HDMS HVIDBJOERNEN

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Hvidbjørnen damaged in risky rescue operation

The "Hvidbjørnen" on Sep 4, 2012, at 9.04 a.m. received the distress signal of a Polish yacht in distress. The Polish sailing ship was located about 100 nautical miles west of Suderø. The mast had broken, and three of the crew were injured, one seriously. The patrol boat immediately set out from the Faroe Islands to assess the feasibility of providing assistance. As soon as the patrol boat left the islands shelter, it was hit by a huge wave that struck over the bow and damaged windshield wipers on the bridge 13 meters above the waterline. The storm meant that it would take approx. 10 hours to reach the ship, why the master of the "Hvidbjørnen" decided to send her Lynx helicopter with a rescue swimmer on board, while the ship returned to the Faroe Islands. With gusts up to 42 m/sec and the resulting very violent seas it was realized that it was not possible to hoist sailors up in the helicopter. Despite the harsh weather the helicopter remained in the area until it was replaced by two Faroese helicopters in rotation which hovered over the sailing ship and monitored the situation. The Faroese Inspection and rescue ship "Brimil" finally rescued the 10 Polish sailors in the late afternoon. The sea had calmed down so far that it was safe to use a rubber boat. It had to sail a few times back and forth, but managed to save all sailors and take them to the "Brimil", which then went to Torshavn. During the transit, two wounded sailors were evacuated by helicopter and brought to treatment in Torshavn hospital, while the condition of the third man was too critical for helicopter transport. When the "Brimil" arrived in Torshavn on Sep 5 morning, the man had died. Danish report with photos: http://www2.forsvaret.dk/nyheder/nationale_opgaver/Pages/PolskeSejlerereddetvedF%C3%A6r%C3%B8erne.aspx