the corner. He said after tea.
0:08:37 > 0:08:42Then he'd be running away with the weather towards Arklow. And he seemed quite happy.
0:08:42 > 0:08:46And...I asked him what the weather was like
0:08:46 > 0:08:50and they told me that it was southerly about Force 5,
0:08:50 > 0:08:55but it was forecast to deteriorate and that the ship was handling it well. It was rolling a bit.
0:09:00 > 0:09:04But by early evening, the situation was very different.
0:09:22 > 0:09:26Worried how far the Union Star might be drifting,
0:09:26 > 0:09:30the coastguards sent one of their local officers to a lookout point,
0:09:30 > 0:09:33just along the coast from Mousehole.
0:09:35 > 0:09:40I got a call from Falmouth to say there was a vessel in trouble,
0:09:40 > 0:09:43near the Wolf and would I start the radar up,
0:09:43 > 0:09:48and put a radar plot on, to positively identify the position.
0:09:49 > 0:09:55By the time I got up here and put a marker on the radar,
0:09:55 > 0:09:58he'd drifted some to the north.
0:10:00 > 0:10:06The Union Star was heading straight toward the treacherous coastline.
0:10:06 > 0:10:09If you come ashore on this coast,
0:10:09 > 0:10:12you've got very little chance of getting off...
0:10:12 > 0:10:15and you'd break up quite quickly.
0:10:16 > 0:10:20You imagine a yacht coming ashore on any of these points,
0:10:20 > 0:10:23in even weather like this...
0:10:23 > 0:10:25and it'll go down very quickly.
0:10:28 > 0:10:30RAIN POURS
0:10:30 > 0:10:35In Mousehole, the Penlee lifeboat was put on standby.
0:10:38 > 0:10:44Two of the crew members waiting for the call were Nigel Brockman and his son Neil.
0:10:44 > 0:10:51My dad was an assistant mechanic and he would have been in charge of the radios and the radar,
0:10:51 > 0:10:53and do a bit of navigating.
0:10:53 > 0:10:56What kind of equipment do you carry, Nigel?
0:10:56 > 0:10:59I've got a radar,
0:10:59 > 0:11:03big master set and the Westminster VHF....
0:11:03 > 0:11:05What's your aim?
0:11:05 > 0:11:07Er...
0:11:09 > 0:11:11You've buggered me now.
0:11:13 > 0:11:16Most people knew my father.
0:11:16 > 0:11:19He could never be serious about anything, he was always joking.
0:11:19 > 0:11:21He was like the joker in the pack.
0:11:21 > 0:11:25If anything stupid was happening, he'd be in the middle of doing it.
0:11:25 > 0:11:30And I...I've never heard a bad word said about him, never.
0:11:30 > 0:11:35Everyone I've ever spoke to...people I don't even know come up to me and say they knew my father...
0:11:35 > 0:11:40which I like. They say how much they admired him and liked him.
0:11:57 > 0:12:01A salvage tug was contacted to tow the stricken Union Star,
0:12:01 > 0:12:04but this would involve paying salvage costs,
0:12:04 > 0:12:08as part of a contract called a Lloyd's Open Form.
0:12:08 > 0:12:10So Morton declined the offer.
0:12:30 > 0:12:34When he was talking to the tug captain, very early on,
0:12:34 > 0:12:39the captain said, "Shall I come out? "He said, "Yes, come out and stand by."
0:12:39 > 0:12:43And the tug captain said, "Will you accept Lloyd's Open Form?"
0:12:43 > 0:12:48And he said, "Obviously it's a bit early to make a commitment to do that."
0:12:57 > 0:13:01News that the lifeboat might be needed began to spread throughout Mousehole.
0:13:04 > 0:13:09One of the youngest volunteers was merchant seaman Kevin Smith,
0:13:09 > 0:13:12who happened to be home for Christmas.
0:13:12 > 0:13:16He loved the sea. The sea was in his blood.
0:13:16 > 0:13:20He always to me seemed to be like a free spirit.
0:13:20 > 0:13:23He'd go off to sea, never quite know when he was coming back.
0:13:23 > 0:13:27And he'd come back and it was like a breath of fresh air in the village.
0:13:27 > 0:13:32Kevin was my brother-in-law at the time.
0:13:32 > 0:13:36I sailed with Kevin many times when I was fishing. Great bloke.
0:13:36 > 0:13:39You'll find anything goes really.
0:13:39 > 0:13:42There's a massive zest for life.
0:13:42 > 0:13:45Six years earlier,
0:13:45 > 0:13:50the Solomon Browne had taken part in the rescue of a sinking ship called the Lovat.
0:13:50 > 0:13:53Kevin was a crew member,
0:13:53 > 0:13:56even though he'd only been a teenager at the time.
0:13:56 > 0:13:58- You were on the Lovat rescue weren't you?- Yeah.
0:13:58 > 0:14:03- And that wasn't pleasant. - That was '75, I think.
0:14:04 > 0:14:07- And you were very young?- Yeah.
0:14:07 > 0:14:12- In fact you were too young to have been there officially? - They told me so, yeah.
0:14:12 > 0:14:15Kevin was very young - 15, 16.
0:14:15 > 0:14:18He'd actually fabricated his age to get on the boat at that point,
0:14:18 > 0:14:21and went out on the Lovat rescue
0:14:21 > 0:14:25and was pulling men out of the sea that were younger than him.
0:14:25 > 0:14:28And he was awarded on vellum for that -
0:14:28 > 0:14:31a very, very brave thing to have done.
0:14:31 > 0:14:36Did you enjoy it? Well, that's a damn fool question, but you'll remember it, I imagine.
0:14:36 > 0:14:40- I'll always remember it, yeah. - Very unpleasant.- Yeah, I'll always remember it.
0:14:40 > 0:14:46The Penlee crew had to pull several dead bodies out of the water.
0:14:46 > 0:14:50They were all honoured by the RNLI for their role in the rescue.
0:14:51 > 0:14:55Like most of the crew, there wasn't a lot of speaking on board the boat.
0:14:55 > 0:14:59I think we was all sort of choked up about it, you know.
0:15:00 > 0:15:01But ah...
0:15:01 > 0:15:03I think what upset the crew most of all
0:15:03 > 0:15:05was when they took a youngster aboard - 16.
0:15:05 > 0:15:10I'll admit it was a bad job - when five men lose their lives, like what we had.
0:15:10 > 0:15:12But when you get a youngster of 16, you know,
0:15:12 > 0:15:16with everything to look forward to and life's out there for getting.
0:15:26 > 0:15:33It was a southerly wind gusting up to Force 11, which is hurricane force.
0:15:33 > 0:15:39Even the broken waves, when they hit the cliffs, were some 30 foot in height.
0:15:41 > 0:15:47I'd never seen sea conditions as bad as that and I've never seen them since.
0:16:16 > 0:16:22With water in the fuel tank, it was now impossible to restart the engines of the Union Star
0:16:22 > 0:16:24and a helicopter was needed.
0:16:27 > 0:16:31The pilot who would communicate with Morton was Russell Smith,
0:16:31 > 0:16:34an American who was in England on a naval exchange programme.
0:16:36 > 0:16:40When we first set off it was only about 30, 40 knots of wind, maybe a little more.
0:16:40 > 0:16:41Not all that bad, really.
0:16:41 > 0:16:43But as we proceeded to the scene,
0:16:43 > 0:16:46the weather worsened significantly, very rapidly,
0:16:46 > 0:16:50and we could tell it was going to be a full gale very shortly.
0:17:21 > 0:17:24Initially the position was given as eight miles east of Wolf Rock,
0:17:24 > 0:17:29which put her about six miles south of Tater Du Lighthouse.
0:17:29 > 0:17:35When we identified the correct position, with the helicopter from the flare,
0:17:35 > 0:17:37she was only about two, 2.5 miles off the coast,
0:17:37 > 0:17:43which made things significantly different from a response point of view.
0:17:49 > 0:17:52With the Union Star so close to shore,
0:17:52 > 0:17:55the Penlee lifeboat was asked to launch.
0:17:59 > 0:18:04The launch crew that night were Dudley Penrose and Raymond Pomeroy.
0:18:05 > 0:18:09It was their job to launch the lifeboat safely.
0:18:11 > 0:18:15- It doesn't seem like 25 years ago. - No.- No.
0:18:15 > 0:18:18- They were brave men, brave men. - They were that.
0:18:19 > 0:18:24- A lot of people wouldn't have gone that night, I know.- No.
0:18:25 > 0:18:29The first I knew that the lifeboat was wanted...
0:18:29 > 0:18:31I knew it was a terrible night.
0:18:31 > 0:18:34We all knew that, it was a terrible day in the making.
0:18:34 > 0:18:39The first I heard of it was the coxswain's wife, Trevelyan's mother,
0:18:39 > 0:18:43Trevelyan's mother phoned me to say that a boat was wanted,
0:18:43 > 0:18:47and that was about ten to eight that evening.
0:18:50 > 0:18:54When the maroons were heard, all the crew stopped what they were doing
0:18:54 > 0:18:56and rushed to the lifeboat station.
0:18:56 > 0:18:59One of those was 33-year-old Barrie Torrie,
0:18:59 > 0:19:03a fisherman who was married with two young sons.
0:19:04 > 0:19:06Barrie was just a crew member.
0:19:06 > 0:19:08He'd been on there a long, long time.
0:19:08 > 0:19:13I'm not sure how old he was when he first went, um...
0:19:13 > 0:19:15but just a teenager, I think.
0:19:15 > 0:19:20Um...it was just part of his life, part of his upbringing,
0:19:20 > 0:19:22just always been at sea.
0:19:22 > 0:19:27We'd planned to go out and we had a babysitter organised,
0:19:27 > 0:19:31then the shout went out that they were going.
0:19:35 > 0:19:38Barrie went and said, "I'll see you later."
0:19:38 > 0:19:44Then I was kind of trying to decide, "Well, shall I just wait here or shall I go out?",
0:19:44 > 0:19:48cos we were meeting some friends, so I went out with these friends
0:19:48 > 0:19:53and we were only in the village - he knew where I was -
0:19:53 > 0:19:55and, um, I just sort of waited.
0:20:00 > 0:20:03More than a dozen men responded to the call,
0:20:03 > 0:20:05but only eight were needed.
0:20:08 > 0:20:10Trevelyan chose the best crew he had for the job,
0:20:10 > 0:20:13the ones he knew could do that job, the ones he could trust -
0:20:13 > 0:20:17the best hands he had, the best crewmen he had for that job.
0:20:18 > 0:20:21He wanted his most experienced crew that night
0:20:21 > 0:20:24cos it was a hellish night and he knew it was going to be tough.
0:20:26 > 0:20:29Trevelyan took Barrie Torrie...
0:20:30 > 0:20:33..Kevin Smith...
0:20:34 > 0:20:36..Nigel Brockman
0:20:36 > 0:20:40and the lifeboat mechanic, Stephen Madron.
0:20:40 > 0:20:45He also chose Charlie Greenhaugh, the landlord of the local pub,
0:20:45 > 0:20:48John Blewett...
0:20:48 > 0:20:52and the 22-year-old Gary Wallis.
0:20:53 > 0:20:57The eight were selected for their skill and experience,
0:20:57 > 0:21:02but none could have predicted the outcome of that terrible night.
0:21:03 > 0:21:06The crew were all there, all dressed,
0:21:06 > 0:21:12which was really, you know, unusual for us because, er,
0:21:12 > 0:21:15lifeboat men dress for the occasion
0:21:15 > 0:21:18but everybody was dressed properly that night.
0:21:28 > 0:21:35I always remember Trevelyan helping Barrie Torrie with his life jacket.
0:21:35 > 0:21:41cos Barrie didn't like wearing life jackets, and ah...
0:21:41 > 0:21:45he wouldn't wear one as a rule, but that night he had to put one on
0:21:45 > 0:21:49and Trevelyan had to show him and help him on with it, you know.
0:21:50 > 0:21:53All the crew were around the stern of the lifeboat.
0:21:53 > 0:21:56We used to always stand around the stern when they launched
0:21:56 > 0:21:59and that night Trevelyan got 'em all inside
0:21:59 > 0:22:03cos it was such a bad night, you know,
0:22:03 > 0:22:07with the sea and spray breaking right over the lifeboat
0:22:07 > 0:22:11after they put the mast up because the exhaust went up the mast,
0:22:11 > 0:22:15and you had to put the mast up, you know, before you start the engines up.
0:22:17 > 0:22:20At only 17, Neil was too young,
0:22:20 > 0:22:26but Trevelyan was also keen not to take two members of the same family.
0:22:27 > 0:22:30I was absolutely gutted because I never went.
0:22:30 > 0:22:33I was upset because I wasn't asked to go
0:22:33 > 0:22:37and I've gotta say, the boat was launched and I've never seen a piece of seamanship like that -
0:22:37 > 0:22:40people don't realise what the weather was like that night -
0:22:40 > 0:22:43to get that boat in the water was some piece of seamanship.
0:22:50 > 0:22:54We waited and waited and waited for quite a few minutes
0:22:54 > 0:22:58to catch the right moment.
0:23:00 > 0:23:04'Penlee lifeboat launching.'
0:23:06 > 0:23:09She went down, the sea hit the bottom of the slip,
0:23:09 > 0:23:11and she went down behind the next one, and was gone.
0:23:22 > 0:23:25But when we closed the doors up that night,
0:23:25 > 0:23:28Raymond and myself were the last two to leave the boathouse.
0:23:28 > 0:23:32And the wind was just whistling through the rafters,
0:23:32 > 0:23:34an awful eerie feeling,
0:23:34 > 0:23:39and there was always that suspicion that it wasn't a very good night.
0:24:08 > 0:24:11A 47 foot boat is...
0:24:11 > 0:24:15about the size of a decent yacht nowadays.
0:24:15 > 0:24:20And as soon as they went down the slip, they were in very rough seas.
0:24:20 > 0:24:24They would have been awash, the decks would have been awash.
0:24:24 > 0:24:29Even the after-cabin, water used to slosh around in it,
0:24:29 > 0:24:32because it was a self-draining situation.
0:24:32 > 0:24:35So life on board, even without going on deck,
0:24:35 > 0:24:39would have been quite horrendous.
0:24:46 > 0:24:48You'd have sea breaking over the boat,
0:24:48 > 0:24:53the boat'd be rolling all the time, pitching.
0:24:53 > 0:24:54Forward, back, up and down.
0:24:54 > 0:24:59Like being in a washing machine, is the best way to describe it.
0:25:02 > 0:25:06The sort of rain...you had to physically drive around,
0:25:06 > 0:25:10you had to work the engines, spin the wheels, it was hard to control that boat.
0:25:10 > 0:25:15As Trevelyan confirmed the lifeboat had set off,
0:25:15 > 0:25:18the helicopter was already on the scene.
0:25:34 > 0:25:37The ocean was...
0:25:37 > 0:25:40very confused, and getting worse.
0:25:40 > 0:25:43And, er, the...
0:25:43 > 0:25:48casualty was seen bouncing...
0:25:48 > 0:25:52significantly, rolling, in the sea.
0:26:08 > 0:26:11They only had navigation lights when we first came on scene.
0:26:11 > 0:26:15We were attempting to effect a rescue at that point.
0:26:15 > 0:26:18And then he put his anchor out
0:26:18 > 0:26:21and turned his bow into the sea.
0:26:21 > 0:26:27We asked him at that point if he'd mind putting on some more lights
0:26:27 > 0:26:32so we could see the boat better and position ourselves better and such.
0:26:32 > 0:26:36Because it was a black night, we couldn't see a thing,
0:26:36 > 0:26:39we couldn't see where the boat was moving very much.
0:26:39 > 0:26:42And so he turned on all his floodlights.
0:26:44 > 0:26:49We asked the crew if they wanted to come off,
0:26:49 > 0:26:53and initially they were sorting out, trying to start, the engines.
0:26:53 > 0:26:56Then, from that point, the weather was worsening
0:26:56 > 0:26:59and they were drifting towards the coast,
0:26:59 > 0:27:01and we were trying to get their attention
0:27:01 > 0:27:03that that was happening fairly quickly.
0:27:03 > 0:27:09They then decided to remove the woman and two children.
0:27:09 > 0:27:11That was our first surprise -
0:27:11 > 0:27:13there was a woman and two children on board.
0:27:36 > 0:27:40The woman was Morton's wife, Dawn.
0:27:40 > 0:27:44The children were his step-daughters.
0:27:44 > 0:27:47He'd picked them up en route
0:27:47 > 0:27:50so that they'd be together for Christmas.
0:27:50 > 0:27:53Dawn's children came over from South Africa
0:27:53 > 0:27:57and they were to stay in England. That's why they were on board.
0:27:57 > 0:28:01I think it possibly had an effect...
0:28:01 > 0:28:04on the thinking of the captain, certainly.
0:28:04 > 0:28:10He would obviously have this emotional issue to deal with.
0:28:10 > 0:28:17It's bad enough just having to look after the crew without your wife and two young girls,
0:28:17 > 0:28:20who've probably never been on a ship before.
0:28:20 > 0:28:25They were only a couple of days on board, may have been seasick during the passage.
0:28:25 > 0:28:27It would have been difficult.
0:28:27 > 0:28:33Another thing that isn't well-known is that Dawn was pregnant at the time.
0:28:55 > 0:29:00The wind was now freshening, probably at least 60mph.
0:29:00 > 0:29:02Probably more.
0:29:02 > 0:29:06The waves at that point were 50 foot seas,
0:29:06 > 0:29:08and it was getting more difficult.
0:29:10 > 0:29:14There were times we had to rapidly change our position,
0:29:14 > 0:29:18cos the ship was coming up higher than we expected.
0:29:18 > 0:29:23There were a couple of times it came very close to our rotors of the helicopter.
0:29:23 > 0:29:28If that happened, it would break the rotors, and we wouldn't be here.
0:29:28 > 0:29:31So we had to adjust a number of times
0:29:31 > 0:29:35because the ship would suddenly pitch
0:29:35 > 0:29:39much more violently than was expected.
0:29:51 > 0:29:56We tried lowering the crewman, the ship was sideways
0:29:56 > 0:29:58to the waves, in a confused sea,
0:29:58 > 0:30:00it was rolling significantly, and pitching.
0:30:00 > 0:30:03And it was difficult getting our crewman down.
0:30:05 > 0:30:10HELICOPTER BLADES WHIRR
0:30:10 > 0:30:14My concentration was on the deck that I was trying to get to.
0:30:14 > 0:30:17I'm not in communication with the aircraft,
0:30:17 > 0:30:22I'm in their hands and they're trying to put me onto that deck.
0:30:22 > 0:30:29I do recall how very clean and new the green painted deck looked.
0:30:35 > 0:30:38I remember focusing on this piece of green deck
0:30:38 > 0:30:42and they brought the first lady out and one of the men was, effectively,
0:30:42 > 0:30:45holding her against the bulkhead, standing on this deck.
0:30:45 > 0:30:49I was focused on the deck and she'd got these bright pink court shoes on.
0:30:49 > 0:30:53I couldn't tell you anything else about her
0:30:53 > 0:30:56but looking at that piece of deck where I was aiming
0:30:56 > 0:30:59there's an enduring memory of these bright pink court shoes
0:30:59 > 0:31:05which were so incongruous in that violent situation.
0:31:16 > 0:31:20The dreadful conditions had made the helicopter rescue too dangerous.
0:31:23 > 0:31:27The Union Star was less than a mile from the shore
0:31:27 > 0:31:32and her fate now rested on the efforts of Trevelyan and his crew.
0:32:07 > 0:32:12So the old saying, "Women and children go first," still holds now.
0:32:12 > 0:32:15You would go for women and children first and it'd make a difference.
0:32:15 > 0:32:19Although you're there to save any life that's precious,
0:32:19 > 0:32:21that's what we do for a living we save lives.
0:32:32 > 0:32:35With the helicopter standing by,
0:32:35 > 0:32:39the Penlee lifeboat fought to come alongside the Union Star.
0:32:54 > 0:32:57When we pulled off to let the lifeboat go in,
0:32:57 > 0:33:00they were now pretty well into the shallows
0:33:00 > 0:33:03and into the very severe breaking seas, um,
0:33:03 > 0:33:09and we sat and watched whilst they tried to effect that rescue.
0:33:12 > 0:33:17You could see the Solomon Browne being bashed up against the side of the Union Star
0:33:17 > 0:33:24and the crew standing on a rail and reaching out trying to grab the ship,
0:33:24 > 0:33:27throwing lines over, like the grappling hooks,
0:33:27 > 0:33:30to try and pull and steady themselves.
0:33:35 > 0:33:37The anchor was down,
0:33:37 > 0:33:40but the anchor wasn't holding us steady.
0:33:42 > 0:33:46I don't think he realised how quickly he was drifting towards the rocks.
0:33:57 > 0:33:59The spray and the green water, as I would call it,
0:33:59 > 0:34:03were crashing up against the wheelhouse
0:34:03 > 0:34:05and it was getting very difficult...
0:34:08 > 0:34:12..and now we're looking at 60, maybe 70, foot waves.
0:34:17 > 0:34:21I can imagine how they felt on board cos I'm sure it was shaking the ship
0:34:21 > 0:34:23and violently, er...
0:34:23 > 0:34:29and the risk of coming outside would've been tremendous
0:34:29 > 0:34:33cos you don't know when, in the dark sea and the rain when the next wave is coming.
0:34:41 > 0:34:44As it eventually went right into the surf then,
0:34:44 > 0:34:48the Union Star did start to roll very seriously, um,
0:34:48 > 0:34:52I'd think in excess of 50 degrees.
0:34:52 > 0:34:57At one stage, I did see the Solomon Browne lifeboat
0:34:57 > 0:35:03literally alongside the Union Star and as she rolled the lifeboat came up on her side.
0:35:03 > 0:35:05So, she was effectively out of the water.
0:35:18 > 0:35:24The Solomon Browne came in bow to bow to the Union Star as it was in the rocks.
0:35:24 > 0:35:27I thought, "This is incredible, what's he doing in the rocks?"
0:35:27 > 0:35:31There really wasn't much room to manoeuvre.
0:35:33 > 0:35:35And the wind was gusting so violently...
0:35:38 > 0:35:42it was like being between two boxing bags, being thrashed about.
0:35:44 > 0:35:51A local journalist made his way down to the cliffs overlooking the scene.
0:35:52 > 0:35:54When I first arrived on the cliff
0:35:54 > 0:35:58I could see the helicopter and I could see the Union Star
0:35:58 > 0:36:00being battered in the waves
0:36:00 > 0:36:05and I could see the lifeboat and it was from there that I watched the whole incident unfold.
0:36:14 > 0:36:20Trevelyan Richards, he was doing a superb job in atrocious conditions.
0:36:20 > 0:36:26The way he positioned and got himself over those steep waves
0:36:26 > 0:36:30and that's almost slowing it over cos you don't go straight
0:36:30 > 0:36:35and where he was putting her was tremendous seamanship.
0:36:39 > 0:36:42Then all of a sudden there's a huge wave.
0:36:42 > 0:36:46I'd think the height of the wave was probably 50 to 60 feet high.
0:36:46 > 0:36:52The lifeboat crew obviously saw this and went to stern quite hard.
0:36:52 > 0:36:53I could see that from the cliff.
0:36:53 > 0:36:56They very nearly got over the crest of the wave
0:36:56 > 0:37:03but the crest of the wave picked the lifeboat up and dropped the lifeboat across the deck of the Union Star.
0:37:03 > 0:37:06Solomon Browne went up onto the Union Star,
0:37:06 > 0:37:09and was well off the water at that point,
0:37:09 > 0:37:12and I thought they were going to go over together.
0:37:18 > 0:37:23But after sliding off the deck of the Union Star,
0:37:23 > 0:37:27the lifeboat managed almost immediately to get back alongside.
0:37:34 > 0:37:38In the dark, cos it's very dark, you'd see shadows of people
0:37:38 > 0:37:41running out of the wheelhouse
0:37:41 > 0:37:45and it appeared that they were just jumping to the lifeboat
0:37:45 > 0:37:48and the lifeboat crew was out with their arms out to catch them.
0:37:51 > 0:37:55Several people, looked like about five to us, ran out
0:37:55 > 0:37:58and jumped across to the Solomon Browne.
0:38:00 > 0:38:05They were wearing their bright fluorescent orange life jackets.
0:38:07 > 0:38:14So they were relatively easy to spot as they seemed to pass from one vessel to the other.
0:38:14 > 0:38:18And then before the next breaker came in, they turned seaward
0:38:18 > 0:38:22and in among all these rocks, I don't see how they made it,
0:38:22 > 0:38:29they turned to get seaward and this huge wave came in and they went underneath it and disappeared
0:38:29 > 0:38:33and surfaced on the other side, basically, like a submarine.
0:38:34 > 0:38:37We assumed, at that point,
0:38:37 > 0:38:40that he was going to continue going out to sea and head home.
0:38:58 > 0:39:00We broke it off at that point,
0:39:00 > 0:39:05feeling that we had done all that we could do.
0:39:05 > 0:39:10We assumed Solomon Browne had made the same decision
0:39:10 > 0:39:14and er, we turned her home.
0:39:16 > 0:39:20But the crew of the Solomon Browne hadn't made the same decision.
0:39:20 > 0:39:24They were about to make one final rescue attempt.
0:39:59 > 0:40:01SILENCE
0:40:09 > 0:40:13It's a devastating feeling when you hear that call and the call
0:40:13 > 0:40:16and the call and nobody answers.
0:40:16 > 0:40:18It's just...
0:40:18 > 0:40:23It gives you that very, very hollow, sick feeling in your stomach.
0:40:26 > 0:40:28ON RADIO: 'Penlee lifeboat.
0:40:28 > 0:40:33'Penlee lifeboat. Falmouth Coastguard. Over.'
0:40:34 > 0:40:38Unfortunately, on the way back, one of the first things the people
0:40:38 > 0:40:43asked when we arrived as we were listening to people calling the Solomon Browne,
0:40:43 > 0:40:46they said, "Have you heard from Solomon Browne?"
0:40:46 > 0:40:49and you get that terrible sinking feeling that something's gone wrong.
0:40:49 > 0:40:54ON RADIO: 'Penlee lifeboat. Penlee lifeboat. Falmouth Coastguard. Over.
0:40:54 > 0:40:57'Penlee lifeboat.
0:40:57 > 0:41:03'Penlee lifeboat. Penlee lifeboat. Falmouth Coastguard. Over.'
0:41:10 > 0:41:12So we refuelled,
0:41:12 > 0:41:17rinsed the engines with fresh water to clean out as much of the salt
0:41:17 > 0:41:20as we could and launched again.
0:41:20 > 0:41:23THUNDER RUMBLES
0:41:23 > 0:41:30In Mousehole, Barrie's wife Lynn was unaware of any problem with the lifeboat.
0:41:30 > 0:41:36I don't really remember thinking anything disastrous is gonna happen.
0:41:36 > 0:41:39So, I came home at some point in the evening
0:41:39 > 0:41:43and made sure the boys were fast asleep and went to bed.
0:41:43 > 0:41:47Which is, you know... it was quite normal,
0:41:47 > 0:41:54erm, because if they went out on a shout, you didn't know what time they were coming back.
0:41:54 > 0:41:59I didn't have a radio. I know a lot of wives would listen in
0:41:59 > 0:42:05but we didn't have one set up and I just assumed they'd be back.
0:42:09 > 0:42:15There was a brief glimmer of hope when someone claimed they could see the lights of the Solomon Browne.
0:42:15 > 0:42:18We continued to call the lifeboat.
0:42:18 > 0:42:23About 45 minutes later, the auxiliary lookout at Penzer Point
0:42:23 > 0:42:27called in and reported seeing a lifeboat coming back to Newley.
0:42:32 > 0:42:35So we were quite heartened by that.
0:42:35 > 0:42:38We told the launching authority to expect them in Newley.
0:42:38 > 0:42:42And a whole bunch of people went down to meet her,
0:42:42 > 0:42:45of course, she never turned up
0:42:45 > 0:42:48and nobody knows to this day what those lights were.
0:43:02 > 0:43:07Don Buckfield made his way to the scene with a coastal rescue team.
0:43:07 > 0:43:11They could see the Union Star on its side, just below the cliffs.
0:43:11 > 0:43:15There was wreckage, washing up and down with the waves
0:43:15 > 0:43:21and I saw a life jacket with the lights still working
0:43:21 > 0:43:25and, er, on reaching the top of the cliff again,
0:43:25 > 0:43:31we became aware that Falmouth was concerned for the lifeboat
0:43:31 > 0:43:38and at that time I could almost definitely say that that was a lifeboat jacket in the water.
0:43:50 > 0:43:55The discovery of the lifejacket confirmed the worst had happened.
0:43:55 > 0:43:57The Penlee lifeboat
0:43:57 > 0:44:02and the Union Star had been wrecked.
0:44:08 > 0:44:11A friend of mine...
0:44:11 > 0:44:15who I'd been out with, a girlfriend, came knocking on the door.
0:44:15 > 0:44:17I don't even know what time it was.
0:44:17 > 0:44:22She said, "Something bad's happened to the lifeboat."
0:44:22 > 0:44:28And, er, I don't really think much registered after that.
0:44:28 > 0:44:34Um, you know, I couldn't say anything specific because it was all just...
0:44:34 > 0:44:38I just remember lots of people, all the time thinking,
0:44:38 > 0:44:42"We should all be quiet - we'll wake the children up." You know?
0:44:42 > 0:44:45And I told them straightaway,
0:44:45 > 0:44:48as soon as they woke up the next day,
0:44:48 > 0:44:51that their daddy wasn't coming home.
0:44:54 > 0:44:57For Kevin's family, it was his brother
0:44:57 > 0:45:00who brought the devastating news.
0:45:00 > 0:45:05I can remember him coming into his mother's front room...
0:45:05 > 0:45:10and I've never seen grief like it.
0:45:10 > 0:45:14There's no grief that can compare to a mother losing her child.
0:45:14 > 0:45:17And Pat was a very, very strong woman.
0:45:17 > 0:45:20What an awful thing for anyone to have to do.
0:45:20 > 0:45:23It's like, now I can see,
0:45:23 > 0:45:25it's playing back in my head like a video.
0:45:25 > 0:45:28Just the disbelief, and the shock,
0:45:28 > 0:45:31it was just such a sad time.
0:45:37 > 0:45:41By first light, search parties continued to look for wreckage.
0:45:41 > 0:45:43Many of those searching
0:45:43 > 0:45:47included family and friends.
0:46:03 > 0:46:06Personally, I was out searching for ten days.
0:46:07 > 0:46:11I think it was the fact that I was going to find Kevin alive, I suppose.
0:46:11 > 0:46:14I just kept searching,
0:46:14 > 0:46:16thinking it was a futile search
0:46:16 > 0:46:19but something said you had to keep going -
0:46:19 > 0:46:21"You will find someone."
0:46:36 > 0:46:41We started to find bits and pieces of bodies.
0:46:41 > 0:46:45Once that happened, you knew...
0:46:46 > 0:46:50..that that was it, really.
0:46:55 > 0:46:57We only found one whole body.
0:46:58 > 0:47:01That was Nigel's - my mate's.
0:47:09 > 0:47:15In the end, only eight bodies were recovered -
0:47:15 > 0:47:17four from the Solomon Browne,
0:47:17 > 0:47:19and four from the Union Star.
0:47:24 > 0:47:27You live and do your job...
0:47:29 > 0:47:30..and live to do it again.
0:47:32 > 0:47:36And, er, when some of your own are taken,
0:47:36 > 0:47:37it hurts.
0:47:40 > 0:47:42It hurts deeply.
0:47:42 > 0:47:48MUSIC: "Offertoire" from Requiem by Gabriel Faure
0:47:58 > 0:48:01You can't imagine the bravery of people like that.
0:48:01 > 0:48:06To just put their lives on the line, the salt of the earth,
0:48:06 > 0:48:09thei fathers, their brothers, their sons...
0:48:09 > 0:48:12The sons of Mousehole.
0:48:17 > 0:48:20Things like Christmas Eve, we were burying
0:48:20 > 0:48:23Trevelyan in the morning, my father in the afternoon.
0:48:23 > 0:48:25Boxing Day, we had more funerals.
0:48:25 > 0:48:27It was hard-going.
0:48:29 > 0:48:33# Oh domine
0:48:33 > 0:48:37# Jesu Christ
0:48:37 > 0:48:43- # Jesu Christ- Rex gloriae
0:48:43 > 0:48:49- # Rex gloriae- O Dominates... #
0:48:49 > 0:48:53You weren't allowed your own private grief.
0:48:53 > 0:48:56Everything you did was noticed.
0:48:56 > 0:48:59Everything you said was written.
0:48:59 > 0:49:03So it was very, very difficult.
0:49:06 > 0:49:11Just going out of the house was impossible.
0:49:13 > 0:49:18The ashes of Dawn and one of her daughters were scattered out at sea
0:49:18 > 0:49:22close to where the Union Star was wrecked.
0:49:22 > 0:49:28Dawn's other daughter and Henry Morton were never found.
0:49:31 > 0:49:34My mother took it very badly.
0:49:36 > 0:49:39She couldn't accept it, particularly with his body not being found.
0:49:39 > 0:49:43I don't think she ever accepted it till the day she died.
0:49:43 > 0:49:46She believed he was suffering from amnesia
0:49:46 > 0:49:50and was wandering round the West Country somewhere
0:49:50 > 0:49:54and one day he'd come back and knock on the door.
0:50:13 > 0:50:1615 months later, there was a formal inquiry
0:50:16 > 0:50:18into exactly what happened.
0:50:18 > 0:50:22It raised questions about Morton's actions
0:50:22 > 0:50:24and the decisions he made that night.
0:50:29 > 0:50:31It was very difficult.
0:50:31 > 0:50:38I would've preferred to speak to some of the people, the families from the lifeboat.
0:50:38 > 0:50:41It was a very difficult position for me to be in,
0:50:41 > 0:50:44particularly with all the criticisms going on, etc.
0:50:44 > 0:50:47I found it very hard.
0:50:50 > 0:50:56His only crime is he was a little confident about how fast he was drifting into land.
0:50:56 > 0:50:58He was drifting faster than he thought
0:50:58 > 0:51:03and I think he was slightly on the optimistic side about that.
0:51:05 > 0:51:09One of the issues examined was why Morton declined the salvage tow
0:51:09 > 0:51:11when it was first offered.
0:51:11 > 0:51:16When they suddenly decided they wanted a tow, it was too late
0:51:16 > 0:51:19because the tug couldn't get in.
0:51:19 > 0:51:23It was too shallow for the tug to get in to put a line on.
0:51:23 > 0:51:26They should've been forced to take a tow
0:51:26 > 0:51:29hours before she even got near the shore.
0:51:30 > 0:51:34Now the rules have changed somewhat
0:51:34 > 0:51:38and the coastguard can initiate a may day on a ship's master's behalf.
0:51:38 > 0:51:41Indeed, we have the powers to require a ship's master
0:51:41 > 0:51:45to take a tow if that's what we deem appropriate.
0:51:45 > 0:51:49We don't have to be a passive responder any more.
0:51:49 > 0:51:51We can take the initiative.
0:51:53 > 0:51:57The inquiry concluded that no-one was to blame for the tragedy
0:51:57 > 0:52:00and that the events of that night were the result
0:52:00 > 0:52:03of water getting into the engine of the Union Star
0:52:03 > 0:52:06and above all, the extreme severity of the weather.
0:52:06 > 0:52:08When the inquiry,
0:52:08 > 0:52:12when the results, the findings of the inquiry came out,
0:52:12 > 0:52:18my brother was exonerated and that really the cause of the tragedy
0:52:18 > 0:52:21various small things that all added up to this big jigsaw,
0:52:21 > 0:52:24that at the end of the day it was the sea that done them.
0:52:24 > 0:52:26No-one else.
0:52:28 > 0:52:32When you live by the sea and you live with the sea, things happen.
0:52:32 > 0:52:35This is why we need lifeboats. Things like this happen.
0:52:35 > 0:52:39You can't blame it on us, that's what you get living by the sea.
0:52:40 > 0:52:42I mean, every year there's probably
0:52:42 > 0:52:4630 or 40 fishermen lost every year around the British coast.
0:52:54 > 0:52:57For the 25th anniversary of that tragic night,
0:52:57 > 0:53:03Russell Smith has come over from America to pay his respects.
0:53:03 > 0:53:07'My wife and I wanted to make a connection,'
0:53:07 > 0:53:10and that's really the main reason we're back.
0:53:12 > 0:53:15Just to visit, say hello, say we care...
0:53:19 > 0:53:22..and say we'll never forget.
0:53:22 > 0:53:25- Hello, there.- I'm Russ.
0:53:25 > 0:53:27I come from Ireland, me.
0:53:27 > 0:53:30- Dublin?- County Donegal.
0:53:30 > 0:53:33- Raymond.- Rich man of our time.
0:53:33 > 0:53:35We've met before.
0:53:35 > 0:53:38Yes, I'm sure we have.
0:53:43 > 0:53:47'I'll never forget. Never ever ever.
0:53:47 > 0:53:50'All my children now, I tell them that story as well,'
0:53:50 > 0:53:54so...because it's something that should never be forgotten,
0:53:54 > 0:53:57the heroism
0:53:57 > 0:54:00and the bravery on that night will always be remembered.
0:54:11 > 0:54:13'Falmouth coastguard, to Penlee lifeboat.'
0:54:13 > 0:54:16'Penlee lifeboat to coastguard, go ahead.'
0:54:16 > 0:54:20'Falmouth coastguard to Penlee lifeboat, we are now leaving...'
0:54:20 > 0:54:24The loss of the Solomon Browne didn't stop the people of Mousehole
0:54:24 > 0:54:26from maintaining the lifeboat tradition.
0:54:26 > 0:54:31Today, the Penlee lifeboat is based a couple of miles from Mousehole
0:54:31 > 0:54:33in the fishing village of Newlyn.
0:54:33 > 0:54:37Neil Brockman, turned away by Trevelyan for being too young,
0:54:37 > 0:54:39is now the coxswain.
0:54:39 > 0:54:43I was asked by the RNLI if I'd like to become coxswain
0:54:43 > 0:54:46and to start with, I didn't want to do it
0:54:46 > 0:54:49because I thought I was too young. I was only 28 at the time.
0:54:49 > 0:54:52I didn't think I was experienced or old enough to do the job
0:54:52 > 0:54:58and they did beg me or really persisted to ask me to do it,
0:54:58 > 0:55:02so I said I would, so I said I would take it for 12 months
0:55:02 > 0:55:05to see how I got on and I've been there ever since.
0:55:05 > 0:55:09I've always thought Neil's the best man for the job, anyway,
0:55:09 > 0:55:14because he's totally committed to the crew and the RNLI.
0:55:14 > 0:55:17I know he's a very good friend of mine but I will stand by that.
0:55:17 > 0:55:21On a professional field, he is a hell of a coxswain.
0:55:21 > 0:55:25I fell into my job from boat crewman,
0:55:25 > 0:55:29right up from crew to mechanic, coxswain/mechanic, now coxswain.
0:55:32 > 0:55:34'I've got the best team in the RNLI, the best crew.
0:55:34 > 0:55:39'They'd say that at any station, but I've got a very experienced crew.'
0:55:39 > 0:55:42Every one of my crew are seamen or ex-fishermen
0:55:42 > 0:55:45or they're actually to do with the sea.
0:55:45 > 0:55:49'So I'm lucky in that way.'
0:55:49 > 0:55:52'His father would've have been very proud of him
0:55:52 > 0:55:54'and he was very proud of his father,'
0:55:54 > 0:55:58so it's a sort of public thing but also a private thing.
0:56:02 > 0:56:06'It's just such an honour to know
0:56:06 > 0:56:11'that they're carrying on in the tradition of the Royal Lifeboat Institute
0:56:11 > 0:56:14'and that these people don't do it for money,
0:56:14 > 0:56:19'they do it for the giving, volunteer work.'
0:56:19 > 0:56:22that gives life to other people, really,
0:56:22 > 0:56:26because they still go out on rescues and assist other people
0:56:26 > 0:56:29in very difficult conditions all the time.
0:56:36 > 0:56:3825 years later,
0:56:38 > 0:56:41the old lifeboat station is empty.
0:56:42 > 0:56:46Kept exactly as it was in 1981,
0:56:46 > 0:56:49it stands as a memorial to the crew
0:56:49 > 0:56:51of the Solomon Browne.
0:56:51 > 0:56:55I can't imagine how awful it must've been for them.
0:56:55 > 0:56:59Having a young daughter myself and young children,
0:56:59 > 0:57:02it just must have been horrendous
0:57:02 > 0:57:05and I can only imagine they were going to do everything they could.
0:57:05 > 0:57:08There's no way they could've said,
0:57:08 > 0:57:12"We can't, it's too dangerous, we can't do this any more,"
0:57:12 > 0:57:15and just turn around and come back home.
0:57:15 > 0:57:18It's just not something they would've done.
0:57:20 > 0:57:23I've got no doubt in the back of my mind
0:57:23 > 0:57:29that if I'm with six of my crew, there's eight other crew with me, no doubt whatsoever.
0:57:32 > 0:57:36They'll never be forgotten. I'm proud I sailed with them all
0:57:36 > 0:57:38and knew them all personally.
0:57:55 > 0:57:58Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd - 2006
0:57:58 > 0:58:01Email subtitling@bbc.co.uk