So just for reference, the sailor they are rescuing is my husband. He had severe appendicitis that then ruptured and he became septic. They tried to manage it on the sub for a couple of weeks but his white blood cell count and fever became so severe he was in danger of dying. What you don’t see in the film is that on the first hoist attempt they dropped him and his back was broken while in the basket. Also the first officer of the sub (the Lipscomb ) was also injured while evacuating him. He broke his leg while trying to steady the stretcher. Lots of heroes here. There were no American ships nearby so the Brits helped out. My husband ended up having surgery due to the appendicitis rupture and 3 back surgeries due to the severe back injury which ended up being debilitating to the point it ended his military career. I am forever grateful to the brave souls who risked their lives for an American in need. My husband is now in his late sixties and has severe back disability but he lived.
God bless you both. I am a friend of the captains son. Sitting at his dinner table was one of the most awe inspiring experiences for a thirteen year old. All the compressed intelligence and expertise to maintain constant vigilance in the operations such as your husband received in extremis. In today's difficult age I hope and pray that our navies can fulfil their historic roles of running the high season to protect us all.
I think we all get nostalgic as we get older and I enjoyed watching this series as a child. At that time I always thought why couldn't they update us on the health of the gravely ill sailor, so am glad to hear that he survived, although your description of the rescue seems to differ from the impression I got from the show. Even then I couldn't understand why they couldn't shut the door of the Sea King, seemed a bit ludicrous but perhaps a former crew member can explain. Am sorry to hear of your husbands subsequent back problems and debilitating health. We owe so much to the service men and woman of both countries and the sacrifices both he and they made. Pleas thank him for his service.
@@davidcarter6737 The Sea King type doing the transfer is a anti submarine model and near opposite the door on the port side if I remember correctly is the sonar and radar desks/ controls and the 2 operators seats making it a tight turning circle getting the stretcher litter in.
I’m amazed at the US Navy’s decision to allow a man with appendicitis to remain onboard for all that time. In times of war I could understand the decision, but as a nurse and knowing what happens when the appendix bursts I feel it was downright cruel to allow that sailor to get to the point where his burst and sepsis followed. It was inevitable and he should’ve been removed for surgery at first diagnosis. Where I live we have many submarines and warships train and it’s not uncommon for sailors to be medevaced off and flown to Faslane or to a local hospital for treatment. The ship’s surgeon in this episode was superb and the navy was lucky to have such a guy in their service.
You can imagine the American sailor sick with appendicitis being about ready to puke his guts out with the basket going round and round back to the chopper. That was a hairy ordeal, but everybody did a super job considering the rough seas.
Thanks to the Royal Navy this sailor was saved because the US Navy tried to treat a RUPTURED APPENDIX aboard a flipping submarine....even the Royal navy doctor at 0:35 said the man could die.
I would have scrapped the Ark Royal in 1967, after 12 years service it was already stuffed. HMS Victorious had been reconstructed and reengined with new steam turbines and completly new electrics by 1958 and I am certain it would have lasted as long as the Ark did to late 1978 with much greater reliabilty. I think the US F4J would have been alright of the Vic as I know they even tested the British F4K Phantoms off Hermes which was just too small, but would have been good with 25 4M Skyhawks with Blue Fox air to air raider. 25 A- 4Ms, 4 Gannets and 5 Sea King. Rather than the rarely useful invincibles , a better idea would have been Dutch Broomstick on Hermes and Bulwark which would also have needed the the new 70,000 hp steam turbines used on 1970s US helicopter and harrrier carriers
Hermes and Victorious were both too small to operate Phantoms. They shouldn't have bothered refitting Victorious in the 1950s and just scrapped it, and the smaller carriers along with it, leaving just Eagle and Ark Royal.
In what way do you feel the INVINCIBLE class was “rarely useful” and what qualifies you to make such an assertion? Be aware, I’m a currently serving officer and former HMS INVINCIBLE and HMS ARK ROYAL ship’s company, so I’d rather like to know what leads you to that conclusion, plus any particular experience you have had of the Service yourself, if any? When one considers what the INVINCIBLE class was original conceived as and what it evolved into, I’d say we got well more than enough bang for our buck out of them. A through-deck cruiser for helicopters that was, at various times, an ASW command platform, a fixed-wing carrier for air defence and strike operations, missile cruiser, littoral amphibious assault ship and LPH? Unless you mean that it was never completely perfect for any of these single roles, I think the sheer versatility of what it DID in fact accomplish, plus the operations that the class successfully carried out in the Falklands, Bosnia and Iraq speak volumes for the flexibility and utility of the class, seeing active service in every decade that they were commissioned. But I’d be interested to hear what first hand experience you had of the class.
So just for reference, the sailor they are rescuing is my husband. He had severe appendicitis that then ruptured and he became septic. They tried to manage it on the sub for a couple of weeks but his white blood cell count and fever became so severe he was in danger of dying. What you don’t see in the film is that on the first hoist attempt they dropped him and his back was broken while in the basket. Also the first officer of the sub (the Lipscomb ) was also injured while evacuating him. He broke his leg while trying to steady the stretcher. Lots of heroes here. There were no American ships nearby so the Brits helped out. My husband ended up having surgery due to the appendicitis rupture and 3 back surgeries due to the severe back injury which ended up being debilitating to the point it ended his military career. I am forever grateful to the brave souls who risked their lives for an American in need. My husband is now in his late sixties and has severe back disability but he lived.
God bless you both. I am a friend of the captains son. Sitting at his dinner table was one of the most awe inspiring experiences for a thirteen year old.
All the compressed intelligence and expertise to maintain constant vigilance in the operations such as your husband received in extremis.
In today's difficult age I hope and pray that our navies can fulfil their historic roles of running the high season to protect us all.
I think we all get nostalgic as we get older and I enjoyed watching this series as a child. At that time I always thought why couldn't they update us on the health of the gravely ill sailor, so am glad to hear that he survived, although your description of the rescue seems to differ from the impression I got from the show. Even then I couldn't understand why they couldn't shut the door of the Sea King, seemed a bit ludicrous but perhaps a former crew member can explain. Am sorry to hear of your husbands subsequent back problems and debilitating health. We owe so much to the service men and woman of both countries and the sacrifices both he and they made. Pleas thank him for his service.
@@davidcarter6737They probably couldn’t close the door because there was no space on the account of the camera crew taking up space.
@@davidcarter6737 The Sea King type doing the transfer is a anti submarine model and near opposite the door on the port side if I remember correctly is the sonar and radar desks/ controls and the 2 operators seats making it a tight turning circle getting the stretcher litter in.
CHIEF WITHELL, WHI RESCUED WAS MY DAD
What a wonderful series!!
one of the best TV documentaries ever made in my opinion, absolutely superb piece of filmmaking
I’m amazed at the US Navy’s decision to allow a man with appendicitis to remain onboard for all that time. In times of war I could understand the decision, but as a nurse and knowing what happens when the appendix bursts I feel it was downright cruel to allow that sailor to get to the point where his burst and sepsis followed. It was inevitable and he should’ve been removed for surgery at first diagnosis. Where I live we have many submarines and warships train and it’s not uncommon for sailors to be medevaced off and flown to Faslane or to a local hospital for treatment. The ship’s surgeon in this episode was superb and the navy was lucky to have such a guy in their service.
chief Withell, who did the rescue is my dad❤
You can imagine the American sailor sick with appendicitis being about ready to puke his guts out with the basket going round and round back to the chopper. That was a hairy ordeal, but everybody did a super job considering the rough seas.
That Naval doctor operated on my shoulder in Haslar hospital i beleve his name was Tony Jones.
Brilliant
fly navy bloody heroes glad to have served
It's amazing the stretcher didn't sink like a stone, and that he was able to hook it all up underwater
Well done all, you have just seen how professional the Navy is.
Hats off to the Jack Tars! - More people should watch this nowadays.
That Navy doc was awesome.
Wow, that was incredibly exciting!
Thanks to the Royal Navy this sailor was saved because the US Navy tried to treat a RUPTURED APPENDIX aboard a flipping submarine....even the Royal navy doctor at 0:35 said the man could die.
Hero's all.
To the men on the casing: its every seventh wave!
great video thank you ex matelot ark royal blue
Do you have the other episodes on the way?
please please please upload some more
I am wandering how the operation on the American sailor went
See his wife's update on here made one year ago.
8.46 BLOODY HELL!!
breathe taking rescue operations
Sturgeon or los Angeles class?
Sturgeon; the LA-class hadn't been commissioned yet. Sturgeon has a taller sail relative to the hull, and smaller fairwater planes.
I would have scrapped the Ark Royal in 1967, after 12 years service it was already stuffed. HMS Victorious had been reconstructed and reengined with new steam turbines and completly new electrics by 1958 and I am certain it would have lasted as long as the Ark did to late 1978 with much greater reliabilty. I think the US F4J would have been alright of the Vic as I know they even tested the British F4K Phantoms off Hermes which was just too small, but would have been good with 25 4M Skyhawks with Blue Fox air to air raider. 25 A- 4Ms, 4 Gannets and 5 Sea King. Rather than the rarely useful invincibles , a better idea would have been Dutch Broomstick on Hermes and Bulwark which would also have needed the the new 70,000 hp steam turbines used on 1970s US helicopter and harrrier carriers
+Frederick Miles You lost it on the F4K and F4J, there both the same aircraft, size apart from the engine. 25 A-4's?
Victorious did get new engines, however, her sttructure was fucked from WW2 battle damage.
Hermes and Victorious were both too small to operate Phantoms. They shouldn't have bothered refitting Victorious in the 1950s and just scrapped it, and the smaller carriers along with it, leaving just Eagle and Ark Royal.
In what way do you feel the INVINCIBLE class was “rarely useful” and what qualifies you to make such an assertion? Be aware, I’m a currently serving officer and former HMS INVINCIBLE and HMS ARK ROYAL ship’s company, so I’d rather like to know what leads you to that conclusion, plus any particular experience you have had of the Service yourself, if any? When one considers what the INVINCIBLE class was original conceived as and what it evolved into, I’d say we got well more than enough bang for our buck out of them. A through-deck cruiser for helicopters that was, at various times, an ASW command platform, a fixed-wing carrier for air defence and strike operations, missile cruiser, littoral amphibious assault ship and LPH? Unless you mean that it was never completely perfect for any of these single roles, I think the sheer versatility of what it DID in fact accomplish, plus the operations that the class successfully carried out in the Falklands, Bosnia and Iraq speak volumes for the flexibility and utility of the class, seeing active service in every decade that they were commissioned. But I’d be interested to hear what first hand experience you had of the class.
The Phantom trials were onboard the Eagle which BTW was in better nick than the Ark.