Six fishermen were winched to safety late at night in a dramatic air-sea rescue on the shores of the Pentland Firth at Murkle, after the trawler, Solan, struck rocks and was pounded by heavy broken seas.
The 85ft Solan ran aground soon after leaving Scrabster harbour. The 10-year-old Inverness-registered Solan (INS 112), which had sailed to the fishing grounds from the Caithness port at about 9pm, put out a Mayday call 25 minutes later.
Thurso lifeboat under coxswain Billy Farquhar was launched soon afterwards but found it impossible to get alongside the grounded vessel because of the rough seas and ebbing tide. Waves from a heavy swell coming in from the Atlantic were also being whipped up by a Force Five north-westerly wind and were sweeping right over the stranded boat's deck and hull. Coastguards in Kirkwall, Orkney, called out the coastguard rescue helicopter from Sumburgh Airport, Shetland, to try to lift the six-man crew off the boat. However attempts to winch the men off by helicopter were hampered by bad weather and the heavy seas driving the boat against the rocks.
A land-based coastguard team of volunteer auxiliaries was also in place on the shoreline opposite the stricken trawler. Just before midnight a coastguard spokesman said the helicopter had managed to pluck the six-man crew to safety. ''They are all safe and well and being taken to the seamen's mission in Scrabster,'' he said.
The vessel had struck rocks at Murkle Point, which lies at the eastern end of Thurso Bay, three miles from Scrabster. Locals said the Solan had keeled over on to her side and was being pounded by heavy seas. She ran aground soon after high tide at a spot immediately north of the then top secret US Navy base at Murkle, near Thurso. All the vessel's lights went out and coastguards used flares to illuminate the scene. Fears of a minor ecological disaster were dispelled when it became apparent that the 5,000 gallons of diesel fuel on board was being quickly broken up by the heavy sea.
The steel-hulled Solan was one of more than 30 trawlers which regularly operated out of Scrabster at that time, fishing in waters to the west of Orkney and Shetland.
The vessel was built in St Monans, Fife in 1985 and was believed to be crewed by men from Hopeman, Moray. She was 26m long.
Nothing much now remains of the wreck of the Solan apart from part of her engine, gantry, rope reels, shaft, stern gland and some hull plates all washed up on shore.
The 85ft Solan ran aground soon after leaving Scrabster harbour. The 10-year-old Inverness-registered Solan (INS 112), which had sailed to the fishing grounds from the Caithness port at about 9pm, put out a Mayday call 25 minutes later.
Thurso lifeboat under coxswain Billy Farquhar was launched soon afterwards but found it impossible to get alongside the grounded vessel because of the rough seas and ebbing tide. Waves from a heavy swell coming in from the Atlantic were also being whipped up by a Force Five north-westerly wind and were sweeping right over the stranded boat's deck and hull. Coastguards in Kirkwall, Orkney, called out the coastguard rescue helicopter from Sumburgh Airport, Shetland, to try to lift the six-man crew off the boat. However attempts to winch the men off by helicopter were hampered by bad weather and the heavy seas driving the boat against the rocks.
A land-based coastguard team of volunteer auxiliaries was also in place on the shoreline opposite the stricken trawler. Just before midnight a coastguard spokesman said the helicopter had managed to pluck the six-man crew to safety. ''They are all safe and well and being taken to the seamen's mission in Scrabster,'' he said.
The vessel had struck rocks at Murkle Point, which lies at the eastern end of Thurso Bay, three miles from Scrabster. Locals said the Solan had keeled over on to her side and was being pounded by heavy seas. She ran aground soon after high tide at a spot immediately north of the then top secret US Navy base at Murkle, near Thurso. All the vessel's lights went out and coastguards used flares to illuminate the scene. Fears of a minor ecological disaster were dispelled when it became apparent that the 5,000 gallons of diesel fuel on board was being quickly broken up by the heavy sea.
The steel-hulled Solan was one of more than 30 trawlers which regularly operated out of Scrabster at that time, fishing in waters to the west of Orkney and Shetland.
The vessel was built in St Monans, Fife in 1985 and was believed to be crewed by men from Hopeman, Moray. She was 26m long.
Nothing much now remains of the wreck of the Solan apart from part of her engine, gantry, rope reels, shaft, stern gland and some hull plates all washed up on shore.