What do you think?
Rate this book
Rescue 194
'The sky had gone: in its place was a wall of water, white horses on the top, readying itself to fall on me.'
What kind of man throws himself out of a helicopter in a storm?
Or dangles by a thread over mountainous waves?
Or strikes a panicking sailor to save his life?
Aircrewman Jay O'Donnell, a former Royal Navy Search and Rescue diver, has seen - and lived - it all. Scrambled at a moment's notice, in all weathers - but usually the worst - he and the crew of Sea King Rescue 194 have braved some of the most frightening storms ever to lash the UK.
In this gripping account, O'Donnell describes the mix of bravery and terror that comes with every call. He explains the rigours of training; tells of grisly tasks like fishing bodies out the sea; conveys the horror of being winched 80 feet in a storm while clutching a squirming baby, or being dragged through freezing waters on a loose line.
Culminating in the astonishing, hair-raising rescue of 26 crew from the MSC Napoli disaster in Cornwall, January 2007 - where O'Donnell was decorated for his courage and refusal to give up in appalling conditions - Rescue 194 is an unforgettable tribute to the Royal Navy's search and rescue crews.
What kind of man throws himself out of a helicopter in a storm?
Or dangles by a thread over mountainous waves?
Or strikes a panicking sailor to save his life?
Aircrewman Jay O'Donnell, a former Royal Navy Search and Rescue diver, has seen - and lived - it all. Scrambled at a moment's notice, in all weathers - but usually the worst - he and the crew of Sea King Rescue 194 have braved some of the most frightening storms ever to lash the UK.
In this gripping account, O'Donnell describes the mix of bravery and terror that comes with every call. He explains the rigours of training; tells of grisly tasks like fishing bodies out the sea; conveys the horror of being winched 80 feet in a storm while clutching a squirming baby, or being dragged through freezing waters on a loose line.
Culminating in the astonishing, hair-raising rescue of 26 crew from the MSC Napoli disaster in Cornwall, January 2007 - where O'Donnell was decorated for his courage and refusal to give up in appalling conditions - Rescue 194 is an unforgettable tribute to the Royal Navy's search and rescue crews.
- GenresNonfiction
256 pages, Paperback
First published March 3, 2010
2 people are currently reading
13 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
September 2, 2025
I found this to be a fascinating look into navy sea rescue operations. Despite it often talking about one of my worst nightmares – sinking on a ship. And there are a lot more things in that situation that can complicate matters, than I ever considered. But that’s not the only kind of rescuing they do, they are used during snow storms on land and to rescue people who become stuck climbing cliffs.
June 2, 2022
Why a 4 star review?
Well the author is writing in a way that immediately connects the reader to him and his training that is undertaken to become an SAR diver and helicopter rescue service personnel,well written and descriptive of the rigorous training and history of the SAR diver and with some accounts of rescues and tragedies from the history of the sar team,a team of very unique and unassuming people doing a very difficult job saving lives in an ever changing world.
Well the author is writing in a way that immediately connects the reader to him and his training that is undertaken to become an SAR diver and helicopter rescue service personnel,well written and descriptive of the rigorous training and history of the SAR diver and with some accounts of rescues and tragedies from the history of the sar team,a team of very unique and unassuming people doing a very difficult job saving lives in an ever changing world.
July 23, 2016
I enjoyed it .Very mych worth a read to see the amount of training involved.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews