British officials confirmed Monday that Prince William was part of a four man rescue team that saved two Russian sailors from the Irish Sea after their ship capsized. William was the co-pilot of the helicopter that airlifted the sailors and took them to RAF Valley base in Wales on Sunday, a spokesman for the Ministry of Defense said.
The body of a third sailor was recovered. Five others remain missing. Their ship, the Swanland, sent out a distress call early Sunday morning around 2 a.m. Strong winds and rough conditions had caused the hull of the Swanland to crack. The British Coast Guard responded immediately, but the ship had capsized by the time rescuers arrived at the scene. The search for the five missing sailors was suspended Monday.
Alexander Yakovenko, the Russian ambassador to the United Kingdom, thanked Prince William for helping save the lives of the two sailors. “We know that you took an active part in the rescue and the two seamen were saved thanks to your selfless effort under the bad weather conditions," Yakovenko wrote in a letter posted on the Russian Embassy’s website.
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