Campbeltown-built Be Ready – Photo courtesy of Ronnie McNally.
We are grateful to Betty Fullerton of Burra, Shetland for sending us this link. It shows how the Campbeltown-built boat, Be Ready LK 377 (Yard no. 69), launched in 1989 for Theo Fullerton, went on fire on the 22nd January, 2000, 30 miles north-west of the Orkney Islands. The fire started in the wheelhouse of the vessel. She was skippered at the time by by Ellis Fullerton, Theo’s son. After a helicopter rescue attempt failed to winch the crew off, due to the awful weather conditions, David Robertson, a neighbour of the Fullerton family on Burra, Shetland, came to the rescue with his boat the Mizpah. The Mizpah LK 173 was also a Campbeltown boat, built at Trench Point as the Alison Kay LK 57 (yard No. 82) in 1988 for John Anderson. The five crew of the Be Ready were rescued escaping with bruises and burns on their feet. David won several well deserved accolades for his bravery and seamanship. The Be Ready was destroyed by the fire. David Robertson continues to fish with the Mizpah.
Read about BBC One’s People’s award for David Robertson here.
You can read the MAIB report here.
Article in the New Statesman
Article in the Shetland Times
More footage from Ellis Fullerton.
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