Rescues 16-Year-Old Girl Swept Out To Sea

Prince William, known in his RAF squadron as Flight Lieutenant Wales, has notched a save as the pilot of an RAF Sea King helicopter.

The Prince was on duty Friday when a call came in that a 16-year-old girl had been swept out to sea while trying to rescue her 13-year-old sister. The younger girl had been body boarding in the surf at Silver Bay, Anglesey, north Wales, and had been caught up in a rip current. The incident occurred near the RAF Valley airbase, where Prince William is stationed.

The London paper The Daily Mail reports that the younger girl was helped to shore by another surfer, but her older sister was pulled into an area with large waves and rocks where she was not able to be helped. Prince William piloted the Sea King, being directed by two other surfers pointing to the rocks where the girl was quickly becoming exhausted.

She was lifted to safety by Master Aircrew Harry Harrison. They landed on the beach to pick up the younger girl, and then flew on to pick up a third person believed to be the girls' mother. All three were flown to a nearby hospital for evaluation.

The 16-year-old was cold and in shock when she was plucked from the ocean, but she is expected to fully recover.

William qualified as a fully operational SAR pilot in September, 2010.

(RAF Sea King photo from file)

FMI: www.raf.mod.uk