Navy rescues lone sailor from death on the high seas

A 55-year-old Polish sailor injured after bad weather caused him to fall overboard has been rescued 240 km west of Aveiro, the navy said.

According to the same source, the distress signal was received on Tuesday at 17:13 through the positioning system of the five-meter sailing ship Elblag. The man fell overboard in the early hours of the 17th, “sustaining chest and back injuries.” “He was able to board the sailboat, but difficulty breathing prevented him from continuing his voyage and he sought help approximately twenty hours after the incident,” the Navy said.

The Armada’s ocean patrol ship Science reached the sailboat at 7:10 a.m. this Wednesday and rescued the victim “after sailing in very adverse sea conditions.” Navy personnel initially did not know whether the victim was still on board. He made several radio calls, but the sailor answered only after several siren whistles. “He showed signs of life and asked to be rescued as he was physically unable to control the small vessel given the wind and sea conditions (20 knots of wind and six-meter swell),” the Navy described.

The Navy adds that it had to pull the 83-metre patrol boat towards the drifting 5-metre sailboat, “three attempts were made.” “At 10:00 [desta quarta-feira]The sailor was rescued from the difficult situation in which he found himself, having been collected on board NRP Sines and promptly treated by the medical team, stabilized in the ship’s sick bay and evacuation procedures to the hospital department began,” explains.

At 15:30 the victim was on board NRP Sines and receiving medical attention. The ship is heading to the Lisbon naval base, where it is expected to dock in the late afternoon. The victim will later be taken to the hospital.

Sines is commanded by frigate captain Ricardo Alves Teixeira and garrisoned by 36 soldiers.