Fighting Clan Rescue – the Type 23 Frigate ARGYLL, on operations approximately 20 miles off the Cape Verde coast, when the call for assistance was received and the ship deployed the Seaboat and onboard medical officers to the Japanese trawler WAKASHIO MARU No.82 to assess the extent of the man’s injuries.   The action saved the life of a Japanese fisherman who had suffered a serious head injury off the coast of Africa having fallen into the ship’s bilge and his condition had worsened.       The embarked LYNX HMA.8 helicopter was mobilised to carry the injured fisherman, who was winched onboard and flown to the closest hospital in Praia, Cape Verde.

The ARGYLL now the deployment which involves working with West African nations, and on completion of the tasking in the Atlantic, the ship will undertake a number of important regional engagement visits before returning to Devonport in September 2013.   It begs the question that if a Japanese trawler can make money off West Africa why cannot the British fishing fleet ?