Three British sailors are rescued after their yacht is smashed by a WHALE in the Atlantic

  • Three British men aged 41 to 61 were rescued from the Atlantic after the collision
  • Their vessel collided with whale around 356 miles north-west off coast of Azores
  • They are all safe and well, on their way to the northern Spanish port city of Aviles
  • Portuguese Navy spokesman confirmed rescue operation yesterday afternoon

By Gerard Couzens for MailOnline

Published: | Updated:

Three Brits have been rescued in the Atlantic after their yacht smashed into a whale and started leaking water.

The unnamed Brits, aged 41 to 61, immediately called the coast guard to say the hull was punctured and they were about to abandon ship.

'Their life was in danger... They reported it would sink imminently,' said Cruz Martins, Captain of Ponta Delgada Port where the rescue operation was coordinated from. 

Three Brits have been rescued in the Atlantic after their yacht collided with a whale and was badly damaged

Three Brits have been rescued in the Atlantic after their yacht collided with a whale and was badly damaged

Portuguese rescuers mobilized two military planes to pick up the Brits after the collision off the Azores

Portuguese rescuers mobilized two military planes to pick up the Brits after the collision off the Azores

Portuguese rescuers mobilized two military planes to pick up the Brits after the collision around 356 miles north-west of the Azores island Terceira.

They were later brought to safety on board a merchant vessel and taken to the northern Spanish port city of Aviles.

Captain Martins confirmed the British-flagged yacht 'suffered damage caused by a collision with a whale', which he said was a 'rare occurrence'. 

He went on: 'They were in international waters, open waters. Whales travel everywhere.

'They were the ones who told us about hitting a whale in a second communication. 

'For us, as they were out of our jurisdiction, our only concern was preserving lives and rescuing them. We didn't open any kind of inquiry to investigate the circumstances.'

The unnamed Brits, aged 41 to 61, were on a yacht called Destiny of Scarborough

The unnamed Brits, aged 41 to 61, were on a yacht called Destiny of Scarborough

The stranded men were later brought to safety on board a Liberian-flagged merchant vessel which responded to their SOS call

The stranded men were later brought to safety on board a Liberian-flagged merchant vessel which responded to their SOS call

Captain Martins, who said the whale was just as lucky to survive, explained that two Portuguese air force C-295 jets were sent because the men were too far out for their helicopters.

Once the coastguard determined the yacht's position, it sent the planes to fly overhead to 'reassure' them. 

'As the operation was launched, they gained in confidence and were able to keep containing the leak,' said Captain Martins.

Fortunately a merchant ship was nearby and agreed to help the men as a navy corvette would have taken hours to reach them.

If the men had resorted to abandoning the ship for a life raft, they would have lost communication with the coast guard, making the rescue operation even more difficult.

The three survivors, who are all in good health, told the coastguard how their boat sank shortly after they were rescued.

The collision happened 356 miles north-west of the Azores island Terceira

The collision happened 356 miles north-west of the Azores island Terceira

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