- Jim O’Neill, a winchman with nearly 30 years of experience, faced what he called his most challenging rescue off County Kerry last December
- The French fishing vessel Fastnet ran aground with 14 crew members on board after engine failure in near gale-force winds and strong Atlantic waves
- O’Neill received the Billy Deacon Search and Rescue Memorial Trophy at a ceremony held at the House of Commons in London
An Irish Coast Guard winch paramedic from Strabane, County Tyrone, has been honoured at the House of Commons after leading the rescue of 14 crew members from a stricken French fishing vessel off the coast of County Kerry last December.
Jim O’Neill, who has spent close to three decades on search and rescue operations along Ireland’s coastline, received the Billy Deacon Search and Rescue Memorial Trophy alongside a watch personally inscribed by RNLI chief executive Peter Sparkes.
Source: Getty Images
According to BBC, the French fishing boat Fastnet suffered engine failure while leaving Dingle Harbour and was driven onto rocks by near gale-force winds and powerful Atlantic swells. With the vessel being battered on one side by waves and on the other by rocks, and leaking diesel into the sea, rescuers had very little time to act.
A 50-minute operation on a breaking vessel
O’Neill and the crew of Irish Coast Guard Rescue Helicopter 115, which also included Captain Robert Goodbody, co-pilot Paraic Slattery, and winch operator Eamon O’Broin, were part of a wider emergency response that brought together RNLI lifeboats, Irish Coast Guard land units, the Irish Navy, and local fishing vessels.
With the Fastnet sitting in relatively shallow water, surface vessels held back in safer areas while Rescue 115 moved into position above the stricken boat. O’Neill was winched down and, over 50 minutes, located each of the 14 fishermen on board and coordinated their evacuation one by one into the helicopter. He was the last person to leave the vessel.
“The main challenge I had on the vessel was I had to make sure I didn’t fall on the deck or end up being thrown overboard,” O’Neill said. “I didn’t think I was going to survive if I ended up in the sea because it was so rough. So I got the 14 all up and into the helicopter and that a bit of a moment really — suddenly, I found I was the only one left. That was a great moment but also a very scary moment because I knew I had to be recovered.”
Award named after a fallen hero
The Billy Deacon trophy recognises winch paramedics or operators for outstanding service during search and rescue missions. It honours Billy Deacon, a HM Coastguard winchman who died in November 1997 near the Shetland Islands while rescuing the final crew members from the cargo vessel Green Lily. He was swept overboard after ensuring others were safe and was posthumously awarded the George Medal.
The award committee said O’Neill’s rescue was “completed with a calm professionalism, despite considerable personal risk” and that his leadership “had a direct bearing on the successful outcome.”
O’Neill said receiving an award that carries Deacon’s name felt deeply meaningful. He also used the recognition to call on the public to stay safe near the water: “They can still go out and enjoy the environment but just be careful about what you do and think about what you do and just remember what could be the outcome of your actions if you take any foolish risks.”
Source: Getty Images
Boat capsizes, number of bodies found announced
Legit.ng earlier reported that at least 46 people have died after a boat carrying 77 passengers capsized in Gorau community, Goronyo Local Government Area of Sokoto State, the state Police Command confirmed on Thursday, August 20.
Fifteen passengers were pulled out alive, while rescue teams continued searching for the remaining 16 people still unaccounted for.
Source: Legit.ng