Royal Navy divers rescue drowning turtle wrapped in fishing nets
Royal Navy divers have rescued a stricken turtle as their ship patrolled the Gulf.
Some eagle-eyed crew members of minehunter HMS Bangor spotted the creature in distress and jumped into the water to remove fishing nets that had wrapped around the turtle which were impeding its progress.
Bridge teams on Royal Navy warships as well as being alert to potential dangers and threats wherever they operate, are also trained to look out for marine life.
The Royal Navy said: "Navigator Lieutenant Sean Harvey spotted the turtle and alerted Bangor's dive team – out in one of the warship's small boats and on alert to disarm or blow up underwater bombs and mines.
"Divers Joe Musker and Harry Thomas stepped to the fore and after carefully bringing their boat up to the turtle, then began the intricate job of removing the floats and nets which had wrapped around the creature's neck.
"Had they not acted, the turtle would most probably have drowned as it was struggling to come up for air."
'Immensely gratifying'
Navigator Lieutenant Harvey said: "While we're deployed to the Gulf we get the opportunity to see a large variety of marine life, though few are so impressive as the sea turtle.
"When we came across one in such distress it was an easy decision to help. Our embarked dive team, who are normally used to swimming down to inspect or neutralise threats on the sea bed were more than happy to use their skills instead to rescue this distressed turtle.
"It was immensely gratifying to see it happily swim away having disposed of the netting that had been entangling it – and littering the ocean."
This was the second time in a fortnight that the Royal Navy had helped out an endangered or threatened creature.
Last month, the crew of HMS Dauntless cleared 200kg of rubbish from a nesting ground for turtles in Curacao in the Caribbean – work which earned them worldwide plaudits.
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