HMS Iron Duke To The Rescue

A Royal Navy warship raced to the rescue after receiving an urgent distress call to assist a badly injured sailor in the Gulf of Oman, the navy said today.

HMS Iron Duke was the closest coalition warship when the Korean fishing vessel, MV Golden Lake, issued the call for help on February 4.

A fisherman on board had been left unconscious with facial injuries after a wire came loose and struck him in the face.

The Portsmouth-based frigate travelled 170 miles to the vessel and its ship's doctor, Surgeon Lieutenant Mike Robinson, and an escort of Royal Marines in a rigid inflatable boat with a Lynx helicopter in support, were sent to help.

Once on board, Sgn Lt Robinson treated the man's wounds and stabilised him enough to allow MV Golden Lake time to transport him to the nearest port and further medical treatment.

Commander Nick Cooke-Priest, Iron Duke's commanding officer, said:

"Assisting those in distress is second nature to seafarers where mutual support is such a key tenet of our environment.

"I am pleased that Iron Duke was able to help on this occasion and I hope the injured fisherman makes a full recovery."

The Commander of the Republic of Korea task force, Captain Cho YoungJoo, thanked Iron Duke for its help.

He said:

"I would like to convey my sincerest appreciation for all the support you have provided.

"I fully recognise that the matter could have been exacerbated if an immediate response from Iron Duke was not received."

Iron Duke is a month into a seven-month deployment of the Arabian Gulf.