“My first thought was that we were going to die”: former Ross Tiger skipper recalls harrowing moment he nearly lost life at sea on anniversary

A former skipper of the Ross Tiger has recalled the moment he nearly lost his life at sea on the anniversary of the accident.

58 years ago, Dennis Avery, the Tiger’s longest serving skipper of 8 years, and his crew thought they had taken their last breaths when their ship, the Ross Puma, was shipwrecked off Little Rackwick Bay, on the Orkney Islands in 1968

Dennis, aged 26 at the time and the Ship’s Mate, was awoken in the early hours of the morning when he was “thrown” out of his bed.

He recalled: “I was half thrown out and half jumped out of my bunk,” he said. “My first thought was that we were going to die.

“I dashed on to the boat deck to see what was going on.”

The crew put their lifejackets on and got a life raft over the side, but a wave immediately washed it away.

“That just left us with one and we had to make sure it was really secure,” said Dennis, who added the skipper had fired the distress rockets but the height of the cliffs meant no-one could see them.

“The next thing we knew, we saw the TGB lifeboat coming round the headland. We heaved a big sigh of relief and that’s when the rescue started.”

Dennis had remembered the face of the RNLI crewman who had reached down to the life raft and pulled him out of the water saying “come on laddie,” but other memories had faded.

He added: “58 years ago, my life was saved by the brave crew of the Longhope Lifeboat when we ran aground on the Orkney Islands in a storm – we certainly wouldn’t be here today if not for them.

“God bless them all, I’m forever in their debt.”

Sadly, the lifeboat crew tragically lost their lives the year after the rescue in what became known as the Longhope Lifeboat Disaster. After being rescued, Dennis wouldn’t see the lifeboat that saved his life again until late last year at an exhibition at the Scottish Maritime Museum.

“It was a dream fulfilled,” he said. Seeing the face of Dan Kirkpatrick, who saved his life, in an exhibition alongside the TGB brought tears to his eyes.

“Seeing the lifeboat again brought it all flooding back,” he said.

“Now I’ve done it I feel really satisfied that I have been and done it.”

Dennis’ visit allowed for filming of a short documentary into the last two missions of the Longhope Lifeboat, directed by Amber Thornborrow of the Scottish Maritime Museum. This special film is now available to view at New Short Film at Scottish Maritime Museum Captures Poignant Reunion Between Survivor & Lifeboat Nearly 60 Years On – Scottish Maritime Museum

For more information on the fishing heritage centre, please visit TGB – The Ross Puma Rescue in conversation with Dennis Avery