Royal Navy warship rescues stranded yacht crew in Atlantic

A Royal Navy warship has saved 14 mariners who were stranded for two days in the Atlantic Ocean after their dashing yacht was harmed in a tempest.

HMS Dragon redirected 500 miles to achieve the 13 Britons and one American after the pole and rudder had severed their 60ft (18m) yacht on Thursday.

The Clyde Challenger had been on the way to the UK from the Azores following a four-month trip when it was harmed.

The naval force's Type 45 Destroyer safeguarded the team at 14:30 GMT on Saturday.

The Clyde Challenger was 610 miles south-west of Land's End when HMS Dragon touched base on Saturday.

'Edgy state'

Substance tanker CPO Finland, helped by RAF and US Air Force planes, had attempted to safeguard the Clyde Challenger's group three circumstances, however flopped because of terrible climate.

Negligible officer Max Grosse said the yacht was in a "urgent state" when HMS Dragon achieved it.

"In spite of dashing as the night progressed, we just had three hours of light staying in which to securely expel the group.

"The overarching climate conditions and infamous Atlantic swell made it tremendously difficult however and truly tried the abilities of my accomplished ocean vessel coxswains."

HMS DragonImage copyrightROYAL NAVY

Picture subtitle

HMS Dragon occupied 500 miles to achieve the yacht

The Challenger's captain, Roy Graham, said issues had started five days in the wake of leaving the Azores when a huge wave hit the yacht.

"We got hit with a maverick wave coming the other way," the 66-year-old Scot said.

"It hit us and thumped us over and dragged the crosstrees into the water, which dragged the pole into the water and snapped it at deck level."

'Tossed 10ft'

Team part Elisabeth Ligethy, 62 and from Glasgow, said she had been beneath deck and was tossed 10ft when the wave hit.

The yacht, which is typically berthed in the Clyde Estuary, was intended to contend in the Clipper Round The World yacht race and had been utilized for corporate, private and philanthropy contracts, as indicated by its site.

Its proprietor, Lewis Learning Ltd, said that the yacht couldn't be recouped, and that the team of the Clyde Challenger would arrive inland on Tuesday.

It augmented "gigantic much obliged" to each one of those included in "sorting out and executing the sheltered exchange of the group".