A bit late this, as it was on December 19th 1981 that the Penlee lifeboat, based near Mousehole in Cornwall, was lost attempting to save the crew of the Union Star. 16 people lost their lives including the 8 volunteers onboard the lifeboat.
At one point, the waves were so huge that the lifeboat was washed on top of the Union Star, but the crew continued to try to save the crew of the crippled ship.
The loss was a huge blow to the inhabitants of the small fishing village, but by the next day they had enough new volunteers to crew a new lifeboat.
Incredible bravery.
43 years ago
Moderator: Long slender neck