to accompany him in the lifeboat: Second Coxswain and Mechanic Stephen Madron, Assistant Mechanic Nigel Brockman, Emergency Mechanic John Blewett, and crewmembers Charlie Greenhaugh, Kevin Smith, Barrie Torrie and Gary Wallis. Richards refused to take Nigel's son Neil, as he would not take two members of the same family. The lifeboat was the RNLB Solomon Browne, a wooden Watson-class boat built in 1960 and capable of . The lifeboat was named after Quaker Solomon Browne of Landrake following a bequest presented by his daughters. It launched at 8:12 pm and headed out through the storm to the drifting Union Star. After it had made several attempts to get alongside, four people jumped across to the lifeboat. It reported: "we got four ... off ... male and female. There's two left on board." This was the last heard from either vessel. Ten minutes later, the lifeboat's lights disappeared. Lt Cdr Smith USN, the pilot of the rescue helicopter, later reported that: The greatest act of courage that I have ever seen, and am ever likely to see, was the penultimate courage and dedication shown by the Penlee [crew] when it manoeuvred back alongside the casualty in over 60 ft breakers and rescued four people shortly after the Penlee had been bashed on top of the casualty's hatch covers. They were truly the bravest eight men I've ever seen, who were also totally dedicated to upholding the highest standards of the RNLI. Other lifeboats Lifeboats were summoned from , and to try to help their colleagues from Penlee. The Sennen Cove Lifeboat found it impossible to make headway round Land's End. The Lizard Lifeboat found a serious hole in its hull when it finally returned to its slipway after a fruitless search. Aftermath In the aftermath of the disaster, wreckage from the Solomon Browne was found along the shore, and the Union Star lay capsized onto the rocks, west of Tater Du Lighthouse. Some of the 16 bodies were never recovered. The inquiry into the disaster determined that the loss of the Union Star and its crew was because of: the irreparable failure of the ship's engines due to contamination of fuel by sea water while off a dangerous lee shore; the extreme severity of the weather, wind and sea; and the capsize of the vessel on or shortly after stranding. The loss of the Solomon Browne was: in consequence of the