GUIDING LIGHT H90

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Engineer honored for using a power block to rescue castaways

The engineer of the 'Guiding Light' has been honored with a lifesaving trophy from the Shipwrecked Mariners' Society for his quick thinking during the sinking of the vessel's sister ship 'Guiding Star' off the Shetland Islands in the afternoon of Oct 6, 2022. The Peterhead-based fishing vessels were located about 45 nautical miles southeast of the Shetlands in challeing weather conditions with rough seas and winds approaching gale force. At around noon, they hauled in their catch and were retrieving their trawl gear when they collided. The bow of the 'Guiding Light' rose in a swell and struck the 'Guiding Star' at the stern, penetrating the hull and causing flooding in an accommodations compartment. The 'Guiding Star' began to sink quickly, putting the lives of the eight crew members at risk. The ship was taking on water so fast that the lifejackets and immersion suits were inaccessible to the crew, as the compartment containing them had already flooded. The 'Guiding Light's 1st engineer, Kriss Leel, moved quickly to respond, starting up the deck crane and making heaving lines ready. The crew of the 'Guiding Light' got one heaving line across and used it to rig a pulley system, which they used to transfer over their own immersion suits to the stricken vessel. The crew of the 'Guiding Star' then launched their life raft and abandoned ship, moments before the trawler foundered. The 'Guiding Light' maneuvered to rescue the eight men in the liferaft. Improvising, Leel used the crane and power block to hoist three crew members out of the raft, minimizing the swinging of the whip to bring them safely aboard. Moments later, a wave swept up and capsized the life raft, throwing the other five survivors into the water. Leel worked the power block to recover two more crew members directly from the water alongside the 'Guiding Light'. The remaining three survivors hung onto the overturned life raft and drifted away. Luckily, an HM Coastguard helicopter based out of the Shetland Islands arrived on the scene and picked them up. “Kriss demonstrated exceptional seamanship in the face of a grave situation, in relentless conditions and under considerable pressure. While unconventional as a rescue, Kriss’s calmness and skill in operating the power block, supported by his fellow crew, resulted in the rescue of his five colleagues from a life-threatening situation," said Captain Justin Osmond RN, Chief Executive of the Shipwrecked Mariners’ Society. "Kriss is an extremely deserving recipient of the Society’s Lady Swaythling Trophy for 2023."

Trawler in collision with sister ship

All eight crew members have been rescued after the fishing vessel 'Guiding Star-H 360' sank 45 nautical miles south-east of Shetland following a collision with the 'Guiding Light' on Oct 6, 2022, just after 12 p.m. The HM Coastguard coordinated the response after being alerted and sent the SAR helicopter based at Sumburgh and rescue teams from both Sumburgh and Lerwick to the scene. Other vessels nearby also responded to calls for help. All crew members were accounted for after being picked up by assisting vessels and the coastguard helicopter, which rescued three men from the water and transported them by air to hospital in Shetland. The remaining five crew members were taken aboard the sister vessel and taken to Peterhead. The Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB), MCA Counter Pollution and Salvage, the Receiver of Wreck and Northern Lighthouse Board have been informed. The MAIB has commenced an investigation and a team of inspectors have deployed and will begin gathering evidence. Report with photo and video: https://www.shetnews.co.uk/2022/10/06/crew-safe-and-well-after-fishing-boat-sinks-south-east-of-fair-isle/