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Daily Record
Daily Record
National
Kaitlin Easton

Scots RAF crew scramble to save sailor in Atlantic Ocean as dramatic rescue caught on camera

The dramatic moment a sailor was rescued by two RAF aircrafts off the coast of Scotland was caught on camera.

The sailor was struggling to control the vessel in six-metre-high waves after his yacht lost its mast in stormy conditions.

A Poseidon P-8 from RAF Lossiemouth was scrambled to the Atlantic Ocean, assisted by an Atlas A400M aircraft from RAF Brize Norton, to rescue the distressed sailor.

With its advanced surface search capabilities, the CXX Squadron Poseidon P-8 Martime Patrol Aircraft managed to locate the yacht among the high waves as the two aircrafts coordinated and enabled a visual check of the area.

Air Sea Rescue Apparatus (ASRA) was then dropped to the yacht through a rear ramp by the Atlas, descended via parachute.

The sailor was struggling to control the vessel (Royal Air Force)

The rescue was the first time the equipment had been used in action and a second sortie using the Poseidon was sent overnight to assist merchant vessels, which travelled 120-miles off course to rescue the sailor.

The sailor was safely recovered and is now being treated for minor injuries.

Following the dramatic rescue, the Royal Air Force posted footage on their Twitter page, captioned: "A Poseidon P-8 from@RAFLossiemouth & an Atlas A400 from @RAFBrizeNorton undertook a rescue mission of a sailor in distress in the Atlantic.

"This video documents that mission. #NoOrdinaryJob"

Air Sea Rescue Apparatus (ASRA) was dropped to the yacht (Royal Air Force)
The sailor is recovering from minor injuries (Royal Air Force)

The team were praised for their "superb" work.

One person said: "Great effort by all. An Ex a400 LXX Sqn member it’s great to see this vital capability being utilised."

While another added: "Amazing video, will done guys, and the yachtsman is safe and well!! Keep up the good work."

And a third wrote: "Superb effort. Very very professional. A life saved. Kudos!!"

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