by Alison Bowler

Created on: October 03, 2008   Last Updated: April 05, 2010

On December 19 1981, as people were preparing for Christmas, a severe storm battered the rocky coast around Cornwall in the South West of England. It was this storm, which would lead to the loss of eight volunteers of the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI). They were the crew of the Solomon Browne, a lifeboat from the Mounts Bay area of Cornwall, based at the Penlee Point lifeboat station. The crew of the vessel they were attempting to rescue would also perish.

The MV Union Star, on her maiden voyage from Ireland, developed an engine fault while approximately eight miles east of Wolf Rock. At this time, the Union Star’s captain refused the sea-going tug Holland Noord offer of assistance, under the salvage right rules operated by Lloyds. Later, while being driven by hurricane force winds into the rocks and cliffs of Boscawen Cove, the Union Star requested assistance from the coastguard based at Falmouth in Cornwall. Her engines were contaminated with seawater and unable to start.

The Royal Navy Air Station (RNAS) Culdrose dispatched a Royal Naval Sea King search and rescue helicopter to aid the rescue attempt. This helicopter made several valiant attempts but was unable to rescue any of the people on the stricken vessel owing to the severe weather conditions.

The Coastguard put a call out to man the lifeboat based at Penlee Point and twelve volunteers from the nearby village of Mousehole arrived at the station. Of these twelve men, eight were chosen ensuring that no two members of the same family were on the lifeboat, as this was the regulation in such severe weather conditions. The lifeboat Solomon Browne, a 47-foot wooden hulled Watson class vessel, put to sea in a storm with 60 mph winds, which were at times gusting to a hurricane force of 95 mph and waves reported to be 60 foot high.

The lifeboat made several attempts to come alongside the Union Star. Twice the waves lifted the lifeboat onto the superstructure of the Union Star and once smashed her into the side of the larger vessel. Eventually, the lifeboat sent a radio message stating that they had four of the crew aboard and they were going back to rescue the rest. It was the last communication with either vessel. Ten minutes later people watching from the shore reported losing sight of the lifeboat’s lights as the Union Star keeled over.

Lifeboats from the Lizard and the Isles of Scilly joined helicopters from RNAS Culdrose in a search and rescue for any survivors but there were none

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