Largest helicopter sea rescue

On the night of 31 January 1953, a storm surge caused by gales, high tides and an unusual pressure system raised the water level up to 5.6 metres (18 ft 4 in) above the North Sea's mean sea level. This caused catastrophic flooding in eastern England, Scotland, Belgium and the Netherlands.

Holland only had one helicopter at the time, so when their sea defences gave way, an international rescue mission was launched involving American helicopters sent from Germany and British Dragonfly helicopters from the 705 Naval Air Squadron unit based in Gosport, Hampshire, UK.

During the first two weeks of February, at least 810 people were rescued (752 in the first four days of the initial surge) from flooded coastal areas in the UK and on the continent, including a single British pilot who was responsible for saving 111 people.

Around 80 of those rescued had to be hoisted onto a helicopter using a winch because the aircraft could not land.

In total, the small squadron of helicopters flew approximately 422 hours over the course of the rescue mission.

Unfortunately, many others were not as lucky as those evacuated to safety. It's estimated that there were around 2,500 fatalities, most of which were in the Netherlands, where more than 1,800 people lost their lives.