Gallantry Award for Culdrose Aircrewman

Chief Petty Officer Aircrewman Dave Rigg, serving in 771 Naval Air Squadron based at Royal Naval Air Station Culdrose in Cornwall, has been awarded the Queen’s Gallantry Medal for his part in a dramatic rescue operation far to the southwest of Land’s End.

On the night of 10 November 2008, Chief Petty Officer Rigg was the winchman and paramedic on duty with Royal Navy rescue helicopter “Rescue 193” of 771 Search and Rescue Squadron based at Royal Naval Air Station Culdrose. 

Just before midnight the crew were scrambled at the request of the Spanish authorities in Madrid to aid a fisherman onboard the Spanish fishing vessel “Pesca Verdes Tres” which was  reported to be 150nm SW of the Isles of Scilly in a westerly gale force 8 with rough seas.

Rescue 193 arrived on scene at 02.55am in atrocious conditions – gale force seas, inky black night and the Pesca Verdes Tres was rolling excessively in the deep south-westerly swell which was also causing the vessel to pitch and fall by 45ft in the very gusty and extremely turbulent wind conditions.  Due to the constant violent movement of the fishing vessel, it took more than thirty minutes to get Chief Rigg onto the pitching deck, a hazardous place due to the numerous obstructions and radio aerials attached to the ship.

The fisherman had been critically injured by a cable that had parted and almost severed his upper and lower torso, and Chief Petty Officer Rigg was faced with a desperately injured man covered in blood and clearly in need of urgent medical care. 

After an hour of dedicated care, followed by a wild recovery to the aircraft he continued to administer emergency care, successfully resuscitating the casualty on 5 separate and emotional occasions.  Despite all Chief Rigg’s efforts, the fisherman died from his severe injuries before Rescue 193 reached the Royal Cornwall Hospital in Truro.  By the time the crew returned to RNAS Culdrose they had been on duty for nearly 20 hours.
 
For this courageous and determined attempt to save life in treacherous conditions Chief Petty Officer Rigg has been awarded of the Queen’s Gallantry Medal which was presented to him at Buckingham Palace by HRH the Princess Royal.

Dave Rigg grew up in Mossley in Lancashire, and attended St Joseph’s RC Primary School and later St Damian’s RC High School.  He joined the Royal Navy in 1991 and trained initially as a Weapons Electrical Mechanic, serving in HMS Invincible and HMS Illustrious before transferring to the Aircrewman Branch in 1996. 

He trained as an Aircrewman with 810 Naval Air Squadron at Royal Naval Air Station Culdrose, going on to serve with 814 Naval Air Squadron at sea prior to joining 771 Search and Rescue Squadron in 2001, and is now an Aircrew Instructor, a Paramedic and a Night Vision Goggles Instructor.

Dave is a keen diver and enjoys football and rugby in his spare time.  He lives in Porthleven, near Culdrose, with his wife Andrea.

By Royal Navy