Sailors on Royal Navy warship rescue five from drowning when their tugboat sinks in choppy Caribbean seas

• HMS Medway saved crew members who had taken refuge on large band of sand
• Warship responded to the tug’s SOS message, sent at 5pm UK time on Friday 
• Medway launched sea boat for rescue near British Overseas Territory of Anguilla 

Sailors on a Royal Navy warship have saved five people from drowning after their ocean-going tugboat sank in choppy seas in the Caribbean.

HMS Medway – the Royal Navy’s permanent vessel in the region – saved the crew members who had taken refuge on a large band of sand their tug was towing when it began to flood.

The warship responded to the tug’s SOS message, which was sent at about 5pm UK time on Friday, January 6, while it was 20 miles west of the island of Sint Maarten, near to the British Overseas Territory of Anguilla.

Medway launched its sea boat, which a navy spokesman said was put to the limits of its capability with 30 knot winds and 5ft waves.

Sailors on a Royal Navy warship have saved five people from drowning after their ocean-going tugboat sank in choppy seas in the Caribbean

HMS Medway – the Royal Navy’s permanent vessel in the region – saved the crew members who had taken refuge on a large band of sand their tug was towing when it began to flood

Medway’s boatswain Petty Officer (Seaman Specialist) Sarah Griffiths said: ‘Whilst we were cautious as we made our approach to the barge and tug, we were able to reassure the crew and transfer them clear of the barge safely.

‘They were hugely grateful.’

The five crew were described as uninjured but shaken and were transferred to a search-and-rescue boat which took them to shore at Anguilla.

Lieutenant Commander Carla Higgins, Medway’s executive officer, said: ‘The whole ship’s company leapt into action as soon as we made the decision to respond.

‘The swift-thinking and actions of the team were fantastic and we were thankful to be conducting routine maritime security operations in the area to become the on-scene commander working with the local authorities and assist the crew to safety.’

The warship responded to the tug’s SOS message, which was sent at about 5pm UK time on Friday, January 6, while it was 20 miles west of the island of Sint Maarten, near to the British Overseas Territory of Anguilla

Medway’s boatswain Petty Officer (Seaman Specialist) Sarah Griffiths said: ‘Whilst we were cautious as we made our approach to the barge and tug, we were able to reassure the crew and transfer them clear of the barge safely’

The five crew were described as uninjured but shaken and were transferred to a search-and-rescue boat which took them to shore at Anguilla

Lieutenant Commander Carla Higgins, Medway’s executive officer, said: ‘The whole ship’s company leapt into action as soon as we made the decision to respond’ (file image of the HMS Medway)

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