Rescue 193

There she is, there she is, right two o'clock.

Easy...

Winching in progress.

OK?

On board now.

Five, four, three, two, one.

Easy, steady, on deck.

This Sea King helicopter's radio call sign, when it's on a rdscue

mission, is Rescue 193.

771 Squadron has been here has been here at Culdrose in Cornwall for 41

years,

these aircraft on permanent stand-by 24 hours a day covering the far

southwest in all weather conditions.

On the 1st of January this xear that responsibility was handed over

to a commercial operator, controlled by the coastguard.

Tomorrow, 771 decommissions.

It will cease to exist.

For their last few months of operations we've been

following the work of the ahr crews, watching them training,

and flying with them on rescue missions.

Emergency, emergency, emergdncy

Scramble the SAR.

Duty personnel...

We got scrambled to assist a 65-year-old male that had slipped

on the coastal path.

We heard he'd fallen seven letres, and needed to be winched out

so we've deposited our winchman with the stretcher, and thex've now

packaged the casualty up, and it's much easier for us

to winch him up rather than take him up that long coastal path.

So we can get the job done a lot quicker, I believe.

All units, this is Rescue 183 winching in progress.

Right, only one yard.

Raise the winch, he is conndcted.

So left one yard...

He was walking when the platform slipped, and half fell/rolldd

about seven metres down the rock face.

But the rock face was at an angle so actually, albeit he sust`ined

some injuries - he's got a cut lip and lost a tooth and hurt hhs leg -

it actually could've been a lot worse.

Casualty's on board.

You are clear to depart slowly.

My thoughts are always, as H'm putting Chief Petty Officer Brown

down to a boat or a cliff or whatever, is his safety

and therefore how difficult is this going to be for me

to achieve his safety.

And so that gives me a little bit of trepidation at times,

but we are trained in it and we can cover most of the options

and the aspects of it.

I think everyone does just what they're trained to do.

My job is just to speed the aircraft up and get it pointed in thd right

direction

at that point.

Winching cliff fallers is something that 771 Squadron has done hundreds

of times over the years -

more than 50 times in this last year of operation alone.

The winch is one of the most useful bits of kit on board the Se` King,

used to get the paramedic in the casualties out

of tricky situations.

Vital of course here on the southwest coast,

and something they train for almost every day.

771's regular training areas include the steep cliffs

at Land's End.

The Sea King can provide an extra attraction.

OK, he's out the door...

At over 100 feet above the crashing waves, it's an impressive Spider-Man

routine by winchman Patch Adams

Just got to keep the aircraft really stable cos you're going to have

someone on the winch beneath the aircraft; any uncontrolled

movements he might hurt himself on the rock face.

So try and keep the aircraft stable as possible.

Around the cliffs on a windx day you get a lot of drafting ahr

and turbulent air, so it can make things a bit difficult.

That ace of clubs symbol is on all of 771's aircraft.

But no-one's quite sure how it started.

There's never a dull moment in search and rescue training.

..Just on a training exercise.

We wonder whether you would give us permission just to allow a lan down

to your aft deck...

It will be a standard drop-off. .

It's great training for us, we can winch with any

vessel we like.

So instead of using the samd vessel day in, day out for our trahning

we can get used to different aerial positions, different winch

positions, different ship movement, it's great.

Five, four, three, two, one, easy, steady.

On deck...

Disconnected, raising the whnch

60 miles away, holidaymaker Bettina West and her partner

Richard Thompson have arrivdd on the Isles of Scilly.

They are with two friends and it is their first visit

to the islands.

They plan to spend the day walking around St Mary's,

on the sea's edge.

I had my friend in front of me, Josie, her partner was behind,

and we were just chatting.

We were walking along the rocks and I remember slipping slightly

to my left, and there was a brief moment where I saw

the rocks below me.

My hands weren't in front of me it was literally head first.

And I just thought, that's ht. I'm a goner.

I just heard this scream.

That was Josie screaming, because she was right next to B

As I heard the scream I looked over, and B was wearing a purple jacket

and I just saw this blur of this purple jacket just

fall into nothing.

There she was, and then there was nothing.

So I've just gone running over as fast as I could.

And when I looked down, her arms were out to the side,

she was lying face down.

All I could see was blood pouring.

And because of the height, I just didn't see how she'd

survived, to be honest.

I just..

I thought she was dead.

193, go ahead.

Immediate tasking.

Cliff faller, Isles of Scilly.

Detail to follow.

As the pilot takes the aircraft speeding towards Scilly,

winchman Andy Penrose gets his gear ready.

Minutes later, they approach Pendennis Point on St Mary's.

If you could hold it right now, two o'clock.

We'll just have a look - ah, there she is there.

I can put you right down into that crack there.

OK?

That is going to be a cheekx one.

The best thing I can do is get you down there,

Andy, yeah.

Absolutely right.

It was really quite turbulent in the area where we needed

to winch, so whilst it lookdd like quite a benign winch-up

position from the approach, when we finally got there

it was anything but.

Disconnected, raising the whnch

You're free to go up and cldar.

The pilot moves the noisy Sda King clear, so the paramedic can be

told what's happened.

The position where unfortunately Bettina had

fallen into was probably ond of the worst positions

she could've picked.

It was in a small crevasse really, about ten feet below the mahn cliffs

and into like a keyhole feature

And she was trapped in that hole.

Bettina has fallen 18 feet, head first.

A doctor on the scene says she has a serious head injury,

and he's worried about her back neck, pelvis and internal organs.

..Go ahead.

INDISTINCT.

And the tide is coming in.

The extraction's going to take some time.

We're just going to get some more fuel.

771 keeps a bowser at nearby St Mary's Airport.

They'll need plenty of fuel - this is going to be a long job.

I was talking to the doctor at the time and he was very

informative, he explained coming given the gravity of her injuries

informative, he explained that given the gravity of her injuries

she was going to be taken to hospital.

But I didn't really know what that meant at the time -

it was only when I saw this massive helicopter that I then apprdciated

what was happening.

Five, four, three...

Easy, easy...

Steady?

To the left slowly.

It's clear.

Raising...

Up slowly...

You can start transitioning.

The "transition", which is Navy-speak for flight,

will be to the southwest's lajor trauma centre at Dereford Hospital

in Plymouth where doctors are waiting.

Bettina's rescue becomes the 78th of the year.

Over the 41 years, the crews of 771 Squadron have rescued countless

people - countless because no-one was counting, nobody kept any

records until 1980.

But with a little bit of "guesstimation", they believe

that there have been 9,000 jobs during that time,

and 15,000 people rescued.

That includes many of the 125 sailors rescued in the 1979 Fastnet

race disaster, when 771, along with other aircraft

from the Culdrose naval air

station, went to the aid of racing yachts which had been hit

by a huge storm.

19 sailors died, and more than 70 boats capsized.

ARCHIVE: That is a major incident, I have to say...

Rescue 193 was also in Bosc`stle, along with RAF and coasth

Guard helicopters.

Dozens of people were winchdd to safety from the rooftops,

when the village was flooded in 2004.

And there was another Fastndt race rescue, in 1985.

# Her name is Rio, she don't need to understand...#

The lead singer of Duran Duran and his crew were taking part

in the yacht Drum, ahead of an attempt of the Whitbrdad

around the world race.

Just off the Cornish coast, they had a problem.

A big problem.

This big bang goes, and I'vd fallen out of my cot,

and the guy who was in the one underneath me

just landed on top of me.

And he just went, the keel's gone.

You get to the main companionway, which is the hatch that you come

out of.

Looking down into the Atlantic Ocean, it was wet,

and you were walking on the ceiling.

Everything is upside down.

I mean, this was a pretty d`ngerous situation, wasn't it?

It's the most dangerous situation I've ever been in.

It was very frightening, yes, absolutely.

That was my...

That was when I looked into the eyes of death.

And then we heard the beat of a helicopter.

And the guys said, a Navy helicopter's come.

The diver has just got in.

And then about five minutes later, this head pops up in the mahn

companionway, and we think, thank God for that, we're rdscued.

It felt like International Rescue.

It did. Thunderbirds are go.

This guy didn't touch anythhng, just takes off his mask,

goes, hello, and he coughs.

The next thing - "Jesus, what have you guys been

"smoking in here?"

And I thought, he must have heard I was a rock star.

But actually, we had got usdd to it, but the fumes

in there were really noxious.

And he says, OK, I've cleardd a way, it's dead easy, who wants

to go first? I said, I will.

I dived in, and started swilming up and as I came up, the waistband

of my long johns caught on the stanchion post.

And it pulled my pants down, my long johns down.

And as I came up to surface it kind of tightened around my anklds

and I stopped that far short of the surface.

I managed to get the long johns off my feet, and came up.

So that explains why we've got pictures of the lead singer of one

of the biggest bands of the time standing in a field in Cornwall

with no trousers on.

That's right, yeah.

There's me.

Rock star in underpants.

And he's going, what happened to your trousers?

All 26 crew were rescued, cold but unharmed.

Sadly, there was no news of Simon's trousers.

Diver Larry Slater was awarded the George Medal for the rescue

It's given for acts of great bravery, and one of five aw`rded

to 771 air crew, along with 15 Queen's Gallantry Medals,

and dozens of others.

The last one was a GQM to Petty Officer

Winchman Patch Adams.

He was on the winch.

A particularly dangerous mission, and we thought...

It was during the storms a couple of years ago and we were repuired

to go and rescue six French fishermen who had become stranded

on their boat.

She had no power of her own, started to spin around

and was at the mercy of the seas and the waves.

And the only way we were gohng to get anybody off that boat,

because of the clutter, because of the sea state

and because of the orientathon of the boat, was to get thel to jump

into the sea.

Essentially, we had to send Patch down five times to pick up those

sailors and fishermen from the sea.

He had to grab hold of them from the sea as they swam

towards us, and winch them back into the aircraft.

The next morning, the fishing boat Le Sillon was washed up

on Cornwall's north coast, the hull smashed by the hugd waves.

This is what one of the crew calls the office window,

and what an office window it is

A wonderful view of the Cornish coast, but this is an officd window

that they will have to climb out of, and that could be 200 miles

offshore, at night, in a gale.

There have been a few occashons where I've sort of opened up that

door at night or over a job and thought, hm,

how are we going to do this? This is not very comfortabld.

But, again, I think your tr`ining kicks in and you think

about the person who is probably in a worse position

than you are at that moment, which is the casualty,

and then you just sort of crack on.

You've got a job to do. You're the one who is on duty.

There is no one else.

When we get called, you know that every other service has been tried,

tested, and sometimes cannot meet the requirements.

That's when we get called in to do the job.

It's just a very routine sepuence, really, that we follow,

and it's drilled into us from, like I say, all the training

that we have done, and working as a crew.

But at the time, it's just another day in the office.

Quite an office.

The Sea Kings came into service in the '70s, when the old Wdssex

helicopters were phased out.

Now the much-loved red and grey Sea King is also a veteran.

This one is 45 years old.

But during that lifetime, all the important bit -

like the engine, the gearbox, the electronics - will have been

changed many times.

It's like a 45-year-old broom that had seven new heads

and six new handles.

In the space of 13,000 flying hours, the aircraft could have had four

or five gearboxes, double that engines and all

the other various components.

Personally, I will be sad to see the end of the Sea King,

but at the same time, it's an old lady now.

If it was your granny, it would be like her working

until she was 100 and wanting to go to the gym twice a week.

It's just time.

It's an old lady and it's time to let her go now.

But she's still a sight for sore eyes if this is the state

of your fishing boat...

This Spanish trawler lost power 135 miles offshore.

All ten crew were winched to safety.

Air sea rescues often involve working with the RNLI,

and that means training with the volunteer crews.

Today, it's the turn of the Saint Mary's lifeboat

on the Isles of Scilly.

It's a great exercise.

Two or three times a year, we'll have a little session

with the boys.

It's great.

I'd say there's probably not one family on the whole of the hsland

that haven't got some affinhty with the 771 squadron.

That's because Rescue 193 h`s effectively provided

the island's Ambulance Servhce.

It takes more seriously ill patients to mainland hospitals.

Out of the blue, I had a heart attack.

They whisked me off to Truro and here I am, still.

I don't think I'd be here without it.

They came in once for a friend of mine.

She had been thrown from her horse. And it was foggy and a bit listy.

We could hear the helicopter coming.

Couldn't see it.

I was in the back of the ambulance with a neck collar on in case I had

broken my back as well.

Literally came up this valldy here and popped up over the hedge.

It was quite amazing to see her do that.

I think we come to rely on them so much.

They're just always there.

Two or three times a week, coming in, whisking our injtred

and sick away, bringing people back.

It's a fantastic service we've had from them over the years.

In fact, someone on the squ`dron has worked out that around 25% to 3 %

of their work has been lifthng people from the Isles of Schlly

to the mainland.

So in 41 years, that's almost 2000 people -

the total population of these islands.

The squadron is on a farewell visit to Scilly.

It's a chance for the air crew to meet the many they've helped

I had a heart problem.

And they said we've got the helicopter coming over for you.

I like flying. Not like Gladys!

No!

You didn't like it in the helicopter?

It was OK.

I didn't have time to think.

There was all the nice men around me.

So I was OK!

Don't say that.

Well, you're saying it!

There you go!

Aaron got flown out twice in three days in September.

And he has been flown out once previously to that.

Very scary, so it's really hmportant that they came and picked hhm

up really quickly.

This was for a medical issud? Yeah.

He had croup and pneumonia.

Look at that! What?

Thank you.

Thanks a lot. Thanks a million!

Does this bring back memorids?

Well, I do really remember, even the noise of it.

The Isles of Scilly is home to two families with a very special

connection to 771's helicopters

No, we had nothing.

Really?! Nothing.

You martyr.

The 18th of August 2001, and Jacob Burns arrived

while his mum was being flown from Saint Mary's

to a hospital in Truto.

It's quite funny to be in hdre again when last time I was probably laid

out here, about to give birth. But, yeah...

This is a better experience

And do you actually remember it Yeah, yeah, I remember it clearly.

I remember it being really dark and very, very noisy.

And that people were really amazing.

Everyone who was here made me feel really safe.

I couldn't really hear what anyone was saying,

so when Jacob was born, I didn't know if he was OK or not,

because obviously we were flown off because he was in distress.

The give me a thumbs up sign and that was...

That meant everything, because I didn't really know

if everything was OK.

Niki Hick's Sun Jacob arrivdd early.

Too early.

He's the first child to be born in the back of a British

military aircraft.

It must be true - it says that on his birth certificate.

That was 15 years ago.

Just two years, ago Marcus McLauchlan

also arrived in the back of a Sea King, on the way

from Scilly to the Royal Cornwall Hospital.

This is my husband, Barney.

And this is Marcus. He was born on the helicoptdr.

And this is Olivia, who was less trouble...

It's all a bit hazy for me, really.

Luckily, they had gas and air on the helicopter,

so I think it was probably lore terrifying for Barney

than it was for me.

It's only when you come back and sit that you realise how

terrified you were.

How small a space it is.

You would honestly think they did it once a week.

They were just brilliant.

Because of that, even though I was sort of worried and scared,

I thought, well, I'm with experts. They know what they are doing.

I told air traffic and the Coast Guard that we had seven persons

on board, and had a unique opportunity to tell them

with about two miles to go that we now had eight

persons on board.

This is Isles of Scilly Coast Guard.

A goodbye and very many thanks.

This is the Isles of Scilly Coast Guard, out.

771 is on another flight, waving goodbye to Cornwall.

And Cornwall is waving back.

It's a 40-year-old helicoptdr.

Most of the crews are still older than the aircraft they fly here

It's six months since her f`ll on Scilly, and Bettina West

is on a visit to Culdrose to thank her rescuers.

She has made a remarkable rdcovery.

had 70 stitches in the top of my head.

I had five fractured vertebrae and I had a fractured

ulna and radial.

I broke my wrist and I've got a slight metal plate in my wrist.

That's it. That's all?

That's enough, yeah! It's amazing.

You feel like an attention seeker, in a way.

It sounds crazy, because thd effort that everyone has gone to,

the size of the aircraft to the technology involved,

it's incredible, really, all for one person.

But ultimately, they are saving your life.

Bettina joins the long, long list of grateful survivors

Amongst them, the crew of a Pakistani container shhp,

the MV Murree.

Three helicopters were needdd to lift the sailors and thehr wives

and children back to dry land.

On his life jacket, the second officer's tribute describes the air

crew as angels in the guise of men.

The rescued include fishermdn, yachtsmen and women,

cliff walkers, car accident victims, rock climbers and a rock st`r.

I am grateful to 771 squadron, to Larry and the other guys

on the crew for saving my lhfe.

For saving the lives of the other guys.

These are guys who face extraordinary danger on a d`ily

basis, who go out and put their lives at risk,

even when it seems crazy to do so, to help people who are in trouble.

Royal Navy Search and Rescue started in 1953.

771 squadron moved to Culdrose in 1971, but now it's almost over.

It's the last day.

It's a very proud moment for myself and obviously the rest of the crew,

to be here on this glorious morning in Cornwall.

Our final search and rescue mission.

If there is anything to get sad about, it's the old girl gohng.

She's very much suited to do this type of work and a great aircraft,

very reliable once she gets going.

As we were saying, it's verx often the last aircraft now that we do

actually get to fly.

It is much loved by us, as pilots, and the crew down the back.

You're staying in the Navy, but you're going to miss

this, aren't you?

Yeah, search and rescue has been a very large part of my carder.

I've been involved in the sdarch and rescue for 12 years now,

so it's a significant part of my air crew career.

But I move on to pastures ndw.

It's unfortunate, this will probably be my last flying job,

probably my last helicopter flying job, so we're probably

within the last few hours of my helicopter flying carder.

And most memorable rescue?

I was filed in a rescue here where we were 200 miles out

in probably the worst sea state I have ever flown over,

trying to pick somebody off of a fishing boat which was lurching

around all over the place.

We managed to achieve that with a little bit of thinking

outside of the box.

That's probably about as close to the limit I've ever workdd

and probably would ever want to work, to be fair.

What is it?

Quick word.

It's a cliff fall, Port Eisdnach.

The last job...

ever...

We are now standing down.

And then it's all over.

This is your commanding offhcer speaking.

After 63 years of service and over 9,000 missions,

for the last and final time, stand down for search and rdscue.

That is all.

Quite sad, actually.

And it's definitely very emotional, I have to say.

I didn't think it would be, but there you go.

Yeah.

It's a long time coming, actually, and for a proud squadron

it's such a history.

After 63 years of doing the mission, yeah, it's a big moment.

I owe them so much.

They save your life, and how do you thank people

that save your life?

I have huge respect and affection for them.

I'll stay flying, and it will be an interesting change to flx

something new, but probably won't enjoy it quite

as much as this.

This has been a great job to do and the one I will be moving

on to will be a very similar aircraft, but a very

different role, actually.

I'm going to fly the Navy's other helicopters, which is a Merlin

helicopter, and I start doing that next April.

I've had a lot of exciting flying in the Sea King.

A lot of good times in the Sea King.

The Merlin is a very different aircraft.

A staff job with one of the battle staff in Plymouth

Not quite the same, very much flying a desk, unfortunately.

It will be the end of my naval career when I leave here.

I will have done 30 years,

the last eight of which havd been with search and rescue here at 71.

I'm looking to become a primary school teacher,

and hopefully

to start working in a local West Cornwall School

from the 1st of September.

I don't think there is any job that can compare to the job satisfaction

you get from when you save somebody's life.

We've got a very capable se`rch and rescue corporation taking over,

which I'm going to work for.

They've got all of the state-of-the-art equipment hn.

I've got a job.

Hello, I'm Riz Lateef with your 90 second update.

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