Mr David Fox, the radio officer who helped save the lives of nine fellow crewmen, all Spanish, on board the ill-fated trawler, Sonia Nancy, which sank off the south coast during the weekend storms, arrived home in Cork yesterday to a hero's welcome.
He was greeted at Cork Airport by his relieved mother, Breda, his brothers and sisters, friends and relatives, who live in Farranree in the city, and the owner of the trawler, Mr Pat Sheehy, from Baltimore.
In his first press interview since the rescue during which Mr Fox (38) took over after the RAF helicopter winchman was injured helping to get his comrades off the vessel, he revealed that the rescue services are nominating him for a bravery commendation.
He said: "I am obviously very pleased, but I did what I had to do at a time when all appeared to be lost. It was a close thing. I looked death in the eye".
Mr Fox maintained radio contact with the rescue helicopters throughout the drama and realised long before the other crew members just how dangerous their position really was.
"I knew that the helicopters had reached their maximum range and had a very limited time span in which to execute the rescue. If it took five minutes longer they would have had to leave the area because of fuel shortages and we would have been finished.
"We would not have survived in those seas as we lost some of our life rafts in the storm and the crew had refused to evacuate to a French ship which was standing by to take us on board," he said.
The radio officer was critical of the training of the Spanish trawlermen working on the fishing boats.
"I had to tell them exactly how to use the helicopter winches as they were not trained in any methods of rescue . . . and with time running out fast it was a case of someone having to take control.
"Irish and UK fishermen have to undergo a compulsory six months' training in seamanship, but these rules do not apply to the Spanish who as a result can be a hazard at sea. There must be some type of uniform training for those working on board trawlers, irrespective of the place of registration or the nationality of those working on board," he said.
His mother was delighted to see her son return home safe. "I was out of my mind with worry. I thought David would die in those seas, and it was such a relief to hear about the rescue. His heroic deeds did not surprise me as I know just how strong and calm he can be in a crisis situation. I am just pleased to have him back home," she said.
The owner of the Sonia Nancy, Mr Sheehy, who travelled from Baltimore in west Cork to greet Mr Fox, said he knew they were in trouble from an early stage and notified his family about the situation.
"We hoped that the boat might be saved, but it is at the bottom of the sea with no hope of salvage. Its loss is a major blow to my business but boats can be replaced and I am just relieved and thrilled that everyone got off with no loss of life", he said.
The ordeal has not put Mr Fox off a life at sea. "I really enjoy working on the boats. For the past 12 years I have been on the Spanish vessels and I intend going back to work as soon as I can," he said.