On Aug 25, 2018, the 'Sonja - Z 19', 159 GT (IMO: 7524627), sank in eight Beaufort winds with a five-member crew on board off Great Yarmouth
On Aug 25, 2018, the 'Sonja - Z 19', 159 GT (IMO: 7524627), sank in eight Beaufort winds with a five-member crew on board off Great Yarmouth. In addition to a rescue helicopter from Humberside the RNLI boat from Gorleston, a lifeboat from Caister and other ships participated n the SAR operation. The crew of the Bermuda-flagged cruise ship 'Pacific Princess' (IMO: 9187887), was able to pick up three of the castaways 25 miles from Norfolk. They had launched an emergency flare, and the ship was heading for position. Actually it wanted to give the raft only shelter from the wind, until the Coastguard had arrived, but at 6.30 p.m. it came in such a favorable position that a fallreep was deployed, where the fishermen could climb up. One of them fell into the water, but was able to hold on to the gangway and be pulled back into the liferaft, in order to successfully try it a second time. Then the search for two more, still missing fishermen went on. After two hours, the 'Pacific Princess' continued the journey from Rosyth to Dover. Here the castaways were dropped off. The British Coast Guard coordinated the further search, during which the corpses of the two missing men were discovered and recovered by the crew of a helicopter. The rescue units then were stood down returned to their bases. The maritime rescue coordination center in Oostende launced an investigation into whether the cutter could have had a ground contact before sinking. Reports with photos and video: https://news.sky.com/story/two-sailors-missing-after-three-are-rescued-in-north-sea-by-passing-cruise-ship-11482470 https://www.schuttevaer.n...
