LONDON The British navy rescued the five man crew of a stricken Romanian cargo ship after ordering them to leap into the Atlantic yesterday.
In lashing rain, winds of almost 40 knots and 30 ft waves, the Lynx helicopter crew decided the only solution was to drop survival suits and life jackets on to the ship's quarterdeck.
The crew donned the suits and life jackets and jumped into the heavy seas 300 miles southwest of Cape Finisterre on the Spanish coast. The helicopter plucked the men from freezing waters and transferred them to the warship.