How Many People Died In The Lifeboat Disaster At Mousehole In Cornwall?

The lifeboat disaster of 1981 happened when the Penlee lifeboat based at Mousehole went to the aid of the Union Star, a cargo ship that was in trouble in heavy seas.

The ship was on its maiden voyage and heading for Ireland carrying a crew of 5. The captain was Henry Morton and also on board were his wife and two daughters, travelling so that they could be together for Christmas.

It was December 19th and the ship developed an engine fault about 8 miles from the Wolf Rock. Assistance was offered by a tug, but the captain refused as he would have had to pay a salvage fee.

As the weather continued to worsen, a distress signal was put out to Falmouth coastguard. In the hurricane force winds, the ship was being dragged towards the rocks, but because of the high winds, the helicopter sent in response to the distress call was unable to remove any of those on board.

The lifeboat was deployed and made several attempts to get beside the ship. Eventually four crew members were rescued, but the attempt to rescue the rest proved fatal.

The radio suddenly went dead and no more was heard from either the crew of the lifeboat or the ship. An extensive search was conducted but to no avail. 8 bodies were eventually recovered. 16 people in total lost their lives.

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