''Ben Asdale'' was a Scottish trawler that was wrecked in December 1978 near

Falmouth, Cornwall Falmouth ( ; kw, Aberfala) is a town, civil parish and port on the River Fal on the south coast of Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. It has a total resident population of 21,797 (2011 census). Etymology The name Falmouth is of English or ...

. On the evening of 30 December 1978, the freezer trawler ''Ben Asdale'' was off-loading fish into the hold of the Russian

factory ship A factory ship, also known as a fish processing vessel, is a large ocean-going vessel with extensive on-board facilities for processing and freezing caught fish or whales. Modern factory ships are automated and enlarged versions of the earlier wh ...

''Antarktika'' (Антарктика), which was anchored in Falmouth Bay. A force eight

gale A gale is a strong wind; the word is typically used as a descriptor in nautical contexts. The U.S. National Weather Service defines a gale as sustained surface winds moving at a speed of between 34 and 47 knots (, or ).mackerel Mackerel is a common name applied to a number of different species of pelagic fish, mostly from the family Scombridae. They are found in both temperate and tropical seas, mostly living along the coast or offshore in the oceanic environment. ...

, she cast off her stern rope in preparation to move away from the anchored ''Antarktika''. The rope fouled her

rudder A rudder is a primary control surface used to steer a ship, boat, submarine, hovercraft, aircraft, or other vehicle that moves through a fluid medium (generally aircraft, air or watercraft, water). On an aircraft the rudder is used primarily to ...

and she would not respond to her helm. The skipper, Albert "Barty" Coe from North Shields - latterly Chief Fishery Officer at Northumberland Sea Fisheries Committee until his retirement on grounds of "ill health" - tried to get the Russians to re-secure the stern of his vessel, but by now the fierce gale was dragging both boats. The Russians sent over two officers to assist in getting the steering working. Shortly afterwards, the bow rope parted and the ''Ben Asdale'' was adrift. The skipper let go an anchor but it failed to hold, and as they were swept towards

Maenporth Maenporth ( kw, Meyn Borth, meaning ''stones cove'') is a cove and beach in west Cornwall, England. It is situated approximately two miles (3 km) south-southwest of Falmouth on the estuary of the River Fal. Maenporth cove faces east across ...

beach, a

Mayday Mayday is an emergency procedure word used internationally as a distress signal in voice-procedure radio communications. It is used to signal a life-threatening emergency primarily by aviators and mariners, but in some countries local organiza ...

was sent. With the wind now gusting force ten and the waves breaking over the trawler, she was out of control, and soon piled onto the rocks at the bottom of Newporth Head. As the boat struck the rocks, one of the crew jumped over the side, gravely injuring himself, and others threw out anything to act as

life raft A lifeboat or liferaft is a small, rigid or inflatable boat carried for emergency evacuation in the event of a disaster aboard a ship. Lifeboat drills are required by law on larger commercial ships. Rafts (raft, liferafts) are also used. In t ...

s. By now, word of the trawler's troubles had spread, and the three Billcliffe brothers, who owned the Crag Hotel by the beach, rushed to the scene and waded into the surf and during that night dragged three of the crew to safety. Up on Newporth head, the

Coastguard A coast guard or coastguard is a maritime security organization of a particular country. The term embraces wide range of responsibilities in different countries, from being a heavily armed military force with customs and security duties to ...

had arrived and was setting up a

breeches buoy A breeches buoy is a rope-based rescue device used to extract people from wrecked vessels, or to transfer people from one place to another in situations of danger. The device resembles a round emergency personal flotation device with a leg harn ...

. With visibility almost at zero due to the blizzard, searchlights were rigged. As the breeches buoy was connected to the stricken trawler, she lurched and rolled onto her side, jamming all the gear. By now the rescue helicopter had arrived from

RNAS Culdrose (HMS Seahawk) Royal Naval Air Station Culdrose (RNAS Culdrose, also known as HMS ''Seahawk''; ICAO: EGDR) is a Royal Navy airbase near Helston on the Lizard Peninsula of Cornwall UK, and is one of the largest helicopter bases in Europe. Its main role is ser ...

but could not see what was going on down on the hulk of the trawler because of the swirling blizzard. The Coastguard set up a radio link with the pilot, to guide the helicopter, which had to fly backwards over the wreck because of the winds and the nearness of the Headland. Over a period of about one and a half hours the helicopter lowered its winch eight times and successfully lifted off eight crewmen. Whilst all this was happening, three of the crew despaired and tried to swim to a shore that looked temptingly near. In the end eleven people were saved, but in spite of all the efforts of the emergency services and the Billicliffe brothers, three men (two Britons and a Russian) were drowned, their bodies washed up the next day on Maenporth Beach. The crew of the helicopter were awarded two Air Force Crosses and three Queen's Commendations for one of the most dangerous rescues of modern times.

References

{{coord missing, Atlantic Ocean Trawlers Ships built in France Shipwrecks in the English Channel 1972 ships Maritime incidents in 1978 Cornish shipwrecks