RNLI medal for lifeboat coxswain after boat rescue operation

A LIFEBOAT coxswain who helped save the lives of four fishermen whose boat was in danger of being swept onto rocks in a severe winter storm has been awarded a medal.

David MacAskill, the Lochinver coxswain who has been awarded with the RNLI Bronze Medal for Gallantry. Picture: RNLI/PA

Coxswain David MacAskill, 47, is be decorated with the RNLI Bronze Medal for Gallantry, one of the lifeboat charity’s highest accolades.

He led the crew of the Lochinver lifeboat when they set out in 10-metre high seas, lightning and hail to the fishermen on board the stricken trawler Norholm, which had lost all power and was being pushed by gale-force winds towards the deadly shore of Cape Wrath in the Highlands.

Battling against the storm to attach a tow line, they managed to pull the ship and crew clear of danger - only for the tow line to break twice as the weather worsened.

Each time the tow was reattached, once with the help of colleagues from Thurso lifeboat who then took over to allow the Lochinver crew to return to station nearly 12 hours after they first launched at 8.39pm on December 7, 2014.

After the rescue, the Norholm praised the Lochinver lifeboat crew for saving their lives and donated to the RNLI.

Coxswain MacAskill said the rescue was the hardest in his 26 years on the crew.

He said: “This was the most difficult shout we have had due to the size of the boat, the weather conditions and where the boat was positioned.

“The ship had two anchors out but they were not holding her and there was real danger she could run aground.

“Afterwards, all the volunteers on the Lochinver crew were absolutely exhausted.

“I never expected to receive a medal, I didn’t join the RNLI to go for medals, but what this medal means is that it is an honour for the station and the crew as a whole to receive something like this.”

The rest of the crew, including Mr MacAskill’s son, Lachlan, 20, and nephew, Joe MacKay, 24, Stuart Gudgeon, 35, Robert Kinnaird, 40, James MacAskill, 40 and John K Templeton, 42, will receive the Thanks of the Institution inscribed on Vellum for the rescue.

George Rawlinson, RNLI operations director, said: “The Lochinver crew faced appalling conditions during this service.

“When a lifeboat boat is pitching and rolling beneath you, it takes huge effort to also assess a hazardous situation and making difficult decisions is incredibly challenging.

“Coxswain MacAskill did all this while skilfully manoeuvring the lifeboat, ensuring that both his crew and his attention to the Norholm was to the highest standards of seamanship.

‘The bravery and determination of Coxswain MacAskill and his crew saved the captain and crew of the Norholm.”

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