Br.Ant.Territory : HMS Clyde in Search and Rescue Mission
Submitted by (Juanita Brock) 11.05.2010 (Article Archived on 25.05.2010)

At 1900 (South Georgia time) on 7 May 10, HMS CLYDE was urgently re-tasked to launch a search and rescue mission in support of a stricken yacht.

SEARCH AND RESCUE MISSION

At 1900 (South Georgia time) on 7 May 10, HMS CLYDE was urgently re-tasked to launch a search and rescue mission in support of a stricken yacht.

The Hollinsclough, an 18 metre Oyster, had been sailing from South Georgia to Cape Town when it hit ice and began to take on water.  Almost 300 miles northeast of South Georgia and 1000 miles east of the Falkland Islands, Lord and Lady Hollinsclough, and their two young daughters Morgause and Caitland raised the alarm via the Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre back in Falmouth, UK.

Headquarters British Forces South Atlantic Islands responded immediately by re-deploying HMS CLYDE, who had previously been conducting patrols in the waters off South Georgia to both reassure the population and deter any aggression from any sovereign nation. 

HMS CLYDE raced through the night, ice, strong winds and heavy seas to reach the floundering yacht.  With a sea boat and crew of 4 personnel at the ready, HMS CLYDE waited for first sight of the Hollinsclough. 

Shortly after 1230 (South Georgia time) on 8 May 10, the Commanding Officer and his crew on the bridge made visual contact with the Hollinsclough.  Lieutenant Robert Satterly, the outgoing Marine Engineer Officer, and his team were dispatched to the yacht to determine the extent of the damage and the possibility of rendering assistance.  In the event that no assistance could be rendered, HMS CLYDE were on standby to provide life saving assistance.

First to be ferried to safety were Lady Hollinsclough and her daughters, who were welcomed warmly aboard HMS CLYDE by Lieutenant Commander Steve Moorhouse.  The family were also pleasantly surprised to be reunited with members of the British Antarctic Survey - guests of the ship, whom they had only recently left at South Georgia.

Lieutenant Robert Satterly remained onboard with Lord Hollinsclough to see if anything could be done to repair the ice-stricken yacht, the Hollinsclough’s home for the past five years and 16,000 miles of world travel, but the difficult decision was finally made to remove as much equipment and kit as possible, and abandon the yacht to the Southern Ocean Convergence Zone of the South Atlantic.

Lieutenant Robert Satterly from Alverstoke, Hampshire reported that “When we approached the yacht, we were relieved to see that there were four people alive and well.  The yacht had sustained severe damage and lay low in the water, and it was clear that the family had been through quite an ordeal.  Unfortunately nothing could be done to save the yacht and we were just glad to get them back to the ship safely.”

HMS CLYDE is the Falkland Islands’ Patrol Vessel and permanently attached to British Forces South Atlantic Islands.  A River Class Offshore Patrol Vessel, her routine patrols around both the Falkland Islands and South Georgia are pivotal to reassuring the local population and deterring any aggression from other sovereign states.  She is crewed by about 40 crew, who rotate on a six monthly basis and are qualified in every trade required to keep a medium sized ship functioning effectively and relatively independently in some of the most adverse and punishing conditions man and machine has to face.  She is routinely involved in Search and Rescue missions around the Falkland Islands, often alongside other British Forces South Atlantic Islands’ maritime and air assets; however this task was by far the most isolated, independent and for that reason challenging as yet successfully undertaken.

Lieutenant Commander Steve Moorhouse from Stubbington, Hampshire said that “although it was very sad that the Hollinsclough’s trip has been curtailed in these circumstances, the flexibility and response of my team over the last 24 hours has been outstanding and has ensured that the Hollinsclough family has been rescued safely.  This mission clearly underlines the valuable contribution the Royal Navy makes in the South Atlantic.”  

Source - Media Ops MPC