0:00:02 > 0:00:06A close call...a moment of danger when life can hang in the balance.
0:00:07 > 0:00:11A split-second where the outcome could go either way.
0:00:11 > 0:00:13I was rooted to the spot with fear.
0:00:13 > 0:00:17The difference between disaster and survival.
0:00:17 > 0:00:19My heart's dropped. This was a big crash.
0:00:19 > 0:00:22These are the people that have been there and lived to tell the tale.
0:00:22 > 0:00:24I need an ambulance!
0:00:24 > 0:00:2615 minutes and your number would be up.
0:00:26 > 0:00:30Their instincts and resources, coupled with the quick thinking
0:00:30 > 0:00:33of others, helped to pull them through.
0:00:33 > 0:00:35Could have gone wrong. Could have easily gone wrong.
0:00:35 > 0:00:39And their dramatic experiences recorded on camera.
0:00:39 > 0:00:43I think there were several things that could have killed me, should have killed me and didn't.
0:00:43 > 0:00:45It's a day they'll never forget.
0:00:45 > 0:00:48The day they had a close call.
0:01:03 > 0:01:06Today on Close Calls -
0:01:06 > 0:01:10a helicopter winchman battles to save the crew of a fishing boat
0:01:10 > 0:01:14tossed into the sea as their vessel vanishes beneath the waves.
0:01:14 > 0:01:17I saw a life jacket float past me, I thought, "Hang on a minute,
0:01:17 > 0:01:18"we've lost one."
0:01:20 > 0:01:24And an 11-year-old boy pleads for help from a 999 call handler
0:01:24 > 0:01:27as he struggles to save his dying dad.
0:01:43 > 0:01:46The Butt of Lewis in the Outer Hebrides.
0:01:46 > 0:01:50In the Atlantic Ocean, a fishing vessel is sinking fast.
0:01:50 > 0:01:54Five crew members are clinging onto the only corner above the water.
0:01:54 > 0:01:55Trying to reach them,
0:01:55 > 0:01:58a winchman from the coastguard rescue helicopter.
0:01:58 > 0:02:01The bottom of the hull was exposed at this point, you know,
0:02:01 > 0:02:04propeller, the rudder. But the guys were still on it.
0:02:04 > 0:02:07We knew that this is starting to escalate quickly.
0:02:09 > 0:02:11Just as the winchman tries to board the boat,
0:02:11 > 0:02:14a massive wave sends the crew hurtling into the icy sea.
0:02:22 > 0:02:26Two Irish fishing boats are enjoying a perfect day out on the ocean.
0:02:26 > 0:02:29This footage of the vessel, the Iuda Naofa, is being
0:02:29 > 0:02:33taken by one of the crew on its sister vessel, the Star Of Hope.
0:02:33 > 0:02:36The two fishing boats operate out of Galway.
0:02:36 > 0:02:39They head out to the northern Atlantic Ocean and fish for mackerel
0:02:39 > 0:02:43and blue whiting in trips that can last up to two weeks.
0:02:43 > 0:02:46An occasional crewmember onboard the Star of Hope is engineer
0:02:46 > 0:02:48Gerry Hernon.
0:02:48 > 0:02:51The type of fishing we do, it's what's called pelagic.
0:02:51 > 0:02:55We use two boats towing one large net in between two boats.
0:03:00 > 0:03:03The two vessels were working together but they're basically one vessel.
0:03:03 > 0:03:05You have to work as a pair.
0:03:05 > 0:03:07Trawler fishing is a family business.
0:03:07 > 0:03:11Gerry's son Eric is one of the crew onboard the Iuda Naofa
0:03:11 > 0:03:13where he works alongside another father and son,
0:03:13 > 0:03:15Mairtin and Micheal Conghaile.
0:03:15 > 0:03:20Eric's fished on the Iuda Naofa for approximately 4.5 years,
0:03:20 > 0:03:22I think it is, something like that.
0:03:22 > 0:03:25They're quite a young crew, so they get on fairly well together.
0:03:25 > 0:03:27Fishing is the crew's livelihood
0:03:27 > 0:03:31but living out at sea means enduring ferocious conditions.
0:03:31 > 0:03:32This is a risky business.
0:03:34 > 0:03:38That danger's always going to be there. Any job on the sea, no matter what it is.
0:03:38 > 0:03:41I mean, whether you're on an oil rig or a fishing boat,
0:03:41 > 0:03:43it is a dangerous job.
0:03:43 > 0:03:47One morning in January, those dangers become very evident.
0:03:47 > 0:03:51Both trawlers are returning from a three-day trip fishing for mackerel
0:03:51 > 0:03:54just north of the Isle of Lewis off the Atlantic coast of Scotland.
0:03:54 > 0:03:58It was a very successful trip and we were on our way home.
0:03:58 > 0:03:59Things were going good.
0:03:59 > 0:04:03They finish fishing at 1am. A force six is blowing.
0:04:03 > 0:04:04The crew grab some rest
0:04:04 > 0:04:08but later that morning they realise one of the boats is in trouble.
0:04:08 > 0:04:10Mairtin, the skipper of the Iuda Naofa,
0:04:10 > 0:04:13he'd noticed that she had started to take on water at her head.
0:04:15 > 0:04:16Nobody knows why.
0:04:19 > 0:04:22It had started getting obvious then after maybe half an hour
0:04:22 > 0:04:25to an hour that he was getting in trouble.
0:04:25 > 0:04:28Because the boat was starting to go slightly down by the head.
0:04:30 > 0:04:33Skipper Mairtin instructs his crew to get the pumps started.
0:04:33 > 0:04:38But there's an electrical fault and now the water onboard is increasing.
0:04:38 > 0:04:40Mairtin radios the coastguard for help.
0:04:41 > 0:04:44We received a call from Malin Head
0:04:44 > 0:04:47coastguard in Ireland that there was a vessel in our district
0:04:47 > 0:04:48in difficulties
0:04:48 > 0:04:50and required assistance.
0:04:54 > 0:04:58It seemed he was taking water in the forehead part of his vessel
0:04:58 > 0:05:02and he needed extra pumping assistance to pump the water out.
0:05:02 > 0:05:06At 11am, the coastguard rescue helicopter is launched from
0:05:06 > 0:05:09Stornoway on the Isle of Lewis.
0:05:09 > 0:05:12They're going to deliver an electric pump to the Iuda Naofa.
0:05:12 > 0:05:16It should be enough to clear the water and keep the boat afloat.
0:05:17 > 0:05:22Despite the weather, pilot Debdash Bhattacharya has good visuals that morning.
0:05:22 > 0:05:26But the sea conditions are rough and he can tell the boat is struggling.
0:05:26 > 0:05:28On getting close to the vessel,
0:05:28 > 0:05:30you could see that she was quite nose down.
0:05:30 > 0:05:32Her bow was quite low
0:05:32 > 0:05:35and in the sort of three metre swell that there was there,
0:05:35 > 0:05:37you could see that she was just starting
0:05:37 > 0:05:38to plough through the bigger waves.
0:05:43 > 0:05:45The plan is for the helicopter winchman,
0:05:45 > 0:05:48Darren Jones, to deliver the pump to the fishing boat.
0:05:48 > 0:05:50But the sea swell is high.
0:05:50 > 0:05:52We're talking 18-20ft.
0:05:52 > 0:05:55Normally when you see a fishing vessel in those sort of conditions,
0:05:55 > 0:05:57it's bobbing round like a cork.
0:05:57 > 0:06:00But the Iuda, she was just ploughing in.
0:06:00 > 0:06:02The waves were coming across the front of the bow.
0:06:04 > 0:06:08So instead, the coastguard rescue lower the pump down a high wire
0:06:08 > 0:06:10onto the deck of the Iuda Naofa.
0:06:10 > 0:06:13But the pilot decides to stay close by.
0:06:13 > 0:06:16Having dropped the pump down to the vessel, we elected to orbit
0:06:16 > 0:06:21and remain in the area to see if we could lend any further assistance.
0:06:21 > 0:06:25And we just stayed within about two miles of the vessel.
0:06:25 > 0:06:26And it's just as well.
0:06:26 > 0:06:30Ten minutes later, another emergency call comes from the Iuda Naofa.
0:06:30 > 0:06:32The crew can't get the pump going.
0:06:33 > 0:06:36I suggested, why don't we say to them,
0:06:36 > 0:06:39"Look, we'll get myself onboard so I can go and look at the pump."
0:06:39 > 0:06:42And as we were discussing this, the Iuda then came back to us
0:06:42 > 0:06:46and there was a definitive change in the tone of the skipper.
0:06:49 > 0:06:51He said to us, "We're starting to list to port,"
0:06:51 > 0:06:54she was starting to lean, to the left side.
0:06:54 > 0:06:57And kind of starting to move with the sea
0:06:57 > 0:06:59as if steering was becoming a problem,
0:06:59 > 0:07:01power was becoming a problem.
0:07:04 > 0:07:07As they return, the situation has deteriorated rapidly.
0:07:09 > 0:07:11The left-hand side of the vessel, which is
0:07:11 > 0:07:14normally well above the water, was actually starting to get swamped.
0:07:14 > 0:07:18The waves were coming over the left-hand side of the vessel
0:07:18 > 0:07:21so we knew that this is starting to escalate quickly.
0:07:23 > 0:07:24The decision is made.
0:07:24 > 0:07:27Winchman Darren needs to go down onto the vessel
0:07:27 > 0:07:29and rescue the five crewmen.
0:07:30 > 0:07:33The helicopter sends down a high line to the fishermen.
0:07:33 > 0:07:36This cable will connect to the vessel and act as an anchor
0:07:36 > 0:07:40for winchman Darren as he is lowered down on the winch cable.
0:07:40 > 0:07:43The fishermen connect the high line to the boat.
0:07:43 > 0:07:44Winchman Darren's ready to go.
0:07:47 > 0:07:51I was literally preparing to go out the door when there was a wave
0:07:51 > 0:07:54come in right down the left-hand side of the vessel.
0:07:54 > 0:07:58She rose quite substantially and basically the port,
0:07:58 > 0:08:00the left side of the vessel, submerged.
0:08:02 > 0:08:06The coastguard rescue helicopter's onboard camera catches just
0:08:06 > 0:08:08how desperate the situation has become.
0:08:08 > 0:08:11The Iuda Naofa is going under.
0:08:11 > 0:08:13The crew clamber over the side
0:08:13 > 0:08:16and cling on as Darren hovers just feet above them.
0:08:16 > 0:08:18The bottom of the hull was exposed at this point, you know,
0:08:18 > 0:08:22propeller, the rudder but the guys were still on it.
0:08:22 > 0:08:26They've scrambled up onto what is now the back right corner.
0:08:26 > 0:08:29That was basically the only thing that was still above the surface.
0:08:31 > 0:08:33It's not just the five crew at risk.
0:08:33 > 0:08:36The boat is going down and the helicopter is attached
0:08:36 > 0:08:38to the boat by the high line.
0:08:38 > 0:08:40There's a safety mechanism designed to break the cable
0:08:40 > 0:08:43and prevent the aircraft being pulled into the sea
0:08:43 > 0:08:46but Darren isn't going to wait for it to kick in.
0:08:46 > 0:08:47I wanted rid of that rope.
0:08:47 > 0:08:51It could have entangled me, it could have entangled any of the guys,
0:08:51 > 0:08:54it was physically attached to the fishing vessel at this point
0:08:54 > 0:08:55so it had to go.
0:08:55 > 0:09:00But as Darren prepares to sever the line, disaster.
0:09:00 > 0:09:04A massive wave throws four of the stricken fishermen into the ocean.
0:09:09 > 0:09:13In that instance, winchman Darren releases the high line cable.
0:09:14 > 0:09:17But one crewman is still clinging on to the hull
0:09:17 > 0:09:20just a few feet away from the spinning propeller.
0:09:20 > 0:09:21Just in the nick of time,
0:09:21 > 0:09:26he leaps off as the boat disappears under the water.
0:09:26 > 0:09:29From us establishing the high line to the vessel sinking
0:09:29 > 0:09:31was something like 58 seconds.
0:09:31 > 0:09:33It was incredibly quick.
0:09:38 > 0:09:41Later - Gerry watches helplessly as his son, Eric,
0:09:41 > 0:09:44and four crewmates are thrown around by the Atlantic swell,
0:09:44 > 0:09:47at risk of being dragged beneath the waves.
0:09:47 > 0:09:50You've got nets, you've got ropes, you've got various other debris,
0:09:50 > 0:09:53you don't know what could actually tangle somebody or take them down.
0:09:56 > 0:09:59Also coming up - no-one knows they are missing.
0:09:59 > 0:10:02Two pensioners adrift on the river at night
0:10:02 > 0:10:05and being pulled out to sea.
0:10:05 > 0:10:06You're just drifting
0:10:06 > 0:10:09and the speed it takes you up there is quite phenomenal.
0:10:16 > 0:10:18Leicester, in the East Midlands.
0:10:18 > 0:10:22A frantic 999 call has just come through to the ambulance service.
0:10:22 > 0:10:23It's from a child.
0:10:33 > 0:10:36Josh Williamson is only 11 and he's petrified.
0:10:36 > 0:10:39His dad, Tommy, has collapsed on the floor and is unconscious.
0:10:39 > 0:10:42Josh is a sea cadet, he's learned CPR
0:10:42 > 0:10:46and already tried to revive his dad but he knows he needs help.
0:10:46 > 0:10:51I put like one hand like that and then one hand on top.
0:10:51 > 0:10:53And then I just started pumping.
0:11:02 > 0:11:05The ambulance is racing to the scene, but for now Josh
0:11:05 > 0:11:08needs to keep on pumping if he's going to save his dad's life.
0:11:19 > 0:11:2311-year-old Josh and his dad, 56-year-old Tommy Elverston,
0:11:23 > 0:11:26love sharing a bit of father-son time together.
0:11:26 > 0:11:30We went to Cornwall last year which were beautiful. Absolutely stunning.
0:11:30 > 0:11:33I think Josh loved it.
0:11:33 > 0:11:35I spend quite a lot of time with my dad.
0:11:35 > 0:11:39We get on well and we spend the weekend with each other.
0:11:40 > 0:11:44It's Sunday morning. Josh is having breakfast at his dad's flat.
0:11:44 > 0:11:46But Tommy isn't feeling very well.
0:11:46 > 0:11:48He was complaining that he had heartburn.
0:11:48 > 0:11:51And then he went into the bedroom.
0:11:51 > 0:11:55And soon Josh hears some worrying noises coming from behind the door.
0:11:55 > 0:12:01All I could hear was some funny breathing. And then I went in.
0:12:01 > 0:12:02And I saw him on the floor.
0:12:05 > 0:12:08There was, like, blood coming from his nose.
0:12:08 > 0:12:11And his eyes were slowly shutting.
0:12:13 > 0:12:16My first thought when I saw him, I thought he was dead.
0:12:16 > 0:12:20I was scared because I didn't want to lose my dad.
0:12:20 > 0:12:23Tommy is in cardiac arrest. His heart has stopped beating.
0:12:24 > 0:12:27Josh is a member of the sea cadets and trained in CPR.
0:12:27 > 0:12:30Instinct kicks in and he springs into action.
0:12:34 > 0:12:39Josh doesn't know it yet but he is about to save his dad's life.
0:12:39 > 0:12:43I put like one hand like that and then one hand on top,
0:12:43 > 0:12:46near the end of the rib cage.
0:12:46 > 0:12:49And then I just started pumping.
0:12:49 > 0:12:51But Tommy isn't responding.
0:12:51 > 0:12:54Josh needs to get some emergency assistance fast.
0:12:54 > 0:12:55PHONE RINGS
0:13:03 > 0:13:06Call handler Colette Storr answers the young boy's desperate call for help.
0:13:35 > 0:13:37He didn't know exactly what had happened.
0:13:37 > 0:13:39All he knew is his dad wasn't breathing on the floor.
0:13:39 > 0:13:42Colette needs to try and keep the distraught boy calm.
0:13:42 > 0:13:46It's imperative that Josh continues to perform CPR on his dad.
0:13:46 > 0:13:48If he does nothing,
0:13:48 > 0:13:51Tommy could be dead before the ambulance has even arrived.
0:13:51 > 0:13:54The earliest we start CPR, the better chance the person has at coming back.
0:14:09 > 0:14:11One, two, three, four.
0:14:20 > 0:14:24With panic-stricken Josh still pumping away at his dad's chest,
0:14:24 > 0:14:26the ambulance crew arrive.
0:14:32 > 0:14:37Rapid response paramedic Rachael Cavill is one of the first on the scene.
0:14:37 > 0:14:40She finds Tommy unconscious, bleeding from the head
0:14:40 > 0:14:41and close to death.
0:14:42 > 0:14:46You've got no heartbeat, he wasn't making any respiratory effort,
0:14:46 > 0:14:50hence why we started CPR and we started to ventilate him
0:14:50 > 0:14:53in an attempt to try and get all that started.
0:14:53 > 0:14:56Rachael and the other paramedics use a defibrillator,
0:14:56 > 0:14:59the machine which delivers electrical energy to the heart
0:14:59 > 0:15:01to try and get it beating again.
0:15:01 > 0:15:03We delivered two shocks to Tommy
0:15:03 > 0:15:05and we managed to get Tommy's heart started again.
0:15:05 > 0:15:10Finally, 20 minutes after his heart completely stopped,
0:15:10 > 0:15:14Tommy is showing signs of life. Josh's mum, Hayley, has been called.
0:15:14 > 0:15:17She races over to see her son.
0:15:17 > 0:15:19As soon as I saw my mum I ran to her.
0:15:19 > 0:15:21I just gave Josh a cuddle.
0:15:21 > 0:15:24My first instinct was just to grab him and give him a cuddle,
0:15:24 > 0:15:26just reassure him, he's in the best hands possible.
0:15:26 > 0:15:30Tommy is rushed to hospital where he can get the critical care
0:15:30 > 0:15:32he so desperately needs.
0:15:32 > 0:15:35Tommy was transferred to the catheter lab which is a theatre
0:15:35 > 0:15:39which allows them to perform a procedure that unblocks
0:15:39 > 0:15:43the artery in Tommy's heart and allows blood flow to be restored.
0:15:44 > 0:15:48Incredibly, six months after he cheated death,
0:15:48 > 0:15:52Tommy is recovering and has no memory of the horrifying ordeal.
0:15:52 > 0:15:57He's been diagnosed with myocarditis, a virus that attacks the heart muscle.
0:15:57 > 0:15:59He's now got a pacemaker fitted to ensure that
0:15:59 > 0:16:02if he has another attack, his heart won't completely stop.
0:16:03 > 0:16:07Now I have to just go up every three months or so,
0:16:07 > 0:16:09I think, to have this checked.
0:16:09 > 0:16:13And if my heart does go, it will kick it in.
0:16:13 > 0:16:17There's no doubt that without Josh's desperate 999 call,
0:16:17 > 0:16:18his dad would have died.
0:16:22 > 0:16:24- That phone call... - SHE EXHALES LOUDLY
0:16:24 > 0:16:27..it's heart-wrenching. Just, it's...
0:16:27 > 0:16:29It pulls the heartstrings, daily.
0:16:29 > 0:16:32Amazing. Very, very, very proud.
0:16:32 > 0:16:34And quick-thinking Josh has even received
0:16:34 > 0:16:37an award for his bravery from the ambulance service.
0:16:37 > 0:16:42I feel really, really happy because I saved my dad's life.
0:16:42 > 0:16:44If I weren't there, my dad would have been gone.
0:16:56 > 0:17:00Sometimes when things go wrong it's down to sheer bad luck.
0:17:00 > 0:17:03And sometimes getting rescued is down to sheer good luck.
0:17:06 > 0:17:08Langstone Harbour, Portsmouth.
0:17:08 > 0:17:11The RNLI desperately search for two pensioners who have
0:17:11 > 0:17:14brought their small yacht alongside a jetty for repairs.
0:17:16 > 0:17:20Someone has realised the men's vehicle is still in the car park
0:17:20 > 0:17:22and the boat is missing.
0:17:22 > 0:17:25They've been out of contact for five hours.
0:17:25 > 0:17:27It's 1am, temperatures are plummeting
0:17:27 > 0:17:31and there's no sign of the men or their boat.
0:17:31 > 0:17:34At that time of night it's pitch-black,
0:17:34 > 0:17:36there's no lighting in the harbour and there's lots of obstacles.
0:17:44 > 0:17:4876-year-old Thomas Prunty has always enjoyed a spot of recreational
0:17:48 > 0:17:53sea fishing, regularly chartering boats from the south coast.
0:17:53 > 0:17:56Recently, he decided to buy his own boat,
0:17:56 > 0:17:59a 21ft DIY project called Kingfisher.
0:17:59 > 0:18:04I was going to repair it, clean it, make it look very nice
0:18:04 > 0:18:06and then put it back on the mooring to go fishing.
0:18:08 > 0:18:11It's a cold April evening and Thomas and his friend,
0:18:11 > 0:18:14Ray, are ashore in Langstone Harbour in Portsmouth.
0:18:14 > 0:18:16They want to fit an engine to Kingfisher
0:18:16 > 0:18:19but they're running late. It's already getting dark.
0:18:19 > 0:18:22And while preparing to move the boat from the sea,
0:18:22 > 0:18:23Thomas stumbles into the water.
0:18:25 > 0:18:28When I got wet, I fell off the boat to a degree into the shallow end and
0:18:28 > 0:18:32I fell back on my back and I took my coat off and I took the coat off
0:18:32 > 0:18:36and put it on to the shore and my phone was in the coat.
0:18:39 > 0:18:42Thomas doesn't know it yet but not having his phone with him
0:18:42 > 0:18:45will prove to be an almost fatal mistake.
0:18:46 > 0:18:49The two men have already unsuccessfully tried one motor
0:18:49 > 0:18:51and they're about to try a different one
0:18:51 > 0:18:53when they realise they are on the move.
0:18:53 > 0:18:55They're not tied up to the shore.
0:18:55 > 0:18:59Put the other engine on, that wouldn't start either.
0:18:59 > 0:19:01In the meantime, we are in the middle of the stream.
0:19:01 > 0:19:03And we're going up the estuary.
0:19:04 > 0:19:06Unattached, and with no power,
0:19:06 > 0:19:09the boat starts moving with a forceful tide.
0:19:10 > 0:19:13You've got no control with your steerage.
0:19:13 > 0:19:15You're just drifting
0:19:15 > 0:19:18and the speed it takes you up there is quite phenomenal.
0:19:20 > 0:19:23The surging water drags Kingfisher through the busy harbour
0:19:23 > 0:19:26which is littered with other moored vessels and buoys.
0:19:28 > 0:19:30There aren't any people around to help
0:19:30 > 0:19:34and Thomas's phone is back on the shore and Ray doesn't have one.
0:19:34 > 0:19:36We'd bumped into one little boat
0:19:36 > 0:19:41and we managed to get hold of another boat and I tried to hold on to it,
0:19:41 > 0:19:44because of the strength of the tide I couldn't.
0:19:44 > 0:19:47So, I let go of that and we went on and on and on.
0:19:49 > 0:19:51Then you have the real problem, then I'm frightened.
0:19:53 > 0:19:58The major worry is that the boat will be pulled out with the tide into the middle of the sea.
0:20:01 > 0:20:05But, finally, Thomas and Ray find a way to halt their drift into danger.
0:20:07 > 0:20:11We managed to grab hold of the Langstone Harbour boat.
0:20:13 > 0:20:16We tied off, right, so now we're safe to a degree.
0:20:16 > 0:20:20Because once you're tied to the boat, at least you're not going
0:20:20 > 0:20:25to crash into something that might have a jagged edge, you know,
0:20:25 > 0:20:26that could breach the hull.
0:20:26 > 0:20:30If it breaches the hull, then the boat sinks, you're in a lot more trouble.
0:20:33 > 0:20:36They've moored themselves to the Langstone Harbour pilot boat
0:20:36 > 0:20:38which is anchored to the seabed.
0:20:38 > 0:20:42The Kingfisher has drifted half a mile along the coast.
0:20:42 > 0:20:44It's getting dark and becoming colder.
0:20:44 > 0:20:47They can see the lights on the distant shore
0:20:47 > 0:20:50but all they can do is wait and hope.
0:20:52 > 0:20:56We're sitting there, we're safe. But we are cold, I'm wet.
0:20:58 > 0:21:01No, I don't think I would have liked to have slept there for the morning.
0:21:02 > 0:21:06The hours pass. It's now half past midnight.
0:21:06 > 0:21:08Thomas and Ray have been sitting out in the cold,
0:21:08 > 0:21:11stranded, for more than four hours.
0:21:11 > 0:21:14No-one knows where they are or even that they've floated off.
0:21:16 > 0:21:20Fortunately, someone back at the harbour realises their car
0:21:20 > 0:21:24is still there but their boat isn't and alerts the coastguard.
0:21:25 > 0:21:28The Portsmouth RNLI launch a search and rescue mission.
0:21:28 > 0:21:30Their onboard camera is rolling.
0:21:30 > 0:21:33At that time of night, it's pitch-black,
0:21:33 > 0:21:36there's no lighting in the harbour and there's lots of obstacles.
0:21:38 > 0:21:42We focus mainly around the moored boats and the buoys
0:21:42 > 0:21:45because if any incidents come to happen, people tend to sort of
0:21:45 > 0:21:48grab onto the nearest thing that's going to keep them safe.
0:21:48 > 0:21:53After half an hour, at 1am, one of the rescue boats spots the Kingfisher.
0:21:53 > 0:21:55It's a massive relief for Thomas.
0:21:57 > 0:22:04Fortunately, the very nice chaps that came along on a boat saved us.
0:22:04 > 0:22:07And I tell you what, that's a wonderful thing to see them.
0:22:07 > 0:22:08It really was.
0:22:10 > 0:22:13Helmsman Jim and his crew help the exhausted pensioners across
0:22:13 > 0:22:14and onto the boat.
0:22:14 > 0:22:17His immediate thoughts turn to their wellbeing.
0:22:18 > 0:22:19When we found the gentlemen,
0:22:19 > 0:22:22they were obviously very pleased to see us.
0:22:22 > 0:22:25There was an element of relief on their faces, that was for sure.
0:22:25 > 0:22:30Our concerns actually turned to sort of a medical perspective.
0:22:30 > 0:22:34He was still wet. Our main area of concern was therefore hypothermia.
0:22:34 > 0:22:36Thomas and Ray are taken to dry land
0:22:36 > 0:22:39and checked over in a waiting ambulance.
0:22:39 > 0:22:42Luckily, neither of them need any further treatment.
0:22:42 > 0:22:44The pair have had an incredibly lucky escape.
0:22:44 > 0:22:47The biggest danger, possibly, of the evening,
0:22:47 > 0:22:50was if the tide had turned and we hadn't managed to grab
0:22:50 > 0:22:53the Langstone Harbour boat, we could have gone out to sea.
0:22:53 > 0:22:56Luckily on this occasion, the gentleman were found safe
0:22:56 > 0:22:59and well and the situation resolved.
0:22:59 > 0:23:03It doesn't take much for these sort of situations to turn nasty
0:23:03 > 0:23:04and for a very different outcome.
0:23:15 > 0:23:18Back to the Outer Hebrides off the Isle of Lewis
0:23:18 > 0:23:21where five fishermen are in great danger.
0:23:21 > 0:23:24They've been swept off their boat, the Iuda Naofa,
0:23:24 > 0:23:27just seconds before it disappeared under the surface.
0:23:27 > 0:23:30On the scene, the Stornoway coastguard rescue helicopter.
0:23:30 > 0:23:33This was no longer lifting people from the deck of a ship,
0:23:33 > 0:23:35it was retrieving people from the water.
0:23:35 > 0:23:38So the whole tempo picks up a beat at that stage.
0:23:40 > 0:23:41Watching on from the Star of Hope,
0:23:41 > 0:23:45the stricken vessel's sister ship, is engineer Gerry Hernon.
0:23:47 > 0:23:51His son, Eric, has been swept into the sea before his eyes.
0:23:51 > 0:23:56He knows there is now a real danger of Eric being dragged under by the debris in the water.
0:23:57 > 0:24:01You've got nets, you've got ropes, you've got various other debris, you don't know
0:24:01 > 0:24:04what could actually, you know, tangle somebody or take them down.
0:24:04 > 0:24:07I mean, even from our own point of view, there was a danger to us.
0:24:07 > 0:24:10Even going up so close, you don't know what debris
0:24:10 > 0:24:12will come floating up from the boat.
0:24:12 > 0:24:13It's up to the helicopter crew
0:24:13 > 0:24:17and winchman Darren to get all five fishermen out of the water.
0:24:17 > 0:24:19But with a swell up to six metres,
0:24:19 > 0:24:21he's struggling to keep track of them all.
0:24:23 > 0:24:27There was a group of four swept to my left and one guy to my right
0:24:27 > 0:24:29and I was just constantly trying to keep a headcount
0:24:29 > 0:24:31and understand where everybody was.
0:24:33 > 0:24:36There was a moment where my heart sank that I counted five
0:24:36 > 0:24:40and then about three, four seconds later I saw a life jacket float
0:24:40 > 0:24:44past me so I thought, "Oh, hang on a minute, we've lost one."
0:24:44 > 0:24:48So I had another quick look round and I said, "They've spread that quickly!"
0:24:48 > 0:24:52Looking over my right shoulder, I saw two guys, three to my left,
0:24:52 > 0:24:56still got five, still happy as you can be and know
0:24:56 > 0:24:57we've got all five on the surface still.
0:25:00 > 0:25:04Darren attaches a safety strap to the nearest fisherman and winches him up.
0:25:06 > 0:25:10Behind them, the fishing boat's life raft has just surfaced
0:25:10 > 0:25:12and two of the crew make their way towards it.
0:25:14 > 0:25:18As Darren is about to go back down to rescue a second crew member,
0:25:18 > 0:25:20he catches sight of the life raft.
0:25:22 > 0:25:25I could actually see two guys, that were off to the right,
0:25:25 > 0:25:28they were clambering onboard the life raft, you know, it self-inflates.
0:25:28 > 0:25:30So, that was a really good moment.
0:25:30 > 0:25:34With one man on the aircraft and two in the lifeboat, Darren's attention
0:25:34 > 0:25:38turns to the final two crew members who are still in the water.
0:25:38 > 0:25:41We got the second guy out who was actually clinging on to what
0:25:41 > 0:25:43turns out to be his father, actually.
0:25:43 > 0:25:46He didn't have a life jacket and it looks as if his suit was
0:25:46 > 0:25:50taking on quite a lot of water, as well, and he was really quite heavy.
0:25:50 > 0:25:52There was a lot of water in his suit.
0:25:52 > 0:25:56And as Darren lifts a third seaman from the water, the Star of Hope,
0:25:56 > 0:25:58the sister ship of the sunken vessel,
0:25:58 > 0:26:01moves towards the inflatable lifeboat.
0:26:01 > 0:26:05Gerry is delighted to see a familiar face onboard.
0:26:05 > 0:26:09My son and one of the other crewmen, they got into the life raft.
0:26:09 > 0:26:11We went over to the life raft
0:26:11 > 0:26:13and took those two guys out of the life raft.
0:26:15 > 0:26:18Obviously, it's a relief once you get them onboard.
0:26:18 > 0:26:20I mean, from my own point of view, I mean,
0:26:20 > 0:26:22last thing I want to see is my own son in the water.
0:26:25 > 0:26:28Surprisingly, after nearly going down with their boat,
0:26:28 > 0:26:31all five crew members are showing no signs of injury.
0:26:31 > 0:26:34The three thankful fishermen who were air-lifted to safety
0:26:34 > 0:26:36by the coastguard helicopter
0:26:36 > 0:26:40are flown to the Western Isles Hospital in Stornoway.
0:26:40 > 0:26:41They've escaped with their lives
0:26:41 > 0:26:44but in a matter of seconds they've lost their livelihood.
0:26:48 > 0:26:50Finlay MacLeod of the Fishermen's Mission is on hand
0:26:50 > 0:26:52to meet them at the hospital.
0:26:52 > 0:26:55The charity has helped the crewmen rebuild their lives,
0:26:55 > 0:26:57both financially and emotionally.
0:26:57 > 0:26:58When I got to the hospital,
0:26:58 > 0:27:02to Accident & Emergency, I found the three fishermen
0:27:02 > 0:27:05and they were just climbing out of their survival suits.
0:27:06 > 0:27:11They were miserable, they were cold, they were despondent,
0:27:11 > 0:27:15they were wet, they were hungry, they were really in despair.
0:27:19 > 0:27:22They had lost everything they had worked for for over 20 years.
0:27:24 > 0:27:29They were certainly very grateful for all the help that was provided to them.
0:27:29 > 0:27:33It's been a traumatic experience for everyone involved.
0:27:33 > 0:27:35It was an incredible event.
0:27:35 > 0:27:38The speed that she went with and the violence that the vessel
0:27:38 > 0:27:40sank in was just, it was astonishing.
0:27:42 > 0:27:44GERRY: It could have been a whole different scenario.
0:27:44 > 0:27:48There could be five guys gone. And that's it.
0:27:48 > 0:27:50That's how close it could have been.
0:27:50 > 0:27:53It's not really until you get back to your base
0:27:53 > 0:27:55and you sit down and you look at the video footage afterwards
0:27:55 > 0:27:58that you're then struck by the enormity of what's just happened.
0:27:58 > 0:28:01Some people came very close to dying that day.
0:28:09 > 0:28:11That's all for now, join us
0:28:11 > 0:28:15next time for more tales of survival from people who've had a Close Call.